{"id":4279,"date":"2010-01-25T17:46:32","date_gmt":"2010-01-25T22:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=4279"},"modified":"2015-12-27T15:45:37","modified_gmt":"2015-12-27T20:45:37","slug":"the-lesser-of-two-evils","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=4279","title":{"rendered":"The Lesser of Two Evils?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eating can never be a mindless pleasure when you have diabetes. First, there is the physical pain of every insulin injection (I\u2019m old-fashioned and haven\u2019t yet switched from syringes to a pump), although that\u2019s not really much worse than a pinprick. Perhaps more annoying is the need to constantly count your carbs. This is easy enough when you\u2019re eating something that you\u2019ve prepared yourself, but harder when you\u2019re eating at a restaurant or someone else\u2019s house. You can never just reassure yourself:\u00a0Well, I\u2019m at a party so for once I\u2019m just going to pig out and not worry about it…<\/em><\/p>\n

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Still, as always, things could be worse. My brother, in addition to having diabetes, also has celiac disease. Celiac disease, like type 1 diabetes, is an autoimmune disease, and in fact people with type 1 diabetes have a greater chance of developing celiac disease and vice versa. People with celiac disease have intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. This means they can\u2019t eat bread, noodles, cake, cookies…the list goes on and on, and even includes products like soy sauce (no Chinese food!), some lip balms, candies, and ice cream, and even some medicines. Celiac disease isn\u2019t the same thing as a wheat allergy–eating a miniscule amount of gluten could have the same adverse effect on a person with celiac disease as eating a larger amount would. So while that fruit platter may look gluten-free, if someone who\u2019s just eaten a cracker accidentally touches a strawberry, a person with celiac disease can\u2019t eat the strawberry. When people with celiac disease eat out, they don\u2019t simply have to worry about taking the right insulin dose to cover the food they\u2019re eaten–sometimes they can\u2019t eat anything at all.<\/p>\n

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I have some first-hand experience of how restricting the gluten-free diet can be. Before my freshman year of college, I was tested for celiac disease. The results came back inconclusive and my doctor suggested that I try the gluten-free diet. For my first year of college, I had to eat in a dining hall that catered to students with special dietary needs, rather than in the dining hall where the other students in my close-knit residence ate. For the day-to-day aspect, I have to say that I\u2019d rather have diabetes than celiac disease.<\/p>\n

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Does anyone reading this have celiac disease? Which do you find easier to deal with–diabetes or celiac disease?<\/p>\n

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Oh, and if anyone needs recommendations for gluten-free food or gluten-free restaurants in the Philly area… just let me know!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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