This blog was written by Sofie Feck, a student at The Greenspire School, as part of a class project called Food for Good. In this project, 11th and 12th grade students explore how food—and how we write about it—plays an incredibly important role in both our personal lives and our communities. Guided by Language Arts teacher Philip Girard, students draw inspiration from writers like Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain to shape their own food stories. Sofie’s piece is a heartfelt exploration of life with celiac disease, offering a moving perspective on family, food safety, and the everyday challenges of eating gluten-free in a gluten-filled world.
100% Gluten-Free
Food is perhaps the most universally shared experience. It brings people together across borders and it unites us despite our differences. Some people, however, never get this experience. Their bodies reject ingredients that most people can safely ingest, ingredients found in almost everything. I’m not talking about an allergy or an intolerance, I’m talking about autoimmune diseases. One of these autoimmune diseases is celiac disease, which is when a person’s body detects gluten proteins as harmful and then sends antibodies to attack the proteins. These antibodies cause serious damage to the small intestine, leading to potentially life-threatening symptoms if left untreated. The sad part is that there is no pharmaceutical cure for celiac disease, and the only effective treatment is a 100% gluten-free diet. By 100%, I literally mean no gluten.
In severe cases, amounts as small as ten milligrams of gluten can cause prolonged damage. This means that cross contamination of any kind should be avoided at all costs. People living with celiac often choose to avoid eating out at restaurants. They can never be completely sure that their French fries aren’t cooked in the same fryer as the chicken nuggets, or that the salad they requested without croutons won’t arrive at the table with croutons piled on top. People with celiac disease have to be extra careful about reading labels, as many natural and artificial ingredients may contain gluten. Most brands of oats are grown next to fields of wheat, sometimes even harvested and processed with the same machinery that collects the wheat. This makes the difference between what’s safe and healthy for those living with celiac difficult to distinguish which foods will wreak havoc on their small intestine.
My little sister was diagnosed with celiac around two years ago. Ever since then, our family has made a commitment to keeping her food as safe as possible. We have a separate kitchen counter just for preparing her food and a unique section of the fridge dedicated to gluten-free food. In one specific cabinet there’s exclusively gluten-free pots, pans, spatulas, colanders, and more. My mom hand washes all of my sister’s dirty dishes to avoid putting them in the dishwasher with gluten. The “three second rule” dosen’t apply to kids with celiac disease, because that cauliflower-flour cracker could have made contact with a crumb of goldfish snack crackers. Most people don’t eat food off the floor so leave this sentence out.
There’s one bakery my sister can eat at and feel confident that she won’t be throwing up later. Third Coast is a local bakery that uses only certified gluten-free ingredients. I can eat gluten, so I’m not as limited in my choice of a yummy treat. However, I’ve had Third Coast goodies a few times and I can say that everything they make is delicious, even though there’s no gluten. My sister’s favorite treat is probably their vanilla cupcakes, simple and sweet. If I had the funds, I would definitely buy Third Coast products for us every day, as they have coffee and some breakfast options as well.
With local bakeries like Third Coast, living with celiac isn’t the end of the world. But it’s still a challenge for my sister and our family. The hardest thing for my sister is not being able to eat the food her friends eat. It’s upsetting to have a friend invite her to get ice cream after school events, and then to see her face fall when our parents have to tell her no. One time she said to me, “My life is pretty hard, because I have celiac.” It hurts to hear a seven-year-old talk about having a difficult life. You want to fix it, but you know something like that isn’t fixable. The only thing you can do is try your hardest to give her the best life possible, and hope that the good will outweigh the bad things we can’t control.
