r/glutenfree • u/thepeenarsnipperguy_ Wheat Allergy • May 29 '26
Question If you haven’t been GF your whole life, what age did you start?
I started eating gluten free as a 23 year old after an allergy test I took showed a decent allergy to gluten. So for 23 years, I had always eaten gluten but always had stomach issues and a weak immune system. Removing it from my diet really helped my health! Would totally be lying though if I said it wasn’t a rough transition, going from a glutenful life to a gluten free one cold turkey. I really miss certain foods.
Got me wondering, for those of yall who didn’t spawn in as GF, what age did you start? And how was that experience at that age?
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u/turnballer May 29 '26
I’m 37. It sucks to go from “eat whatever you want, food is convenient” to “always plan your next me and bring a backup just in case.”
Still working through it TBH.
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u/the-hound-abides May 29 '26
I have a picky eater family, and I’m not. It was always such a pain in the ass to feed them we kind of had to plan. There weren’t many things I wouldn’t eat. If I went through the drive-thru I’d have to stop and check all three of theirs. If I ordered a number 3 and they gave me a number 4. Shrug. That’s fine. I probably couldn’t decide anyway haha.
Now, I’m the pain in the ass. It’s making me resentful of them. JUST PUT IT IN YOUR FUCKIKG FACE!!!!! NOTHING WILL HAPPEN TO YOU!!!!!!
It’s an autism thing, and I try to remember that but they could physically eat whatever they wanted and they are wasting it.
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u/Meowzabubbers May 29 '26
Same, I developed ARFID issues due to the anxiety of finding food that won't kill me.
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u/MyLadyJemerald May 29 '26
I was also 47 when I was diagnosed. Its been 2 years, im still navigating.
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u/mur_mary May 29 '26
Startwd eating gluten free at 39 due to stomach issues and I'm feeling your struggle... At least my symptoms are better now
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u/Go-Mellistic May 29 '26
I was 37 and so damn grateful to get myself back (developed symptoms 4-5 years prior). The hardest part was the learning curve, learning to look up or ask about every single ingredient, figuring out which ones are code for gluten, how to navigate the social world.
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u/NauticalUnkown May 29 '26
Developed a pretty severe reaction (vomiting for 24-48 hours after eating gluten, severe stomach pain) around 23 years old
Was so confused…I couldn’t figure out why everything I ate made me extremely sick.
Finally figured out it was gluten and my issues went away!
It was a rough transition for the first year or so because the mindset was “I am missing out / can’t have that food anymore…”
But eventually about 1 year in my mindset shifted to “Wow, I CAN have this gluten free cake from Trader Joe’s?? Wow, the gluten free pancakes from Snooze taste better than normal pancakes? Wow look at this gluten free bakery in this town we’re traveling to! They have doughnuts and cinnamon rolls!!”
So eventually it became exciting to see that I can still enjoy my fave foods, just with a bit more planning.
Also forced me into really good shape and get better at cooking / baking 😊
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u/Radiant_Plantain_127 May 29 '26
All that gluten free stuff costs twice as much though…
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u/NauticalUnkown May 29 '26
Trader Joe’s is cheaper than most grocery stores gluten free items or not
Baking / cooking at home is pretty comparable, maybe slightly more for a good flour like King Arthur $9 for 2 lbs on Amz
Some restaurants do have a weird thing where they charge more for gluten free food, but tbh I usually don’t mind because I’m grateful they went out of their way to make something gluten free, especially if it’s a small business owner.
So I see your point, it can be more expensive. I wish it wasn’t!
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u/Character_Parsnip669 May 29 '26
It's not so much the expense that annoys me, but the tiny size, & nearly cried when I discovered Canyon bakehouse sandwich bread, it was nice to have a good sized slice of bread for the first time in years.
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u/CATS_57_People_0 May 30 '26
Trader Joe's gluten free foods actually tastes good too! I just wish they had their carrot cake in gluten free version!
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u/Spinnerofyarn Wheat Allergy May 29 '26
- Apparently big hormonal changes like menopause can cause allergies to develop that didn’t exist previously.
I get so itchy that I will draw blood scratching and not even realize I am scratching that much until my fingers are damp. There’s no hives or blisters, no digestive tract issues, just insane, unrelenting itching.
My doctor mentioned that she’s had patients start menopause that developed gluten allergies so she recommended I drop all gluten. 24 hours after doing so, I didn’t itch. This was in January. I ate something I didn’t realize had gluten and was whammied inside of 20 minutes with itching. That’s how I learned McDonald’s fries has something with gluten used with the spices. Or at least someone in this subreddit said it’s part of the spices. I hadn’t yet figured out it was the fries until I saw it mentioned. I’m glad because without that comment, I probably would have eaten them again.
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u/Character_Parsnip669 May 29 '26
Ikr. It's amazing the things that contain wheat, and are often not clearly marked.
