Gluten-Free: It's not GREEK to Me!

I'll admit that some of the things that I most remember my first year of college in Missouri: Domino's Pizza, Spaghetti-O's, and beer. 

You might be wondering why these three things stand out as some of my boldest memories among others like sorority life, Greek week, Bearcat football, and my first year ever living in the snow. The fact of the matter is that although I was living in what should have been the best year of my life (FREEDOM!), I was literally dying inside. Those three things, which were staples among my freshman diet, were contributing to my celiac disease, and only making things worse.

Celiac disease is often dormant throughout a certain period of one's life until it is finally exposed due to many things, one of which can be stress. Living across the country from my family for the first time in my life was definitely a contributor to awakening the celiac disease inside of me. Not only did I gain the freshman 15 this year, but I ended up losing double the amount by the end of the year. The rapid weight gain, and even more extreme weight loss, left me at below 100 lbs. by final exams. Little did I know that this was all because of my celiac disease.  

Thankfully, science is becoming quicker at diagnosing those with celiac disease. 

ABC has a show called Greek, and one of the actors on the show Michael Foster, is raving about losing his freshman 15. 

According to a recent post on People.com, Foster says his life on the set was similar to college life. "I was so happy about having a job and not having to worry about paying the food bill, I ate anything on set," says Foster, 24. "Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, you name it. I got sucked into craft services and, yes, it was just like college!" 

However, The 6'3" actor, who plays Cappie on the hit show, quickly reached 200 lbs. Around the same time, he also found out he was allergic to gluten. "It runs in my family," says Foster, whose symptoms included a bloated stomach and extremely dry skin on his hands. "It just got worse and worse and I was like, 'This can't be normal!' " 

After being diagnosed about three months ago, Foster cut out wheat and flour products from his diet. "I can't eat bread, anything fried or even drink a beer," he says. People.com further states that his diet now consists of protein, vegetables and fruit. He also eliminated most milk products, including cheese. 

Foster goes on to say that eating better makes him feel great, which reassures him that he will be fine this time around on set. 

I completely understand Foster's attitude. I used to go through withdraws on my new gluten-free diet, however now I embrace it. I feel so great about the fact that I eat so healthy. I don't drink soda, eat fast food, and rarely indulge in sweets. I also don't eat dairy products or eggs, and rarely eat red meat as well. Overall, being diagnosed with celiac disease is a blessing. It has taught me so many things such as persistence, patience, and to always trust your "gut"!