Category Archives: coeliac disease

I was checking out my blog reader today and come across an article by Mia Freedman. I am sure you have heard of her? Her blog is amongst the most well known in Australia, Mamamia. She wrote “Does anyone eat anything anymore?”  about how annoying it is that people bang on about how they can’t eat sugar or gluten or dairy or additives… how trendy it has become.

As I write this, that particular post has over 350 comments with the majority of people disagreeing with her.

I have been a diagnosed coeliac for 9 years. Yes it is something I am born with and no I cannot have just a little bit. I hate hate HATE having coeliac disease. Yes I truly hate having it because I am not a show pony, I hate being the centre of attention and I hate having to explain details of my personal life to strangers just to get them to understand. Yes of course I feel better but doesn’t make it easier.

People pretending they are allergic is just plain wrong. Personally I have never seen/heard anyone doing so but I don’t doubt it happens.

I also admit that I like that there are articles like this one around, it does bring to the forefront of people’s mind about the reality of food allergies and intolerance’s. It gets people talking, I have had several emails from people saying to me, ‘Did you see Mia’s article?’ The more it is talked about the more education that will come from it and that is my ultimate goal.

If that means that gluten free is trendy that I am sorry I am all for it. I love that there are so many products out there, I love that cafes and restaurants are trying to cater for us (more education needed here though) I love that people are putting on invitations ‘please advise of any special food needs’.

Why? Because in the 9 years I have been diagnosed as having coeliac disease, I still feel like an outsider, I still feel like I am being a pain in the rear end in restaurants and I apologise all the time for something I cannot control. If it is trendy then I might just be trendy for 5 minutes and it might make me feel a bit better about myself and surely this can only be a good thing?

So yes Mia, good article. Thank you.

I was checking out my blog reader today and come across an article by Mia Freedman. I am sure you have heard of her? Her blog is amongst the most well known in Australia, Mamamia. She wrote “Does anyone eat anything anymore?”  about how annoying it is that people bang on about how they can’t eat sugar or gluten or dairy or additives… how trendy it has become.

As I write this, that particular post has over 350 comments with the majority of people disagreeing with her.

I have been a diagnosed coeliac for 9 years. Yes it is something I am born with and no I cannot have just a little bit. I hate hate HATE having coeliac disease. Yes I truly hate having it because I am not a show pony, I hate being the centre of attention and I hate having to explain details of my personal life to strangers just to get them to understand. Yes of course I feel better but doesn’t make it easier.

People pretending they are allergic is just plain wrong. Personally I have never seen/heard anyone doing so but I don’t doubt it happens.

I also admit that I like that there are articles like this one around, it does bring to the forefront of people’s mind about the reality of food allergies and intolerance’s. It gets people talking, I have had several emails from people saying to me, ‘Did you see Mia’s article?’ The more it is talked about the more education that will come from it and that is my ultimate goal.

If that means that gluten free is trendy that I am sorry I am all for it. I love that there are so many products out there, I love that cafes and restaurants are trying to cater for us (more education needed here though) I love that people are putting on invitations ‘please advise of any special food needs’.

Why? Because in the 9 years I have been diagnosed as having coeliac disease, I still feel like an outsider, I still feel like I am being a pain in the rear end in restaurants and I apologise all the time for something I cannot control. If it is trendy then I might just be trendy for 5 minutes and it might make me feel a bit better about myself and surely this can only be a good thing?

So yes Mia, good article. Thank you.