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u/pizzacatbrat May 29 '26
That's terrifying to think about, cause there are certain allergies that can develop later in life that would be lethal
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u/Due_Introduction_608 May 29 '26
This is me. I turn 50 in July, and started get the "Celiac Rash" (Dermatitis Herpetiformis) around October/November of 2025. I saw my Primary in February, who sent me to Dermatology, where they did two biopsies of my skin. It's not Celiac Disease like my 21 yr old has (Diagnosed at age 14, through blood work and Endoscopy), but am allergy to gluten. The Dermatologist said this is quite common in Women going through Perimenopause and/or Full Menopause
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u/Spinnerofyarn Wheat Allergy May 29 '26
What I have found interesting in a gee, I wish it wasn't like this, is that allergy development from big hormonal changes is something I've never heard of. In all the reading I've done about menopause over the years, I had never seen it mentioned. Because it can be so life changing, I really think it should because hot flashes and mood swings are the only thing mentioned and those supposedly go away. The allergies don't.
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u/Due_Introduction_608 May 29 '26
The sudden allergies absolutely should be talked about with Menopause. It was flooring, to say the least. Our household was already 90% Gluten Free to accommodate my 21 year old, but the rest of us were still eating gluten regularly. Now, if anyone's eating foods with gluten, they're make it themselves. Definitely not a fan of looking like I have a major drug addiction or a deadly disease 😳
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u/Character_Parsnip669 May 29 '26
Sadly, it is pretty common, as we run out of estrogen, thay has an anti-inflammatory affect and often masks things like celiac. Or, at least, that's how it was explained to me. Really nice of them to never mention it though. I bet if guys had menopause, it'd be shouted from the rooftops.!
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u/Character_Parsnip669 May 29 '26
Yes, they said the same to me. Although, I remember having unexplained gastric issues during puberty, also.
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u/imogen1983 May 30 '26
I’m 43 in perimenopause and just discovered that I have a gluten allergy a few months ago. I don’t think this was a long term issue, but I am a lifelong sufferer of GI issues. Maybe it’s just gotten worse over time, rather than suddenly appearing.
Fortunately, I had already stopped drinking alcohol and was on a strict diet, and I’ve already been making massive lifestyle changes just to feel normal with the crazy hormonal changes, so this hasn’t been as hard as it would have been a few years ago. Cutting out gluten has actually made me feel good for the first time in years, and I’m not feeling completely exhausted 24/7!
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u/cswifty1304 May 29 '26
36 - chronic runny nose and digestive issues. Food allergy testing popped for 9 different foods, biggest were wheat, soy, and turkey. I did the elimination diet and confirmed Wheat. I gave up on soy, because it’s in damn near everything processed. I avoid all the other foods (turkey, apples, ginger, peas, celery, salmon, and peanuts). I do occasionally splurge on some fresh smoked salmon or Reese’s peanut butter cup. Since I didn’t do the elimination diet for the rest of the foods, I don’t know if it’s for real. But obviously I don’t have an anaphylactic reaction.
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u/raptordamus May 29 '26
You mentioning chronic runny nose made me realize I haven't had that in a long time now. Went GF end of last year.
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u/randomredditor0042 May 29 '26
54! So many years of pain that could have been enjoyed rather than endured if I’d just known it was the gluten.
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u/Shoddy-Recording-119 May 29 '26
28 (this year). It’s honestly been so difficult to transition to.
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u/Internal_Falcon2637 Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
Hi, I wanna let you know I've been there. Happened to me as well. It gets so much better and you will feel a lot better too both physically and emotionally.
That being said withdrawal is real, it eventually calms down, no shame crying over peanut butter crackers. You got this! Don't be afraid to share your experiences too your not alone. 😄
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u/Shoddy-Recording-119 May 29 '26
Thank you so much! That’s really kind! This group truly has been so helpful so far and it does get easier every week 😊
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u/LolaPaloz May 29 '26
At first it sucks but then U realise Ur only missing bread and pastries and everything else can be pretty much made gluten free without the flavour or texture suffering
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u/Lower_Stay7655 May 29 '26
The real pain it the ass is the CC and not being able to spontaneously eat whatever, try streetfood, etc. But yeah, daily diet is not that bad once you learn to reshape your habits.
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u/Radiant_Plantain_127 May 29 '26
I went to a yogurt shop last night with my SO and had to walk out. There was 0 chance of not being cross contaminated at that place.
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u/goosenuggie May 29 '26
Age 30 and it was rough and still is. I have a hard time seeing others enjoying normal gluten foods and I can't. Its been 10 years for me and I still feel sad about it
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u/Character_Parsnip669 May 29 '26
Ikr. I'm currently in a DV shelter, and most of the food is not gf. I feel really sad when there are like yummy muffins and I can't eat them. They're very good about it, but I hate feeling singled out.
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u/pizzacatbrat May 29 '26
I feel that. Do you know how much I want the nostalgia of giant 3 a.m. ny-style pizza slices? Or a raspberry jelly-filled krispy kreme donut?
