She has to take anti-inflammatory medicine. She can’t eat food that everyone else eats in the cafeteria.
Margaux Scully, senior, is allergic to gluten food products and can eat only certain brands of every food, with only gluten-free ingredients.
“If I break the rules, my fingers start to swell and my skin starts to burn around my waist area,” Scully said.
When gluten enters her system the rash, burning and itching are her body’s reaction to trying to dispel the food her body can’t digest.
There are many problems and hardships associated with the allergic reaction to gluten.
“The hardest part is that I can’t eat what I want whenever I want,” Scully said. “I have to check food labels when I go to the grocery store and I have to find gluten-free foods.”
The allergy also affects her school life, and she has to pack a special lunch from home containing all gluten-free foods and can’t buy from the school lunch line.
“It’s really annoying because I can’t really eat anything at school lunch,” Scully said. “It’s very hard to find things to eat in the school lunch room.”
Matteo Perla, sophomore, also has a gluten allergy. His gluten allergy is a little more serve than Scully’s.
“My stomach hurts really bad when I break the rules, so I don’t usually ever break them,” Perla said. “I can’t go out to eat because of my diet and at lunch I have to bring my own gluten-free sandwich.”
However, there are some advantages to the gluten free diet and places where there is gluten-free food. Scully goes to Crazy Bowls and Wraps a lot where they have a dish called quinoa. Quinoa is gluten-free couscous that is used in place of rice.
“It is a complete protein, that has a low glycemic level, and high fiber, 8 grams,” Nancy Maddock, manager of Chesterfield Crazy Bowls and Wraps, said. “We also have gluten free sauces, such as garlic ginger which uses tamari instead of soy sauce and olive oil urban lime sauce.”
Another positive aspect of the gluten free diet is the health factor. Scully said that it helps keep her in shape and allows her to keep a healthy figure.
“A positive thing is that it helps me stay fit, which is good,” Scully said.
Although the diet makes life difficult for her, Scully uses the diet to her advantage to find new places to eat and to help maintain her healthy lifestyle.