Hi. I'm GF; You're NOT.

How do we deal with being gluten free? It will affect all of your relationships: Lunchtime with co-workers, dinner at home with your loved ones, and social events planned around food; holidays, birthday parties, BBQs, family reunions, etc. It's not easy but you must become an advocate of the gluten free lifestyle.

I've heard and read a lot of stories about romantic relationships not working because one person is gluten free and the other is not. Being gluten intolerant, or having celiac, is just part of who someone is and it deserves to be accepted just as you accept a quirky laugh or a weird sense of humor. By being with someone who is gluten free, you too must become an advocate of the gluten free lifestyle, sharing what that means with others. That's the only way it becomes easier.

Eventually your partner will be converted to eating gluten free when they are around you, whether they realize it at first or not. For a long time my husband and I ate separate meals and there was double the meal prep and double the dishes, but slowly he has converted to being gluten free when we're together. Sure, he eats things I can't have when he's out and about, but our house is 99% gluten free--almost everything in the house is something that *I* can eat. The key is trial and error of finding the right products and the right recipes.

I have memories of one of my first job interviews, which were held over lunch, and it would have been rude not to eat, but the food was not safe for me. So what do you do? Risk getting ill or suck it up for the job? I choose to stand up for myself and simply pull out a power bar from my purse. The interviewer raised an eyebrow, but that was that, and in the end I got the job. More recently I recall attending a very large awards dinner and I learned before hand that special diet requests were not accommodated. I found myself sitting in dress slacks next to two very reputable professors, eating dried fruit out of a Ziploc baggy while everyone else ate a fancy four course meal. Again I got an eyebrow raise, but this time it led to an interesting conversation.

My point is you must become an advocate of the gluten free lifestyle, be able to explain it to others in a succinct, easy-to-understand way, and stay up-to date on gluten free research and products. Don't be shy or ashamed of your diet. Then, the eyebrow raises will turn into head nods and others may discover that they themselves might want to consider being gluten free. The more the word spreads about it, the less problematic it will become for you to go out to dinner or have a family get together. More and more places are offering gluten free menus, and more products are being offered because of people spreading the word; there are even specialty markets dedicated to gluten free. Thus if you're new to being gluten free, or you're dating someone who is gluten free, and not sure if you can stick with it, keep at it, because the more of us who spread the word the easier it will be.