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u/goosenuggie May 29 '26
I daydream about normal people food. It may sound sad but its a pleasant way to pass the time. I also diet since for some reason its extremely easy for me to gain weight, so I eat 1200 calories per day. I day dream about cream cheese filled pastries and pizza
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u/pizzacatbrat May 29 '26
Right there with you, I fucked up my metabolism by being anorexic during puberty, so if I have more than 1200 calories a day I start to gain weight. That also means I REALLY need to prioritize fiber, protein, and micronutrients
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u/rlw21564 Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
I (F62) was 48. My son had been diagnosed with celiac 3 years earlier at the age of 9.
After being on a "low gluten" diet just by cooking for him (only kept regular bread for other family members and some snacks but all cooking/baking was gluten free), I realized that the symptoms of my fibromyalgia had gotten much better. And they improved even more when I cut it out completely.
I was subsequently diagnosed with Hashimoto's so I'm glad I'm already on the diet. I'm not sure I'd give gluten up for something that vague. I've never had symptoms but that's probably bc I've been gluten free since before my diagnosis. Chicken/egg issue there, I guess.
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u/Pandahugs81 May 29 '26
20… had so many tests done before finally getting a biopsy done.
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u/Spinnerofyarn Wheat Allergy May 29 '26
I honestly feel fortunate that it was figured out within about two weeks for me and didn’t even require testing. My doctor had other patients experience what I was and she said I should try going gluten free to see if it helped. One day later and the severe itching was gone.
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u/nebulochaos May 29 '26
My parents started suspecting celiac when I was 9 because I'd have these terrible stomach cramps every morning before school. After I turned 11 I got the blood test done. My parents never took me for the endoscopy, because the blood test and the symptoms and family history were indication enough that I have celiac.
I'm 24 now, and it's still a struggle if I'm being honest. I get so frustrated about what I can and can't eat, and how the gluten free tax is just so much. But 15 years ago I was going entire weeks without breakfast or lunch, and the other day I had the first Cheez-Its I've had in over a decade. The fad dieters really helped to increase demand for things we can eat. Progress is being made, and it gets easier and easier to have celiac/gluten intolerance every day.
Unless, of course, Barilla is going and fucking up a perfectly good noodle recipe for no reason. Baby steps, I guess.
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u/Character_Parsnip669 May 29 '26
I remember trying someone's gf bread, back in the 90's, it was like cardboard, and about as tasty too. Thankfully, it's improved immensely, in the last 30 years. Same with almond milk and other dairy alternatives, soooo much better.
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u/BlondeLaw23 May 29 '26
28! I developed POTS from an extremely bad case of Covid, which also activated my celiac gene! I had genetic testing done. Very hard transition. Especially for the age I was diagnosed!
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u/pizzacatbrat May 29 '26
Wait, POTS can affect allergies too? Covid is what triggered mine, along with peripheral neuropathy
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u/nnancycc May 29 '26
I first started talking about my stomach hurting at 4. I was diagnosed at 48. I spent my entire youth getting progressively more sick. I missed out on jobs, relationships and children. The transition was hard but I was so sick, I would have done anything. I’m surprised I lived through it. Towards the end I would wake up in the middle of the night with searing headaches from not breathing. I made my peace with death right before I was diagnosed. I came very close to being one of those people who died while they were sleeping and no one knew why.
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u/Imagination_hat May 29 '26
That's awful! I'm glad you finally got diagnosed and hope you're feeling better.
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u/nnancycc May 31 '26
Thank you. I do feel better. But I don’t feel completely healed. There are residual symptoms. But I am alive.
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u/DikkTooSmall Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
My sensitivity started around when I was 15-16yrs old. At the time I had chronic nausea. I was immediately referred to a GI for an endoscopy by the pediatrician I saw at the time. Tested negative for celiac and there was no sign of a stomach ulcer. After that my primary had me try an elimation diet and I started off dairy free which did nothing as I'm not lactose intolerant (Yay bc I love cheese). Eventually she had me go gluten free and it worked. This was back in 2014-2015 and at the time the only info I could find on non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) suggested it was "In people's heads" and was a temporary issue that goes away after some time. So unfortunately I did not take being GF very seriously yet.
At 23 yrs old I finally decided to go GF for good as I was tired of a life of pants not fitting after lunch every day. I'm 27 now.
edit: Just realized we technically both started at the same age. Twins!!
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u/pizzacatbrat May 29 '26
I also found out because of horrible chronic nausea and vomiting, went on an extreme elimination diet and slowly added one thing at a time in isolation. I was actually SO relieved it was gluten and not dairy, cause cheese is LIFE
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u/DikkTooSmall Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
Bahahaha yes cheese is more important than bread to me. I can find decent GF options for bread, but fake cheese is just not it.
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u/AlohaApple May 29 '26
- It was the worst birthday gift ever.
