For the most part, when asked whether sticking to a strict gluten and casein-free diet is challenging, I say, "no." Restaurants are usually so accommodating, often preparing me a personalized dish that is simply off-the-charts in taste and completely safe. Natural grocers like Whole Foods Markets offer a growing number of gluten-free specialty foods. And the web abounds with the creative, ingenious creations of thousands of gluten-free bloggers/chefs.
So for the most part, avoiding gluten and dairy like the plague is no big deal. For New Year's I even baked the most amazing gluten-free pizza for my boyfriend and I, of course my half had just a sprinkling of soy/rice cheese, since the rice cheese we'd bought for him we realized contained casein. But still, with homemade marinara sauce, fresh baked crust and fresh, deli-sliced prosciutto and salami, it was a masterpiece.
Then, occasionally, there comes a day like today. After napping away most of the afternoon, I finally felt well enough to plan a menu for the week and venture out to my neighborhood Whole Foods Market. I had planned to make chicken tenders breaded in smashed brown rice crispies, a spinach frittata and get some different veggies. We were both starving, and off we went, list in hand.
But when we made it to the butcher counter, there were no packages of chicken breasts left. Well, there were two very large--too large, packs, but apart from being larger than we needed, they were the sort of packs that were left behind only because they were the sort of packs that you pass over when selecting the best looking chicken. And considering that the chicken behind the glass case was several dollars more expensive, I was coming to terms with the fact that my menu was quickly going out the window.
I decided instead to head towards the perfectly plain roasted chickens. I could de-bone it in shredded pieces and mix it with a flavorful gluten/dairy free marinade. Plus since these are already cooked, this would at least be easier to make a meal out of. However, these too were sold out. Durnnit.
Starting to feel quite discouraged, my boyfriend and I decided to scrap our grocery shopping plans for this evening, I would come back tomorrow after the shipments had arrived. But we did still need to each find something to enjoy for dinner tonight. I scoured the hot dishes in the prepared food section, only everything that appealed seemed to have some random glutenous ingredient added into the mix. Double durnnit.
At this point, I was hungry, feeling unwell, and left without a clue over what to eat. I wandered aimlessly, but nothing appealed. My boyfriend came home with a bag of food to enjoy tonight, I came home with one box of cereal.
Okay, yes, I am feeling sorry for myself. No, this is not the worst thing to ever happen, but, these days do happen: days that I want to yell at someone for making my body this way, days in which I want someone to blame.
But it will pass.
Tomorrow I will be glad to know how to best nourish and care for my body. Tomorrow I will be proud to be a part of a community of people who watch for their body's every reaction to the foods they eat, a community that is open-minded and supportive. And tomorrow I will wake up, go back to the grocery and make a lovely gluten-free, casein-free meal.
