Gluten-Free Challenge - Day 31: Beyond

In the end, the challenge wasn't much of a challenge. The temptation to sneak a Circus Animal cookie came and went. The challenge of finding something to eat when eating out wasn't there, given that we went out very few times during the month.

There was a party that K and I went to for Chinese New Year. At the party, there was a plate full of lemon cookies right in front of me. That's about the worst that it got for me. Everything else was pretty manageable.

Going gluten-free take work. You bring your own snacks, make your own lunches. You cook more at home. You eat out less. And when you do go out, you call the restaurant beforehand, look up menus online, ask your server what's OK to eat. And if he doesn't know, you get the heck outta there before it's too late.

Over the past month, I learned that food can be a point of obsession. K and I talked about food a lot. It nearly became the focal point in our marriage. What will we eat for dinner? What can we make? What are we gonna do with all these beets? Are Funyuns gluten free? What about Doritos? What do you mean I can't drink beer?

I have a new-found respect for my wife, who has to deal with this every day. It's not like she's waiting for the day when she can eat whatever she wants.This is a lifestyle that she chose, or maybe it chose her. And she feels better for it. It takes a lot of effort to shun wheat in your life, and K has done it for two years. I'm in awe of her.

Starting tomorrow, I'll probably eat the same things that I've been eating for the past month. There will still be veggies when I come from work, I'll still pack sandwiches made of brown-rice bread. I'll still bring mixed nuts to work for snacks. And maybe, just maybe, I'll get a craving for the Circus Animal cookies. I'll go up to the vending machine in the break room, stare at the bag full of gluten-rich goodness, and just walk away.

Or not.