The hardest thing about being gluten free

Sometimes people ask me if being gluten free is hard.

They ask me if it's difficult to stick to the diet. They ask me if sometimes I'm tempted to give in and eat gluten. They ask me what I miss most (pies, for the record).

But, actually, for me the hardest things about being gluten free is not the food - or lack thereof.

The hardest thing is this: no matter how careful you are, no matter how many questions you ask, no matter how willing you are to annoy (even argue with) wait staff, sometimes gluten will slip into your food.

I've been glutened (yes, it's a word) a few times over the past couple of weeks, so this weekend Ross and I are playing it safe.

Unfortunately, it seems to me that sometimes people have the attitude of "oh, a little gluten won't hurt" (low-gluten products, anyone?). And this is something that I really struggle with.

Because it does hurt. It hurts so much.

For me, being glutened means severe stomach pains.

Sometimes it's immediate. And often it's excruciating.

Everyone who has coeliac disease or is gluten intolerant will react in different ways. Some, like my Dad and I, will know very quickly if we have been poisoned. Others, like Ross, won't know they have been affected at all - yet, it will have very serious effects on their long-term health.

Ross and I are lucky that I provide a good litmus test for whether food is safe for us to eat.

But others are not so lucky. And many have far worse reactions than we do.

It is so important for cafes and restaurants to understand that a little gluten does matter, whether your symptoms are noticeable or not. And the same applies for people with a whole range of allergies and intolerances.

Of course, unless we tell them, it's hard for people to understand how much it matters.

And, for many of us, that's hard. Really hard.

It's hard to speak up when people might think we're being annoying / fussy / precious / paranoid (or whatever other words come to mind). And that's a misconception we need to battle, too.

Actually, it's ok to ask questions. It's ok to tell people what you need. And it's ok to politely insist that your food is treated with care.

Because your health really matters. Because you shouldn't have to suffer. And because it helps us all.

Every time someone with a dietary restriction speaks up, it makes a difference.

Every time someone asks a question, it increases people's understanding.

And every time someone argues with a waiter about whether couscous is gluten free - yes, this happened - it moves us all that little bit closer to being able to eat with confidence.