Gluten Intolerance

I found out I was gluten intolerant in the 8th grade. Growing up it never crossed my mind that I would have some sort of food allergy or that something was wrong with me. My constant headaches seemed normal to me. I grew up chewing on children’s chewable Motrin. My parents did not think much of it either. “It’s probably just the Houston pollen giving you headaches,” they would say. “You need to drink more water,” my mother would tell me.

My mom seemed to always have something wrong with her as well. It seemed like everything she ate made her feel sick. First my mom thought it was sweets that made her feel sick; then she thought it was dairy; the next thing was bread or yeast. The guessing game continued for years, and no doctor could figure it out. Then one day a doctor gave my mother some news that would change my family’s life forever. He told her that she was gluten intolerant and that the condition is genetic. My mother had our whole family test and it turned out that I had it too.

Gluten intolerance, also known as Celiac Disease, is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are vital for good nutrition. Intestinal damage is caused by a reaction to eating gluten; gluten is found in wheat, barely, rye, and oats.
At first I was devastated. I thought I would no longer be able eat all the foods I loved.  Pizza, pasta, bread, cake, and cookies all contained gluten. Then my mom started doing some research and discovered the world of gluten free. Living gluten free is easy now, a piece of cake.

--Tessa del Grande