Going Gluten Free Is Not A Choice

Going gluten free is not a choice. You don’t typically choose to go gluten free, unless you need to.

The early years, with removing food allergies.

Usually, you only go gluten-free when you have to.

In 2003, my two-year-old daughter, who was already facing developmental challenges, began suffering from a severe bleeding diaper rash. Her rash, which literally leaked blood, persisted for three months and opened the door to a lifetime of digestive issues. After a rash cream from the dermatologist failed to work, I asked whether a food allergy could be the culprit. His answer was dismissive: “Very rarely.”

We then turned to a doctor known for allergy and intolerance testing, a practice that at the time was considered niche. The tests uncovered about eight food allergies and 21 intolerances, many of which overlapped. Notably, wheat was flagged on both lists.

My daughter had also shown an egg allergy earlier when she was an infant. I remember in a panic calling my mom, asking how I could possibly switch her diet so drastically after two years of eating those foods. She calmly reassured me to wait a few more days until we found a solution.

When gluten grains, wheat/rye/barley, were finally removed from her diet, her rash vanished the very next day.

Yet, the effects of those three painful months lingered. My daughter developed a habit of holding in her bowel movements, which resulted in years of blockages and periodic bouts of vomiting accompanied by new allergies every couple of years. This troubling cycle continued until I was able to toilet train her back in 2011.

What began as three months of a bleeding diaper rash turned out to be an early symptom of my daughter’s undiagnosed celiac disease, finally diagnosed when she was 22 years old in 2023.

Emily Boudwin
A mom of a very special daughter, and our journeys together.