Christmas cookies

[whatever]

Most people are happy about the rampant food sharing at this time of year, neighbors dropping by with a plate of cookies, workplace holiday parties and big family dinners and such. I'm not. "why would anyone dread the holidays?" you may ask- because I can't eat a damned thing

within the past year, after months of tests and misery, I was diagnosed with celiac disease- which along with making me curse my Irish ancestry has restricted what I can eat severely. I can eat nothing containing gluten, which makes eating out and visiting friends hell- I'm now convinced that almost EVERYTHING includes gluten!

I'd love to be polite and eat what is offered to me, but it's really a bad idea, and when I say politely that I'm sorry, I can't eat that food people start to ask questions. Now I'd rather not describe what happens if I eat gluten to people- after all, it's kind of gross- and I was wondering if there's a polite way to tell people to bugger off!?

Can anyone please explain to me how to politely get out of eating food that can destroy my health without having to deal with embarassing questions? I don't want to be rude, but some people are too damned curious!

[Uberfuhrer]

Anything involving Christmas is destined to be unhealthy.

[cafe]

Originally Posted by whatever

Most people are happy about the rampant food sharing at this time of year, neighbors dropping by with a plate of cookies, workplace holiday parties and big family dinners and such. I'm not. "why would anyone dread the holidays?" you may ask- because I can't eat a damned thing

within the past year, after months of tests and misery, I was diagnosed with celiac disease- which along with making me curse my Irish ancestry has restricted what I can eat severely. I can eat nothing containing gluten, which makes eating out and visiting friends hell- I'm now convinced that almost EVERYTHING includes gluten!

I'd love to be polite and eat what is offered to me, but it's really a bad idea, and when I say politely that I'm sorry, I can't eat that food people start to ask questions. Now I'd rather not describe what happens if I eat gluten to people- after all, it's kind of gross- and I was wondering if there's a polite way to tell people to bugger off!?

Can anyone please explain to me how to politely get out of eating food that can destroy my health without having to deal with embarassing questions? I don't want to be rude, but some people are too damned curious!

Can you just tell them it's a very serious food allergy?

[whatever]

Originally Posted by cafe

Can you just tell them it's a very serious food allergy?

that works on some people!

some others are WAY too curious though

[JAVO]

Originally Posted by whatever

that works on some people!

some others are WAY too curious though

"It's a bunch of complicated medical jargon which I can't stand to hear one more time, so I'm trying to spare myself."

[cafe]

Originally Posted by whatever

that works on some people!

some others are WAY too curious though

Being polite doesn't always work with those kinds of people. You aren't obligated to indulge them. Health information is private.

• You could tell them it's very unpleasant and you don't feel comfortable discussing it (acting a little traumatized).
• You could make up some weird, horrible symptoms to tell them for your own entertainment.
• You could tell them the name of the disease and that there is info available online for their edification if it interests them.

[Usehername]

When I was sick, my doctor and I thought I had Celiac for a while. (I ate the diet for 8 months and it helped my symptoms tremendously, but I actually got the endoscopy after going back on normal food and I don't have it. It was probably just that the foods were much easier to digest with my sick intestines.)

I used to highlight my pain and hair falling out as symptoms. (They were both true.)

If I had to explain, I said "Celiac Disease. It basically means I'm banned from eating good foods for the rest of my life!" And when they asked what happens, I just went on tangents of the disease. ("Did you know 1 in 121(? i can't remember anymore) people have this? It's tremendously common.")

When people offered me stuff, I just said I wasn't hungry, or I was content with my fruit or whatever it was I was eating.


And for the way too curious people, just tell them that it causes your body to destroy itself! That's pretty cool and graphic enough that they'll catch on. I said to a few people "if I eat that, my insides will eat itself b/c of the autoimmune disorder". That worked every time!


Point out that it's the only autoimmune disorder that has some sort of "cure". (That being, don't eat gluten!!)

[quietgirl]

Originally Posted by whatever

Most people are happy about the rampant food sharing at this time of year, neighbors dropping by with a plate of cookies, workplace holiday parties and big family dinners and such. I'm not. "why would anyone dread the holidays?" you may ask- because I can't eat a damned thing

within the past year, after months of tests and misery, I was diagnosed with celiac disease- which along with making me curse my Irish ancestry has restricted what I can eat severely. I can eat nothing containing gluten, which makes eating out and visiting friends hell- I'm now convinced that almost EVERYTHING includes gluten!

I'd love to be polite and eat what is offered to me, but it's really a bad idea, and when I say politely that I'm sorry, I can't eat that food people start to ask questions. Now I'd rather not describe what happens if I eat gluten to people- after all, it's kind of gross- and I was wondering if there's a polite way to tell people to bugger off!?

Can anyone please explain to me how to politely get out of eating food that can destroy my health without having to deal with embarassing questions? I don't want to be rude, but some people are too damned curious!

I have a major food allergy - whey protein. Most of my friends and family know about it (and joke with me about it - the word "whey" can be used in so many contexts, haha), so I don't have too much of a problem at home.

Man, whey is in EVERYTHING though. The best thing I've learned to do is cook. Now I know how certain things are made and the likelyhood of it containing whey when I am eating it outside of my home. Have you read up on how foods are prepared and how to make most things yourself? It's been a lifelong task for me, but I've found I can surprisingly eat some foods I never thought I could (I can actually eat certain types of cheeses with a minimal reaction!) and I cannot eat some things that I thought would be okay.

Christmas season's always tough because I can't eat any pastries, nor can I have most kinds of chocolate. I'm not sure there's a polite way to announce an allergy. I usually just try to politely decline & say I'm not hungry. Normally that works, but if you get someone who's pushing it on you, then I usually just say I'm allergic to dairy. I hate to have to explain it afterwards, but what else can I do? haha. If anyone can think of a better way, then by all means let me know!

Another trick I have is that often there's one random dessert that doesn't contain whey and nine times out of ten, I probably don't care for it. I'll usually take a piece of it anyway and nibble on it a bit just to shut people up. I'd also sometimes hang onto something from dinner to nibble on so I don't get the dessert pressure.

I find the worst scenario for me is eating out. I always feel like one of those super picky eaters when I have to ask the server about the sauce they use or whatever. I try to just order things that I KNOW I can eat, but with limited menus, it's really hard. I find simply apologizing in advance to the server & briefly explaining that I have a weird food allergy makes the experience a little better for everyone. It's also such a task for me to go to the grocery store that I just go alone and never make anyone go with me.

If you have any weird food allergy questions, feel free to ask me. If anything, I feel your pain!

[Metamorphosis]

Originally Posted by whatever

which along with making me curse my Irish ancestry

Blasphemer.

[quietgirl]

Originally Posted by whatever

that works on some people!

some others are WAY too curious though

Think of it this way:

These people are acting rude by prying into your personal business. I wouldn't feel rude at all declining their food.