What happens to you if you eat it???

This is by far the most common question I get asked when someone finds out I am allergic to gluten. I actually find it VERY difficult to answer. This is because I know that if I ate gluten right then and there, my symptoms would not show up immediately, and very likely they would never be apparent to anyone watching. My common responses of "I get sick", or "my immune system damages my small intestine" are usually too intangible to satisfy the inquisitor.

In the Restaurant we tend to be cynical (not openly, of course) toward difficult patrons with specific needs who insist they are allergic to onion, can't eat garlic, or are allergic to nuts and dairy and wheat, and are vegetarian by choice, etc... The most commonly ludicrous seems to be "I'm vegetarian...but I eat chicken and fish". Often when we try to accomodate this person's dietary restrictions, and warn them "this sauce has [forbidden ingredient] in it", they will eat it anyway. I can't tell you how many times someone has insisted that they need a special dish made for them because of their special needs, and halfway through the meal I see them eating off of all of the other plates which I have clearly told them are NOT safe for them to eat.

We bitch because the diner asks us to jump through hoops for them, often with a big attitude, only to demonstrate that our effort wasn't very necessary or appreciated. But when I think about my own dietary restrictions I become aware that, while so many of us who "know" we must follow dietary restrictions for the good of our health, we struggle even more with restricting ourselves from our appetites. Though I wish these guests were more gracious with us and more honest with themselves, I admit that I too have eaten something that I either didn't want to know I was allergic to or did know but ate it anyway. I know how this can appear hypocritical....but really it is a demonstration of the power-struggle at work once we label a food as forbidden. The ability to "cheat" and eat the forbidden foods is likely correlated to the severity of the symptoms, though I know even "deathly allergic" people will sometimes consciously test their limits (and wind up in the ER).

Celiac disease is a more complex allergy (in fact, it is an auto-immune disorder) with a very wide range of symptoms and consequences, many of which are not life-and-death but which absolutely effect quality of life. Sometimes I wish I had a very simple answer for people, or that they wouldn't need me to turn red and puff up like a fish after eating gluten in order to see my diet as IMPORTANT. Although I do feel challenged by the questions, I realize that most of it is curiosity, and that what is most important at the end of the day is that I don't feel tired, achey, depressed, bloated, anemic, and grumpy.