Gluten Free Celiac Security

With their high-tech cameras, infrared lighting and loud sirens, security systems accent everything we care about, from our houses to our cars. For a celiac, though, there is another security system: the one we mentally acquire when gluten turns into the ultimate intruder. 

As I've transformed from a gluten free newbie to a well-educated celiac with one year under her belt, though, my security system has started to lag. 

This rang far too often!

Because my dad and sister still eat gluten, while my household is 99% GF, there still can be particles on the counter or bread in the fridge. When I was newly diagnosed, I was paranoid about every crumb. Did I wipe the kitchen today? Could I cook both pizzas (gluten and gluten free) at the same time in the oven? What if? What if? That first year, my inner security system pinged "gluten" every chance it got. 

But, now that celiac is a regular member of the family, I realized that I am no longer always on red-alert. Of course, if I see one of the rare gluten-filled treats, I don't take a bite and think, "Oh I haven't gotten sick for a while. I must be cured!" When bagging a chocolate chip cookie for my dad, though, I washed the crumbs off my hands before touching my own lunch with a lazy, "Better safe than sorry!" 

Cookie at large!

I'm not sorry that I've grown more comfortable with navigating the gluten-filled mazes of the world. I'm not sorry that I no longer spend hours worrying over whether the food I just prepared was absolutely, definitely, 100% free of any possible gluten contamination. 

Because, as I learned my first year when I was glutened even while my body checked for gluten at every corner, sometimes crud happens. Sometimes you grab the wrong ingredient or trust the wrong company and your stomach pays for it. 

Eating a Milky Way at Halloween was my mistake...

Nonetheless, my lackadaisical reaction scared me. Scares me because I am my biggest health advocate. If I don't stress the importance of one crumb, how can I expect restaurant owners to do the same to their workers and chefs? 

For me, this relationship between self-care and the care of others is exactly what Celiac Awareness Month is all about. Not only is May a time for us to educate others, express our dietary needs and celebrate celiac as a part of our identity, but it is also the time for every celiac to become aware of their own places to improve. 

Are you frustrated with your bland, repetitive gluten free dinners? Test out some new recipes! Do you feel lonely and misunderstood because of celiac complications? Find a support group or connect online! And, in my case, is fulfilling your celiac needs becoming dangerously routine? Then think back. Think back to past advice, past glutenings - anything to bring back the passion to advocate for and protect your health! 

This is my motivation!

Few security systems grow better with age, our homes and cars upgrading to newer, faster versions. In terms of the security of a celiac against gluten, though, this system of caution and cleaning is all we have. So we have to treat it right and remember - especially during Celiac Awareness Month - that we are responsible for our own health and happiness. And only after we have nourished it in ourselves can we pass on celiac advocacy to the next person in the chain.

*This post is also found at runningwithspoon's link party! Yay!*

Do you tend to grow more lax in celiac precautions after a period of no-glutenings? What could you improve? Comment below!