GlutenAway Blog: Advice & Wisdom

Showing posts with label Advice & Wisdom. Show all posts

By: Laura McCutcheon (Taylor's Mom)

When it comes to GlutenAway, Taylor is the voice and driver of this blog and everything social media. In the past I haven’t contributed much when it comes to content unless it was something that I truly feel will benefit his followers – advice on parenting, social situations, etc.

In the past four years, I have had five people in my life try to commit suicide. Three with pills and two with a gun. This past week, someone I knew well and worked closely with took her own life. She was an incredible human being – giving, bright, driven and loved by so many. She was well known in the professional community. No one saw this coming. I am left shocked and saddened. Left wondering how I can help or if there is something that I can do.

Depression in general needs to be addressed in this country as a true medical condition. More importantly, the stigmatism behind mental health illnesses needs to be addressed and confronted head on. I thought if there's anything I can do, I can bring awareness to the connection between Celiac Disease, gluten sensitivities, and depression and help those who are diagnosed or coping with this illness. To help them know that they are not alone, that there is some scientific medical reasoning behind it, and that there is no shame in reaching out or talking to someone for help.

There are many myths out there about being gluten-free that you'd be surprised people would actually believe. I come across these myths almost every single day and get countless comments from people who believe in them. Even some of those who are gluten-free believe in them but you can be one to judge for yourself. Being gluten-free isn't easy, so take the time to read these 5 myths and put them all to bed within the public and gluten-free community.

By: Taylor Miller

The definition of diet: "To restrict oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight."

Key words, "in order to lose weight".

Have you ever been picked on for being gluten-free? Gotten an insensitive comment from someone saying, "oh, that must really suck you can't eat gluten." As teenagers, we see bullying almost every day. We grow up in a world where food allergies are becoming more and more prominent, yet some of us are still not taken seriously. I, myself, was never really bullied much as a kid. I grew up having a pretty normal life and always faced every situation with positivity. But when I got diagnosed with Celiac Disease at age 13, that started to change. People saw it as something that made made me different and saw it as something to pick on me about. I didn't show them that it bothered me, I didn't give them a reason to continue bullying me because fortunately enough, I enjoyed eating gluten-free. As a young teenager at the time, I thought high school would be the end of it. I assumed that only kids picked on each because surely a grown adult couldn't be immature enough to bully one another over food. But guess what? I was wrong.

The first email Breann ever sent me and where it all began!

On this day, 2 years ago, myself and this wonderful girl named Breann started dating at the age of 15. It all started from an email she sent me through GlutenAway asking for help on being gluten-free. At the age of 15, I would of never guessed this email from her would of led to so much more, I would of never guessed this person would of had such a big impact on my life, and I definitely would of never guessed I'd be sitting here 2 years later with this one person who I now care about so much.

Today, we are celebrating our 2 year anniversary together and seriously, it's been a crazy 2 years! Our relationship isn't like most relationships. We both have POTS, Celiac Disease, and many other illnesses, but we have never let that define us. The past 2 years has taught us both so much about relationships and about each other. It's showed us that age is just a number and that distance is just a number too. There's some things no one will really understand until they experience it themselves, and these are the things 2 years in a long distance relationship has taught me.

From a Teenager's Perspective
In case you haven't seen the Nascar Superbowl Commercial calling those who are gluten-free, "soft", you can watch it here. For the most part, I've been sitting back and reading people's comments as this all unfolds. Listening to everyone's point of view saying how they are either outraged or that we can't take a joke. Whatever your opinion on the matter may be, I really suggest you keep in mind the few things I share below no matter how this situation pans out.

How good are you at being gluten-free? Take a good look at yourself and ask, do I cheat? Do I eat natural? Am I an awesome gluten-free baker? No matter what your answers are, there is always a way to get better and feel healthier. You can always set resolutions throughout the year to cheat less, eat better, and do what's best for your body. It's what you and your body deserves anyways! So, here's my gluten-free resolutions as well as some for you to choose from that can be added to throughout the year.

The Evolution of a Gluten Free Lifestyle
Everyone who is gluten-free has gone through the process of learning how to adjust to the gluten free lifestyle in their own way. Most of us who have Celiac went through the stages of grief - shock/denial, pain, anger, depression/loneliness, the upwards turn, reconstruction and working through then acceptance and hope. Going from the traditional lifestyle of eating normally to a lifestyle with strict guidelines based on the wellness of our entire being is tough to take on. It’s something that takes time to work through and I believe that everyone goes through an evolution when being diagnosed with Celiac Disease or a gluten intolerance. With all the negativity towards others lately, I think it's important to understand that not everyone is at the same point you are and that everyone is going through this process in their own way.

Since school has started, many kids with food allergies have to face a lot going back to school. It's already overwhelming enough to go back to school no matter what age you are but I know having food allergies can make it much harder as well. I only went to an actual school for 2 years while being gluten-free. There's a lot to encounter like allergy bullying, trying to figure what to eat, dealing with teachers or people who bring in food for the class. Either way, having allergies during the school year can be difficult. That's why I wanted to share 5 tips to for kids to read or for parents to share with their kids to help make their back to school year experience better while living with food allergies.

In my last post I shared a few tips for raising a gluten-free child that I've applied over the years. But since there is so much Taylor and I have learned, I felt like it was too much to include in one post. There are so many things you learn while raising a kid alone, but raising a kid who is gluten-free as well is a whole other story. Here is part 2 and more tips that we've applied over the years to make going gluten-free for your child easier.