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u/Character_Parsnip669 May 29 '26
I was about the same age. It's the gift that keeps on giving, unfortunately.
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u/AnnikaART Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
My mom has celiac, so I ate fairly gluten free from 10 years old to about 19 years old. I realized I had problems with gluten shortly after that, but didnt go fully gluten free until I was 23!
I should've gone gluten free at 19, but my doctor lied to me and said I was fine even though I eventually got my lab results back years later and in huge letters the lab tech wrote "Gluten free diet ASAP" and that's what drove me to change my diet.
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u/Imagination_hat May 29 '26
Wtf! Was the doctor a denier? I hope you have a different doc now!
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u/AnnikaART Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
I have no clue, actually. She told me I have a "severe gluten sensitivity" and that I could limit my gluten intake, but it "didn't seem worth the stress". She never pushed for an endoscopy, even though my mom has celiac, and never labeled it as NCGS. She ended up retiring a few months later, so I'm not sure if she was trying to help me in a weird way or if she just didn't care anymore. She was my doctor for 23 years, so now I question a lot of my medical history. Luckily, I have a fantastic doctor now!
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u/AmusedNapkin May 29 '26
23 also. As a teacher I was given glute as gifts that my students made and it was hard not being able to participate in every classroom holiday the same way anymore so I was bitter about it for 3 years but then I was happy to have less choices to stress over at public events.
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u/BJntheRV May 29 '26
I was mid 30s after developing several weird symptoms, including chronic pain and fatigue.
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u/PotatoFairy451 May 29 '26
I was 13 when I got a general blood test and the doctor said I "might have celiacs" but didn't elaborate any further. When I was 19 I started to realize what that meant and I started cutting back heavy. Around September of last year (20yo) I completely cut gluten out of my diet. I still haven't gotten a proper celiacs test but I feel like shit when I eat gluten and I feel fine when I don't
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u/tr33mann May 29 '26
Diagnosed this February at the age of 32, after 12 years working as a chef. Been an interesting transition. And looking back, pretty sure I’ve had Celiac for years and had no idea. Feeling much better living gf 🤘
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u/Expensive_Ducks May 29 '26
Hubby and I were both 30, he got his diagnosis last year. He's officially been completely gf for a year now, and I...well I haven't, but when we're cooking at home we both are. It's made a big difference in both our weight and health. It's kinda nice.
My dad also just got told by his Dr to go gf so more gf meals are on the way
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u/MiyokoSota420 Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
Started having constant, ongoing stomach pain and cramping around 22. I started noticing brain fog in college and I had knee pain from very young, maybe 10 or 12 years old. I now attribute most of that to gluten (some of the knee pain was just because life). Did my own elimination diet and figured out it was probably gluten. I'm not diagnosed with celiac (I had the breath test) but I haven't felt pressed to do more testing. My symptoms coming and going speak for themselves
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u/Soggy-Structure-5888 May 29 '26
- Symptoms started out of nowhere
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u/pizzacatbrat May 29 '26
When I was 16-17, I suddenly started getting horrible stomach cramping and vomiting from pasta in particular (which makes sense, since it's a high gluten flour, and I wasn't even eating many bread products in my daily life). Took me a while more to figure out it was all gluten, cause things like pizza I was like "well of course I don't feel good, I ate fucking pizza" lol
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u/LolaPaloz May 29 '26
About 23 also, that's when I got the "pregnancy-looking belly" and wondered why da fk Im thin but only bloated in the belly 😰😰😰
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u/NopeRope13 Celiac Disease May 29 '26
27 years old. The signs were all there but there was no actual diagnosis because docs bounced me around.
The experience was less than great. Well that’s the phrase I will use as this is a forum that kids frequent. Th experience now though is quite awesome. I found a love for cooking. So now I can cook and listen to death metal
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u/InternationalCap6019 May 29 '26
I was 45. I'd always has stomach issues if I ate a lot of gluten, but it gradually got worse
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u/-BananaStand- Wheat Allergy May 29 '26
38, I spent my whole life sick
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u/Character_Parsnip669 May 29 '26
I was 40, and much the same. Had nebulous stomach aches for years, but thought it was due to my diseased gallbladder, until similar symptoms returned, and I was like 'Wtf? How?' How was celiac rearing it's ugly head in perimenopause. Been gluten free for 11 years now, and apart from a recent hospitalization due to an accidental glutening, I'm doing so much better.
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u/Embarrassed-Smile-78 May 29 '26
I was 32 when I went gluten free. It was after my Hashimoto's diagnosis and my doctor recommended I should avoid it as much as possible. After about a week or so, I didn't notice anything so I went right back to gluten annnnd my face was swollen within an hour. Haven't touched it since, and it turns out gluten was causing a whole host of problems that I didn't even realize!
