I spend so much time warning gluten-sensitive and allergic people about all of the secret places that gluten can hide, and I know I’m not super-sensitive to it myself; but nothing protected me from gluten-ing myself last night. Yes, I got gluten-ed, and I’ve got tons of pain to show for it.
How, you might ask, did this happen?
As I’ve mentioned, I’m most assuredly gluten-free nowadays, but I do indulge in gluten-free treats on occasion. Some of these have been candy. Once in a blue moon, I’ll enjoy a snack size Three Musketeers bar or a Snickers. Delicious. And in my experience, I’ve found that most sugar-heavy candies (the ones without dairy/nuts/extras) are also gluten-free.
So I must have assumed that this particular treat was gluten-free when I bought it. It’s full of rainbow colored sugar and was fun to eat. I won’t mention it here, because the moral of the story is important: always read the packaging.
I actually ate it because I had a cough and I’ve been banned from cough drops by my dentist, so I thought eating a sour candy might help me produce more saliva and make my throat hurt less.
Of course the irony was that an hour later, I glanced at the packaging and started cursing myself. Within about three hours, I was in pain. So much pain. Waves of it, off and on, for hours.
Today, the pain has lessened a lot, so I’m hoping the worst has past. In the past, my gluten meter went off clearly within 25-30 minutes, so maybe this was less gluten than last time? And perhaps that means the effects won’t last a full week like last time?
I’m sharing this to show that we all make mistakes. We can never, ever assume, even if we’ve eaten a food before. Recipes change, people make mistakes. Always, always, always read the package.
Here’s hoping you have a pain-free week!
Practicing Persistence 