For the first 21 years of my life I lived like any typical child. I ate pizza, sandwiches, cookies, and cake and like most other college students I welcomed my 21st birthday with a cold beer. However, unlike my friends who could stay out and party all night, nearly every time I ate I got sick. For 21 years I lived with constant stomachaches, migraine headaches and unexplained skin problems. I visited doctor after doctor, took several courses of steroids and experimented with every migraine medication on the market. Nothing helped. For all of those years, I essentially was poisoning myself just by eating what I thought were normal meals.

When I was diagnosed with celiac disease as a 21-year-old college student, I should have been relieved that a doctor had finally found the cause of my illnesses. However, my reaction was quite different. I thought that my life as I knew it had come to an end. With my celiac diagnosis I had to eliminate all of the gluten-based products from my daily diet. There would be no more Monday night extravaganzas with my friends at the local pub for half-price pizza and beer and I definitely would not be ordering my favorite soy sauce-laced Chinese food. This was a major lifestyle change for a college kid.

I was worried about telling my friends that I could no longer eat the same foods as they could. How would I ever explain on a first date that I had to order my hamburger without the bun, not because I was trying to lose weight, but because it would make me sick? How was I going to explain that celiac isn’t a horrible disease that people can catch by touching me? 

I cried in my mom’s arms for days after receiving a positive blood test. My mom was diagnosed with celiac disease seven years before I was, so she knew how to manage her diet at home. However, being in college was a completely different story. I didn’t have a fully stocked kitchen or the time in between classes, writing for the school paper and working to prepare well-balanced gluten-free meals. Worst of all, no one knew what celiac disease was and most people didn’t want to hear about it.

Upon returning to school for my senior year of college I found that the only things I could eat in my college dining hall on a regular basis were coffee, white rice and mixed nuts; even the pre-made salads came with croutons and the fruit cups were topped with yogurt and granola. They didn’t sell plain ice cream, only ice cream bars that were in some way covered with cookies, brownies or some other gluten product. My parents had already paid $1,000 for a meal plan that I couldn’t really use.

At bars, I constantly had to explain why I didn’t want to drink beer. People would tease me, saying that I was on the “disease version of Atkins.” One night I was on a date with a seemingly great guy who nearly freaked out when I told him I couldn’t eat gluten. He asked me three times if I would have a life-threatening reaction if he drank beer and ordered pasta. He said he didn’t want to have to take me to the emergency room. On another date, we were asked to leave the restaurant because most of the entrees were made with gluten. That was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.

For months I was depressed about my situation, but with a great deal of inspiration from my parents and the support of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness I decided that, instead of being upset about my condition, I should be happy that for the first time in 21 years I wasn’t sick. I could get through an entire day without worrying about finding a bathroom at a moment’s notice and I could finally go to a movie without getting a headache. This realization was life altering and one I hope to share with all young people with celiac disease.

I started cooking using obvious gluten-free foods and various mixes that I purchased at nutrition stores, Whole Foods, Wegmans, and the Gluten-Free Pantry. Much to my surprise, my friends seemed to love everything I made and actually were excited to learn how to cook gluten-free. As my cooking improved, my friends continued to embrace the gluten-free lifestyle and even helped me with my quest to find a bar in Washington, D.C. that serves gluten-free beer and to make a great tasting gluten-free pizza. Beer in hand, we spent countless nights experimenting with new and fun ways to make gluten-free meals and even started calling ourselves the Gluten-Free Girls.

After graduating from college and starting my first job, I quickly learned that living a gluten-free life in an office is no easy task. At our first company lunch there was not one thing I could eat. At my office birthday celebration, I was unable to eat the delicious-looking pastries my coworkers brought in because they were not gluten-free. This time I didn’t get upset. With the help of the Gluten Free Girls and my mom’s fantastic brownie and peanut butter cookie recipes, I quickly convinced my coworkers that gluten-free food is as good, if not better, than traditional baked goods. Today they request my cookies and brownies for every celebration.

Whether it be explaining celiac to your doctor, negotiating with your college to forgo a meal plan, talking to your friends about celiac disease, dating, eating at restaurants or just learning to accept your new lifestyle, I have learned to laugh at the crazy experiences I’ve had personally and realize that living a gluten-free life is not as difficult as it seems.