SPEAK
BREAKING UP WITH BREAD AND
// ANNA SOBERING
My struggle with gluten and lactose intolerance
he smell emanating from the kitchen fills the house and my mouth begins to water with the thought that soon I will be able to
enjoy a warm, homemade chocolate chip cookie All I have to do is ask my roommate if I can have one. But for me it's not so simple anymore. I can eat the cookie. But I really shouldn't.
About a year ago, I found out that I am both gluten and lactose intolerant. This means my body has a hard time digesting foods containing wheat and dairy.
In the past I have been known to have gastronomic issues, but I never thought they were actually caused by anything. It was always perfectly normal for regular meals to feel like a rock or even a balloon in my stomach. But all of this was before my allergic revelation.
Gluten, a protein found in grains like wheat and oats, is known to be difficult for humans to break down during digestion. Still, intolerance to this protein is commonly misdiagnosed, even though, according to www.foodreactions.org, as many as 10-15 percent of people may have some form of gluten intolerance.
The prevalence of the more commonly known sensitivity, lactose intolerance - the inability of the body to digest lactose, which is found in milk and other dairy products - depends on genetics and ethnicity.
Many times if a parent has a food allergy or sensitivity their children will have it too. So things didn't look good for me when my mother found out she was gluten intolerant. Especially because of my history of digestive problems, I was sent in for testing.
Sitting in my bedroom, about to go out for dinner at an Italian restaurant, I read my test results. The biggest regret I felt as I read that I'm both gluten and lactose intolerant was that I wouldn't be able to have lasagna at dinner.
After getting my results, things going on with my body began to make sense. No wonder pizza never sat well with me. But how would I ever enjoy eating without these two majorly delicious components of a meal?
Out of all the relationships I have sustained in my life to date, the most tumultuous has been with food. I now struggle saying no to certain crusty breads and creamy cheeses that I used to enjoy so thoroughly. My body has decided to spite me with an intolerance to yumminess. I can do nothing to stop it or change the outcome. I
Photo by Adam Buhler
have to live with it.
What makes me so upset about the whole situation is that I love good food, and I eat it with pleasure. But now I can no longer savor some of my favorite foods such as warm Brie on crackers crepes and banana cream pie.
When I found out about my intolerance, it felt like a little part of me had died. And naturally, like any major loss, I went through stages of grieving.
Initially I was in denial. Continuing to eat gluten and dairy, I ignored my test results and suffered the repercussions. They're not pretty. For some it may be skin problems or headaches and for others it may be gastro-intestinal problems like bloating, diarrhea and excessive flatulence.
Another reason gluten intolerance is so consequential physically is because it damages the stomach and intestines and doesn't allow for the absorption of nutrients. So, even if I eat a bunch of healthy foods, I won't benefit from them.
Batter up. Anna Sobering makes a gluten-free and dairy-free yellow cake with raspberry filling and chocolate frosting. Sobering was diagnosed as gluten and lactose intolerant about a year ago, forcing her to give up some of her once favorite foods.
I soon became angry as I began to understand that my body really hated me for what I was eating, I blamed my mother for passing on her faulty food genes, temporarily forgetting all the pain and sacrifice she went through to produce and raise me.
"Out of all of the relationships I've sustained in my life, the most tumultuous has been with food."
That didn't work out so well either. My stomach would have none of it. Finally, I gave in to my sadness and went into a full blown gastronomical depression.
I began bargaining with myself after I apologized to my mother for my unappreciative attitude. I thought, "Maybe I could eat eating just a little bit of this sandwich?" Or "Just a little piece of this Cotswold cheese?"
It took me a while to accept my condition. I struggled, cheated and suffered the consequences. I would be really good for awhile, then I would get a craving and give in to my urges.
Over time, however, I found out that being sensitive to gluten and lactose these days isn't the end of the world. I didn't want any more drama. I just wanted to feel good again. So I did my research and found tons of cookbooks and web sites for people with food allergies.
Ultimately, I had to change the way I thought about food and learn how to eat balanced meals again. Especially as a college student, completely controlling what I put into my body is a challenge.
Over time, however, I have come to appreciate foods that I might not have tried otherwise.
Grains like basmati rice, quinoa and flaxseed bread have become substitutes for foods I used to eat like pasta and whole wheat bread. I use almond milk in my cereal and soy milk when I'm cooking. As for cheese, I have not come across anything completely lactose-free that has satisfied my cravings. So I eat cheeses that are said to be easier to digest, such as goat cheese and feta.
After I got though my dramatic "what will I ever do with out bread and cheese?" phase, I had to move on and eat foods that are better for me I'm still making progress. My next goal? Breaking up with that oh so satisfying glutinous beverage that we all know and love — beer.
15
02
04
10