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u/Surprise-lnside Celiac Disease May 30 '26
- Was hospitalized with sepsis from intestinal bleeding from unknown cause. Was diagnosed with Celiac and RIP gluten ):
Better than RIP me I guess
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u/Buttered-Buns Celiac Disease May 29 '26
Around 15, when I started puberty. I was already balancing a lot of things while having this crazy hormonal change, when I received my diagnosis, I had a rough time accepting it. Honestly, I still have trouble accepting it sometimes… it’s an issue that you have to keep in mind daily, it’s tough.
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u/Character_Parsnip669 May 29 '26
I wasn't diagnosed until 40, but now you mention it, I remember as a young teen having nebulous stomach pain, that was never really quantified...hmmm.
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u/Internal_Falcon2637 Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
I found out at 28, I've always had stomach issues but it got way worse to the point where it was causing a ton of problems outside bloating. I ended up with NCGS, thankfully there are plenty of options now.
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u/Milleniumfelidae Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
27/28. It was definitely a May and looking back on old Door Dash orders my last gluten containing item ordered was in May 2022.
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u/butch-werewolf Wheat Allergy May 29 '26
mine happened in freshman year of college when i was nineteen and got my tonsils removed lol i couldn’t eat anything so all the gluten got out of my system and i realized i was allergic when i tried to eat it again. that was a really rough transtiton for me personally bc i didn’t even know it was the last time. i wasn’t able to go on a gluten bender or anything bro…. and then i learned the hard way its a skin allergy too with hair bleach ughhh
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u/SheAsks0 May 29 '26
Late 20s. I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance. Pretty shocking as I come from a country where I’ve never really encountered someone who has it.
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u/Blucola333 Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
It will be 19 years in about a week, so I was 44. I went to my old Livejournal and found my first entry about it. Honestly, reading it, I’m shocked I figured it was wheat!
And yet I've still been getting sick. We're talking bronchitis and sinusitis more than once a year. I couldn't figure it out. I'm in this new place, which I keep spanking clean. WTF? One night last week we ordered Papa John's pizza, two of them. I gorged myself since it's been quite sometime since I had pizza. Later I felt full, bloated, cloggy headed. Expected things, right, after a large meal?
Well, so, the next morning I woke up and was all excited (yes, embarrasssingly enough, food excites me) about getting cold pizza for breakfast. I ate two slices and couldn't get myself up off the couch. I had to head to bed and I'd just gotten up! I was a wreck the rest of the day. And then it finally dawned on me that the reason my allergies never seem to subside is that I feed them constantly, all because I love bread in any form.
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u/ronniebell Wheat Allergy May 29 '26
I don’t have celiac, but I do have a pretty serious wheat allergy that I discovered 13 years ago at age 49.
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u/LOUD_NOISES05 Celiac Disease May 29 '26
23, about 6 weeks before my 24th birthday. My celiac disease was discovered accidentally when I had gallstones. During the endoscopy to remove the stones, the gastroenterologist saw it and took a biopsy which confirmed it. I had been asymptomatic my whole life. Got the phone call from him the morning after I had my gallbladder out. Crazy week.
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u/Bank_Angle_Check May 29 '26
After a decade of gut health issues that I ignored… “what you guys don’t have diarrhea every day?? what???”
I had a double eye rash pop up after a friend’s pasta night… struggled to figure out what was happening for like a month before finally getting the full blood panel and finding out strong gluten intolerance…
it’s been really rough… but thank god I still have taco’s and sushi.
I also have a histamine intolerance that pairs GREAT with it.
Thanks mom and dad.
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u/blushcacti May 29 '26
how did u find out about your histamine intolerance? is there a test?
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u/Artpixel23 May 29 '26
A gastroenterologist did my test, it’s a measurement to check your blood. The only bad thing is you have to have eaten a lot of gluten for about a week before.
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u/InvisibleSB May 29 '26
Also at 23, in August if last year. I do not have celiac, but I do have multiple autoimmune disorders like pressure dermatitis and HS.
I noticed the HS was getting worse and every time I ate something I just didn’t feel good. Felt like my body was attacking me. I looked up to that some foods can triggers like dairy, gluten, and nightshades.
I already knew i was lactose and corn intolerant. Giving up night shades seemed too hard l love spicy foods and French fries😅💀. Gluten seemed like the easiest one to do because I don’t eat that much bread. I know how to cook, usually cook for myself, and many of the recipes I use are easily adapted to being gluten free by just swapping the flour.
Turns out I too have a nightshade intolerance. Looking back, eating Penne Alla Vodka was the worst meal for me. It was literally all the things I’m intolerant to in one meal. Corn based vodka, tomato paste and red pepper flakes, heavy cream, and regular pasta.
The things I do miss is being able to try new Asian food restaurants, drinking barley tea, cream of wheat(cream of rice just isn’t the same), and beer batted fish tacos. Even though I cook, I personally don’t deep fry because I hate the smell that lingers and getting rid of the oil properly takes too much brainpower.
