Is This Your New Normal?

Have you felt some resistance accepting the reality of your food sensitivities?

Perhaps you’ve fought the urge to cheat a little bit – just this once?

After all, you probably want to be just like everyone else, especially in social situations, or when dining out.

You want what they’re having.

Today, I thought I’d share with you a little story.

If you’ve been following my blog lately, or reading my newsletter, then you already know that my eighty-nine year old mother recently went gluten-free.

(And also dairy-free.)

This was the result of a visit to my naturopath.

(And yes, even though I knew in my gut that taking my mother to see a naturopath was a good idea, I started to question my decision soon after – wondering if I was doing the right thing).

Was it fair to put an 89-year-old woman through this, and change her diet after a lifetime of eating a certain way?

Well, the really great news is that we started to see some behavioral improvement almost immediately – and that was really exciting!

You see, my mother is in the advanced stages of Alzheimers Disease.

Because it is so personal, I haven’t been in the habit of talking about my mother, or her illness.

But when it butted up against the symptoms of Non-Celiac Gluten-Sensitivity (NCGS) – which I’ve written about here and here – it simply made sense to share her story.

So I could help others who are dealing with a similar situation.

As a result of her dementia, my mother has a caregiver who is with her throughout the day, preparing meals and helping her with every aspect of self-care that we normally take for granted.

And so, I met up with the caregiver – I’ll call her Mary – at Whole Foods one day, so I could walk her through the basics of the gluten-free diet.

Mary dutifully took notes as we progressed through the store.

We filled our grocery cart with gluten-free bread, cereal and pasta – along with fresh fruits and vegetables, which are, of course, naturally gluten-free.

Then, out of the blue, Mary said:

“This is great to do for a few months. Then we can go back to eating regular food.”

Huh?

That comment really floored me, but at the same time I understood what she meant.

The thing is, removing gluten from your diet is not a temporary thing – especially if you’ve received a diagnosis of Celiac disease, or are starting to see an improvement in your digestion or behavior.

But I think that what really got to me, was the implication that gluten-free food is not normal.

That there is something ‘wrong’ with it – because it is not what most people eat as part of the Standard American Diet (aka SAD).

I explained to Mary that if someone can’t tolerate gluten, it’s usually a permanent thing.

And that feeding someone gluten – especially if you know they are highly sensitive, or worse still, have Celiac disease – you may as well be giving them poison.

That might seem a bit strong, but it’s really how I see it. 

For many of us, gluten = poison.

It’s a simple equation, really.

But more importantly, gluten-free food is not abnormal.

If anything, many of us on a gluten-free diet are actually eating healthier than most – simply because we’ve become so much more aware of what we’re eating.

Or what we’re putting into our bodies.

It means we’re well ahead of the game. (At least, I like to think so).

(Provided you’re not relying on processed gluten-free foods, instead).

And by the way, even though I’ve been focusing on gluten, the same reasoning applies to any food you can’t tolerate.

In other words, you could have the best food on your plate, but if your body can’t process it – it’s toxic.

At least to you.

A good deal of this is a matter of acceptance and realizing that – like it or not – this is your new normal.

Wouldn’t you agree?

What is your new normal?

Do you have a story you’d like to share?