My first gluten-free grocery trip ended in tears. Celiac disease ripped away my comfort foods, but I’ve learned how to shop, eat, and live gluten free.
My first grocery trip after celiac diagnosis ended in tears. Over time, I learned how to shop gluten free and build a new life around food.
Keywords: celiac diagnosis, gluten free grocery shopping, living gluten free, crying in the grocery store, gluten free diet tips
Tags: Celiac Disease, Gluten Free Diet, Grocery Shopping, Gluten Free Lifestyle, Personal Story
That First Grocery Trip
I’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease for about 12 years now. These days, I know my way around a grocery store. I know what I can buy, what I can’t, and I usually stick with those things. If I’m not sure, I pull out my phone and look it up right there in the aisle.
But I’ll never forget that very first trip after my diagnosis—because I ended up crying in the health food section.
I had never really spent time in that aisle before. I thought it was for “health food nuts” and weird vegans. And now it was for me. I was one of those “wacky gluten free” people. I stood there surrounded by Bob’s Red Mill, egg replacer, and brown rice pasta, and it all felt so strange, so unfamiliar. Like my entire life had shifted and I’d been shoved into a world I didn’t recognize.
Right there in the middle of the afternoon, I broke down crying in the store. I wasn’t crying over pasta or bread—I was crying because my whole sense of comfort had just been ripped away. Fried chicken, tomato soup, soy sauce, cookies, birthday cake—all of it was gone. One phone call from the doctor, and everything I’d grown up eating disappeared. I felt wrecked.
Learning to Shop Gluten Free
Over time, I realized something important: the health food aisle isn’t the only place we can shop. A grocery store has about 25,000 products. Roughly 1,000 of them are gluten free. Half of those are just fruits and vegetables. Our choices are smaller, but they’re not gone. You can still eat well. You can still find joy in food. It just takes time.
What I’ve Learned Along the Way
- Fresh is safe: Fruits, vegetables, meat, and seafood are naturally gluten free.
- Staples matter: Rice, beans, quinoa, eggs, and dairy will fill the gaps.
- Keep it simple: The closer to nature, the better.
- Give yourself grace: Have the gluten free cookie, or cake, or pizza once in a while.
At first, it feels impossible. Like your old life is over. But slowly, you figure it out. You learn new foods, new comfort meals, new traditions. And one day, you realize you can walk through the grocery store without crying.
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