I’ve been diagnosed with Celiac disease for about 12 years. I know my way around a grocery store. I know what I can and can’t buy, in general, and typically stick with those items. If I don’t know about an item, I look it up right there in the store. But, I remember my first trip to the grocery store after diagnosis because I cried in the health food section.

I was in the health food section. I thought that only the crazy “health” food nuts shopped in that section. Weird vegans and those wacky gluten free folks also shopped there. I was now one of the wacky gluten free folks. I looked at all of the unusual brands and products. Brands like Bob’s Red Mill, egg replacer, and brown rice pasta surrounded me. It felt completely alien to me. Like I was only going to manage to shop in this area and my life was over. 

I broke down crying in the grocery store at 2 in the afternoon. I was sad because I would no longer be capable of eating the same diet I grew up eating. My comfort foods were gone. Breads, pastas, fried chicken, tomato soups, soy sauce, cookies, and more disappeared with a single phone call from the doctor. I was a mess. 

Over time, I have learned the health food aisle isn’t the only place we can shop in the grocery store. There are about 25,000 products in a grocery store. Only about 1,000 of them are gluten free. Half of those are fruits and vegetables. So, our options are limited, but a full, healthy, and fun diet can be achieved.

Here are a few basic rules to gluten free eating. Focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, and seafood. Include rice, beans, quinoa, eggs, and dairy to round out the diet. Eat as close to nature as you can. Indulge in a gluten free treat every once in a while so you don’t go crazy!