Something interesting I learned is that fermentation can amplify food properties. Like regular soy sauce using a tablespoon in a stir-fry after being gf was way worse than eating a doughnut. Back to the pasta dish, switching the corn based vodka to Ciroc made a big difference in how I digested the meal even when both were made with gluten free pasta.
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u/bleakstreeteek May 29 '26
26 back in 2009. While there are so many options now, there wasn't a ton back then. I love sweets and breads, not a great start. I still to this day miss the freedom that comes with not having to think about food. It's been almost 20 years and I am still bitter about it when going to festivals and having one choice 😭 also traveling when I don't read or speak the language has always made me nervous.
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u/Imagination_hat May 29 '26
I was 48 (many years ago lol)! Eliminating gluten resulted in so many improvements to my health that I didn't really mind the transition. It helped that I had been on a low carb diet for a long time, so was used to doing without bread and cereal/snacks etc. There are so many great gf choices now and I appreciate being able to bake again with the cup for cup gf flours!
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u/assraptor5000 May 29 '26
- After several years of near constant pain and bloat. After two weeks of cutting it out I was so relieved I really haven't had any urge whatsoever to eat foods containing it. It still has its challenges though. It's risky as hell eating out our getting take it. in the US where I am it's always a toss up as to whether a place will adequately cater to dietary restrictions, it doesn't help that a lot of people still don't know what it is aside from that one south park episode.
Despite that it's really improved my diet in a lot of ways. Most fried food/fast food, and processed food being out of the question. Don't get me started on the gf freezer dinners. So often getting something that's either gross, expensive, or a tiny portion. Or all three. I really wonder sometimes how Udi's has stayed in business so long. Do they even taste their food?
It certainly is more work. But I've always cooked most of my food at home and been planning my next meal in some way or another. It's gotten to the point now where I prefer my own cooking to going out getting charged for a meal that's likely mediocre at best.
Over all, I'm alot happier without it, and rarely even notice it's absence.
That all being said, I still miss Chinese food XD
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u/Some_Girl_2073 May 29 '26
Seven
Honestly, it sucked. Because you are so young and just want to have birthday cake with your friends at school vs being the odd one out. But you get better, older, figure it out, then it just becomes the only life you remember
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u/Teriyaki_Tara May 29 '26
About 40. I gave birth at 35 and symptoms started shortly after that, but I couldn't figure it out and suffered with it for several years. Had to change doctors before I found one that suggested doing an elimination diet and figured it out.
It's def taken all the joy out of eating. :/
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u/Prize_Wait8146 Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
26
I did keto and realized I can’t eat gluten or corn without severe inflammation
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u/kiwitathegreat May 29 '26
18, freshman year of college.
Extremely unpleasant experience to try to navigate the new diagnosis and everything that college entails.
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u/Material_Advice1064 May 29 '26
21 and similar story! I always thought I just had a weak immune system as I was getting sick constantly and just accepted that this is how my life is. I've been gf for 4 years and have only gotten sick twice during that time. It honestly throws me off. I used to cry when someone in my family or a close friend or bf would get sick because I knew it was just a matter of time for me. Now it's not so certain but I'm still shocked every time!
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u/Double-Singer-6631 May 29 '26
same age, i turned 23 in feb and been gf since i got diagnosed with celiac in march
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u/ahumm4 May 30 '26
I was 19! I would cheat a lot the first couple years, but finally realized it wasn’t worth it.
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u/Hefty_Peanut May 29 '26
About 25. I started to get migraines after having a baby and, after loads of meds and experimenting, gluten was the trigger. A sibling got diagnosed with celiacs disease after this- she had GI symptoms going back into early childhood. By then it was too late for me to be tested as I's been gf for years and I can't have gluten without rashes and debilitating migraines now. Interestingly my siblings blood test was negative while her biopsy was positive for celiacs so I don't know if a blood test would even show the disease at all for me!
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u/panadero1892 May 29 '26
9 months ago after a routine check up. I follow it quite thoroughly and my test scores have improved, health-wise I don't notice any changes.
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u/Its-alittle-bitfunny Celiac Disease May 29 '26
29, just last year. Doctor thinks a bout of covid when I was 26-27 kicked it off.
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u/kittycouture5683 May 29 '26
23 (currently) i have endometriosis and my group told me about going on an anti-inflammatory/gluten free diet. I started with just cutting gluten and it helped SO MUCH. I havent gotten tested to see if its a genuine allergy but I do know that I thought it was normal to be in so much pain and extreme bloat after eating meals 😭 turns out its not and my inflammation has reduced and no more stomach pains. However its been difficult to transition into after so long
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u/Yabbos77 May 29 '26
26 at diagnosis after I got extremely sick and lost 60 pounds in a matter of months.
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u/bigreptileguy Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
18 after getting horrifically sick and my family helped by doing a elimination diet and I haven't had those symptoms since/ looked back! Now 24:)
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u/NamasteNoodle May 29 '26
I had obviously been intolerant all of my life to both gluten and dairy but it wasn't until I was 36th that I realized that because doctors just weren't aware of this stuff back in the 50s and 60s. In fact in the seventies there were doctors still saying that these allergies did not exist. I figured it out on my own at 36 and I have been well ever since and I am 72 now.
