Reflections on a gluten free week in NYC

One of my objectives this week was to understand how I responded to a week of being gluten free and to see what overall impact it would have on my health. In summary it really didn't make much difference to me, I was watching out for my digestion, any bloating, generally how I felt, but my energy levels remained the same and I didn't notice anything. It is in stark contrast to how I feel eating dairy which within the space of 1 minute gives me terrible stomach cramps and headaches.

What I did realize though is that I actually consume very little gluten in the first place. My diet is predominantly whole foods and plant based, all naturally gluten free. My substitutions came mainly in the morning when I have bread or ezekiel. Throughout the course of the day I typically don't have anything else with gluten in. So if my diet is naturally low in gluten it is not surprising that I noticed very little difference.

Some other observations. Gluten free substitutions don't taste great, I didn't enjoy any of the bread that I had and ezekiel has less sugar so I would always rather pick that. If you're considering going gluten free I would strongly recommend that you do it by picking foods that aren't man made substitutions in packages, either make it gluten free yourself (such as through baking or home cooking) or eat whole foods, plant based or fruit.

Living in New York gluten free can either be pretty easy or very tough. During the week when I was able to pick and choose places where I would eat with my friends there are many restaurants that cater to gluten free or simply have menus focussed on more vegan / vegetarian dishes which will be naturally gluten free.

I had some serious issues this week at a work holiday meal hosted at a Chinese restaurant in midtown. Asking for gluten free options made me a total leper. I was sat at a table with about 10 other people and the only one not eating from all the family style plates. Even the salads they had placed down all had gluten in them. It was made even harder to try and accommodate me when I also told them I don't eat meat. Eventually they figured something out and created a dish for me which was absolutely delicious, but it is tough being out with people and feeling like you are creating some sort of "fuss" which is so un-english. I dread to think how I would have felt should this situation have been in a UK restaurant, they probably wouldn't have been able to accommodate me and the whole situation be quite embarrassing. I am always reassured in NY to remember that there are many, many crazier women than myself here!

So overall I discovered that I am pretty much gluten free already and that the best way to do it is through the foods that occur naturally rather than look for man made options. Be prepared to create some fuss if you go out to eat but don't let that worry you - your health should be your number one priority. Not what other people think about you and your diet. Most of the time people think something is weird simply because it is different. So do what you need to do and don't feel self-conscious about it.