I am one week into my new gluten-free life. Tuesday last week I had an endoscopy which confirmed what my doctor had suspected after seeing the results of my recent blood tests. I have battled against anaemia for years, getting my levels up to the bare minimum, only to see them plummet back within a year. The last test concerned my doctor as there were other deficiencies showing up along side the iron. She decided that perhaps I was not absorbing the iron or other nutrients, an effect of celiac disease. To cut a long story short, it appears that she was right.

I have not met with a dietician yet or started reading books on the condition. I have done a little googling and a lot of label reading. (actually my children are doing a lot of the label reading as I can’t decipher that tiny writing) I am not new to restrictive diets. I was once put on an elimination diet which started with pears, rice and not much else. I have managed to follow a wheat free, dairy free, refined sugar free diet, (some would say the flavour free diet). In fact over the past fifteen years I have restricted my wheat and dairy products most of the time.

The specialist who did the test believed, without waiting for the results of the biopsy, that I have celiac disease and suggested I start the diet immediately. I keep thinking of foods that are now forbidden like egg rolls, lemon meringue pie and muesli. And then one springs to mind which is acceptable like pavlova. I intend to make some delicious and mouth watering gluten free snacks and put them in the freezer, but right now it’s pretty much just peanut butter and rice crackers. Imagine if I couldn’t have peanut butter either, now that would be bad.