Gloria and the Great Gluten

Debacle Ashley Ahlers

Once Upon A Time…

There was a little girl named Gloria. Her favorite foods in the world were bread and cereal.

Gloria began to notice she felt very sick after eating these foods. Her stomach hurt and she felt very tired. She told her mom, and her mom took her to see the doctor.

After many tests, Dr. Wheat came back with her results: Gloria was sensitive to gluten.

Gluten is a type of protein commonly found in wheat, barley, and rye products. Bread, cookies, cake, cereal, crackers, pasta, and muffins are all foods that contain high amounts of gluten.

Celiac’s disease is an issue people have with digesting gluten. When gluten enters the body, an immune response is triggered, and this damages your small intestine. If the intestine is damaged enough, you are no longer able to absorb nutrients, leading to malnutrition and other health issues. There is no known cure for Celiac’s: the only thing to do is to follow a strict gluten-free diet.

Gluten sensitivity is a milder version of Celiac’s disease, but people with gluten sensitivity still have a bad reaction when they eat gluten. Symptoms of gluten sensitivity include severe stomach pain, fatigue, diarrhea, headaches, and bloating.

Gloria’s mom didn’t know much about gluten sensitivity, so she asked Dr. Wheat what they should do next.

Dr. Wheat recommended Gloria follow a completely gluten-free diet. Gloria’s mom had her doubts about this diet, however.

Dr. Wheat began to explain the benefits and risks of going on a completely gluten-free diet. Gloria and her mother listened carefully.

The doctor explained, “A gluten free diet is a very healthy way to live. Gloria will most likely be eating mostly fruits and vegetables, which is very beneficial to the body. Not to mention cutting gluten out of the diet relieves the painful symptoms of gluten sensitivity, so Gloria would feel much better. Cutting out gluten also means cutting out unhealthy starches. Gloria would feel more energetic if she went gluten-free.”

Dr. Wheat continued, “However, going gluten-free has it’s risks. Gloria would no longer be getting the vitamins and minerals that are found in grains, and lack of dietary fiber may lead to constipation. Gluten is found in many places, and it may be hard to avoid. Gluten-free products are often more expensive than normal products. The gluten-free lifestyle also might be a hard one to follow for such a young girl.”

Gloria did not want to go gluten-free, but she did want to feel better. She was stuck. Gloria’s mother decided to think it over for a few days.

After consulting with her family and weighing the pros and cons, Gloria’s mother decided it would be best to put Gloria on a gluten free diet. She wanted to the best for her daughter, and she believed this would help her daughter tremendously.

Dr. Wheat gave Gloria dietary guidelines to follow. After a few weeks of eating gluten-free, Gloria felt better than ever. Although she missed bread and cereal, she began to love many gluten-free foods.

THE END