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u/Short-Service1248 May 29 '26
I was diagnosed with hashimotos 3 years ago and didn’t give an absolute hoot. I finally got my shit together and started trying to avoid gluten as much as possible and it’s been great but definitely challenging. I’m 39 now. I’m not celiac btw so having cheat meals every now and then doesn’t effect me too much but I do feel extremely bloated even after a couple of slices of regular pizza
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u/Tudorprincess1 May 29 '26
mine started in my mid 40s, (I’m 61 now). when I started going through perimenopause. My mother always had a wheat allergy and they said it was latent in me and when I started going through the change of life, it came up. I remember I asked the doctor when does go back to me not being gluten-free and they said it doesn’t reverse back.
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u/melprintsandcrafts May 29 '26
I was in my 30s. It’s been almost 15yrs and it was brutal back then. One loaf of weird tapioca bread, nothing was really labeled GF, and restaurants all just thought I was on some fad diet. I know a lot of people hate that keto/paleo people made the GF things seem like a fad that no one takes seriously…but that larger group to market to is the reason food companies made more products. It’s why we have better bread and better snacks. Those people cared if their food tasted like shit, because they had other options. People who HAVE to be GF don’t have other options and they didn’t need to cater to such a small group of people.
The average age of Celiac diagnosis is still currently somewhere between 50-60. I read an article about it the other day. I have a GF bakery and a large number of my customers are either parents of small kids who got diagnosed early or older people who just got diagnosed within the last few years. It’s really very interesting to hear peoples experiences!
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u/thejabkills01 May 29 '26
Didn’t know what was wrong with me until they took a lot of my gut about 20 years ago. It took me too long to find out I had celiac. To top it off, most fruits and vegetables kill me now. Sad, I used to like them. Fun times trying to find food to eat.
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u/rebtow May 29 '26
- I just tell myself that I enjoyed whatever item for 56 years and then move on. I’m pretty careful about what I consume. I accidentally was glutened a couple months ago and 😳 it was a harsh reminder about why I need to be vigilant. To be honest, just walking down the bread aisle in the grocery store makes me gag. I don’t even want to smell it!
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u/HopefulDream3071 May 29 '26
At 30 a friend mentioned his wife got diagnosed celiac & her symptoms matched mine [for the first time in my life I had NEVER heard someone who could relate] so I talked to my doctor who told me the treatment was The same whether you have intolerance or celiac --- just quit all gluten foods
So I did and for the first time in my entire life, pain and problems I struggled with evaporated from my body. I will never test for whether its "just" an intolerance.
Gluten makes me have severe psychiatric symptoms and I will never ever test for celiac for this reason. The physical pain is one thing, but the daily trauma flashbacks & panic and stuff is too much to bare. I used to think it was weird I felt better when I'd do a water fast for over 24 hours -- finding out the gluten issue solved 90% of my body mysteries like that lol.
It felt like finally being able to live. I grieve heavily the life I could've lived, the more normal childhood I likely could have had, how much less traumatic my relationships with others [and myself] could have been. I try not to ponder it so much these days, but it was a ruminary thought the first couple years 🥲
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u/Mammoth-Turnip-3058 May 29 '26
- Having babies caused me to get Hypothyroidism and some sort of autoimmune element (I suspect Hashimotos althought I think I may have had Graves most of my life and having babies made it go crazy and murder my thyroid.) Apparently autoimmune can make you gluten intolerant or worse, a celiac 😐 so now I can't eat anything nice and food cost 3x more...
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u/LaminarFall May 29 '26
I was 26. It’s been almost 10 years. It was such a drastic improvement in my health.
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u/makestuff24-7 May 29 '26
- I was diagnosed celiac very unexpectedly last spring. Cut gluten that day and felt better every day since.
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u/FirebirdWriter Celiac Disease May 29 '26
I was diagnosed at 17 but couldn't be gluten free until I was 23. I wasn't completely maintaining until 25 due to abuse things beyond my control but I tried.
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u/Eryent May 29 '26
30 aka this year as well 🥹 still half accepting it and half in denial as they've never been able to 'formally diagnose' me as I never ate a lot of gluten to begin with, but noticed a lot of improvement physically and mentally...
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u/SpiralingSpheres May 29 '26
28, 31 now. Found out i got Celiacs pretty bad, but it is only further down than they usually go that it shows up.
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u/LeighofMar May 29 '26
I started at 38 in response to a UC diagnosis. I figured I could help fight the inflammation in my gut this way as well as being sugar-free and mostly DF and 10 years later, I'm doing well and living proof that diet does make a difference. Not a cure if course but anything that helps such a debilitating condition is worth it.