By now, most of you know Taylor pretty well through his blog posts, social media and video posts. There is absolutely no doubt that his is one amazing kid and is wise well beyond his years. Taylor and I have developed a very close relationship which has partially developed from our journey of becoming gluten-free and learning that we both have Celiac Disease. Over the past five or so years that I have been gluten-free and raised a gluten-free kid with Celiac Disease, I have learned a few things that have truly helped Taylor in adapting to his new lifestyle. These are things that we see as being extremely helpful in his transition to being gluten-free and it should be helpful to many of you.

It seems to me like a lot of people like to think eating gluten-free sucks. Some people assume that eating gluten-free means you are stuck to eating vegetables and other plain foods. People who are uneducated about it may think this is true. But if you do a little research you would learn that you can actually still enjoy a lot of foods while being gluten-free! I've been gluten-free for 4 years and I love it. I'm not gunna lie...it sucked at first. Over time I learned a lot of things though that made me realize that eating gluten-free really doesn't suck at all! Here are my reasons as a teenager for why I think eating gluten-free does not suck.

Almost everyone out there knows what gluten-free means by now. Sometimes maybe not for the right reasons but at least they know what it means. I'm not hear to single us out as a gluten-free community or make you feel different. I'm here to spread positivity because there really is so much relatable things for us to be positive about! You and I both know that eating gluten-free is a lot more than just a diet. It's a lifestyle change and only those of us who go gluten-free for medical reasons can understand that. Here are 5 things that I've learned as a teen that make being gluten-free more than just a diet.

Ok, so I know getting diagnosed with Celiac Disease isn't a blessing and most of the time it isn't something we are glad to have. Even if you don't have celiac disease and just have a gluten-intolerance, I'm sure you're not thrilled you can't eat gluten. Even with the hard times that come with being gluten-free, eating out, and being around people who can eat gluten all the time. There is still a lot to be happy about! Here are my top 5 things that make me happy about celiac disease! Lets keep the #positiveceliac vibe going!

Today, April 21st, I'm celebrating my 17th birthday! I'm not doing much to have a huge party but I'll still be celebrating with my family. Over the last 17 years I've learned a lot as a teen and kid. Most of my life I've had it pretty hard but I know everyone has difficult times at some points in their life! I think most people view me as a lot more mature than most teenagers. I've been through a lot and experienced a lot as a 17 year old but that's what makes me who I am today. A lot of people seem to be interested in my positive attitude and why I act the way I do. It honestly all has do do with my life experiences and these 5 important things I've learned over the last 17 years.

Really this is just a topic that I've been thinking about more and more as I've gotten older and have been blogging for a while. Since it's Valentines Day I though this would be a perfect post to do! I'm a teenage guy so I'm of course going to be thinking about girls, or in my case my girlfriend of course. I happily have a girlfriend who I have been dating for almost a year now who I actually met through my blog! This topic is a little personal but I honestly think it's something that should be talked about in the gluten-free community. I feel like sometimes our health problems get in the way of who we truly are and actually ends up affecting our relationships or whether we get in a relationship at all! Maybe it's just me who thinks this since I'm in high school, but getting some responses on what you think about this topic is something I'd really like to hear.

We all deal with bullies at some point of our life. Bullies always find things to pick on that makes us different. The way we look, the way we talk, and apparently the way we eat. I always hear about people getting made fun of for being gluten-free or for eating a certain way. I hear about it with kids and I even hear about it with adults. It's one thing that seems to happen to all of us no matter what age we are. I'm 16 years old, I've dealt with bullies, but there's some things I've learned that put these people in their place. Even though I am so young I've learned a lot to avoid bullying and give bullies nothing to bully you about! These are some things I've learned early on and some things that I know will be helpful to you no matter what age you are.

Over the last year I've noticed more and more main brand companies coming out with gluten-free products. First General Mills came out with gluten-free Chex which was a big addition. Then Betty Crocker came out with their line of products including baking mixes, Bisquick, and much more! The most recent addition though has to be Pillsbury Dough Boy's new gluten-free cookie dough. I'll admit that the addition of all these great gluten-free products does make it a lot easier than it was years ago. But I can't help but wonder how safe these products actually are! They are all made from companies that already make gluten containing products. So really, how safe are these products and are they even meant for people with Celiac?

Each year most of us make a new year's resolution. It can be to lose weight, eat better, be happier, or really whatever! Most times it's along the lines of wanting to make ourselves a better person for our own needs. One thing I've never understood though is why do we wait until January 1st. each year to make these decisions? There's a lot of points in our life where I'm sure we want change. Even I have gone through a lot of points where I want change as well. But just because I want change then doesn't mean I'm going to wait until January 1st to begin working at it! If you want change now then work on your change now! In this post I'll share a little about how you can work on your resolutions and how they don't have to be made just on January 1st.

Over the last couple of years I've been living with my rare adrenal disorder, and over the last couple months I've been living with POTS as well. Since getting diagnosed my life has changed dramatically. I am still unable to do the many things I wish I could do normally, still unable to socialize the way I wish I could, and sill unable to eat many more things I wish I could as well. But out of all the things I'm unable to do, being a voice and advocating for my disorder and Celiac Disease is the one thing I can do. Accepting you have celiac disease is hard for anyone to do at any age! We all go through times of struggle and sometimes we just have to accept it for what it is.

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