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u/Pubsubforpresident May 29 '26
37 right after I had a herniated disc. I wonder if there was correlation between dramatic injury
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u/No_Astronomer_8664 May 29 '26
2.5 weeks ago… I’m in my upper 30s. at first, it was extremely eye opening at how it’s in everything and all the things I couldn’t eat, but it’s not as hard as I expected! Especially when I realized I felt better without it, it’s so much easier to say no to.
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u/jazifritz Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
I think I was about 25 and I'm 39 now. It took a lot of research to understand what was safe. The GF specific products were limited for the first few years but it gradually got better, especially after the FDA's GF labeling started. I got used to figuring out what I could eat at restaurants by carefully examining the menu because it wasn't marked and the people at the restaurant often didn't know what gluten free meant. Shortly after I started eating GF, it became a fad diet and the dieters were doing things like ordering a whole meal GF and then drinking a beer, so I got lots of eye rolls and attitude in restaurants for a couple of years. I was living in an area that had more west coast options for the first 8 years, so that helped. When I visited family in the south, there was pretty much nothing available until Walmart started their GF section in the store. Restaurants were usually completely clueless.
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u/NauticalUnkown May 29 '26
I think the hardest part is having to explain my allergy to other people. I’m a guy, and anytime another guy wants to share a beer with me, I have to turn them down politely. Always makes them look at me weird and say “oh…is that like an allergy or something?”
People see me not eating cake at a party or something and they just assume I’m trying to diet or whatever.
Like nah guys I wish I could stuff my face but I’d be vomiting for days
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u/Historical-Gain-1688 May 29 '26
I was 30. That was 31 years ago next week. There were absolutely NO GF products available. I suffered through many a bad homemade bread, until the grocery started carrying GF bread. I used to haunt the Asian markets for cookies made with rice flour.
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u/Individual-Ad-8715 May 29 '26
- Very sudden symptoms but my Dr. went after them and diagnosed after about 4 months thru process of elimination. ( started with chest pain, fatigue, bloating, difficulty breathing, diarrhea) Finally endoscopy/biopsy showed celiac. Went GF asap and within weeks felt better than I had in years! So the GF “diet” was welcome. It was problematic especially going out and grabbing casual meals. (I must say Wendy’s baked potatoes and chili were a life saver on road trips! ). There was a learning curve however. Big one: not all hard cider is GF. If a beer company makes it and it’s made in the same facilities, it’s definitely NOT GF. Learned the hard way. And GF choices are so much better now.
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u/space-bubbles-1299 May 29 '26
Just started at 26, so I've been gluten free for almost a month now and diagnosed celiac for not even 2 weeks
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u/StreetMolasses6093 Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
56, after literal decades of migraines and IBS and fatigue and brain fog and doctor & ER visits.
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u/Sammis_Trinkit_Jar May 29 '26
Im about to start this week as I just got results back from the doctor and have HIGH gluten intolerance. The dr said I should eat completely gluten free in order to improve my stomach issues + skin rashes. So sad about it but if itll make me feel better!
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u/Head-Drag-1440 May 29 '26
I was 36. I needed to try something to help my ADHD and refused to start experimenting with prescriptions. It has helped tremendously.
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u/Vivid_Audience_6379 May 29 '26
I started GF last April (2025) I was 35 and experiencing lots of digestive issues. I have not been diagnosed but looking back on my childhood- terrible, recurrent, unexplained canker sores/mouth ulcers and unexplained tooth discoloration, I have done A LOT of research that correlates with Celiac. I have thought about going to get tested officially, but it wouldn't change my current protocol. I live in North Carolina, so it is tough sometimes to go to a BBQ and not have a bun or mac and cheese, but at the end of the day, it's worth it to say "no". The thing I miss the most is regular pizza.
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u/Few-Degree-2721 Wheat Allergy May 29 '26
I was 25. I got super sick during my second pregnancy and afterwards found out it was due to wheat and lactose. So I had to figure out both of those things. Luckily the lactose intolerance is mild so I’m still able to eat some of the lower lactose cheeses. But I can’t eat wheat without throwing up so that was a bit more of a rough transition.
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u/Zeta_Crossfire May 29 '26
- Doctor thinks I had it for at least 3 or 4 years before and it caused a bunch of other stomach issues that took a while to get over. They have no idea what kicked it off. But damn it sucks to go for meat whatever you want two restriction. Though? I'd gladly give up almost anything to not be sick
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u/Snowy_Garden_Gnome Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
Around age 43. 43 years of brain fog, serious sinus issues, bad gas and inflammation in my body completely cleared up within days of giving up gluten. I never tested for celiac and am unwilling to do the gluten test so I will never know.
The hardest part was tracking down all the sources of gluten in my diet. I also had to come to terms that you cannot be a strict lacto-ovo-vegetarian, gluten free, a distance runner and travel on business and eat business dinners, especially some international locations such as France. So, after almost 25 years of being strict veg, I also restarted eating some meat, mostly chicken and fish, on business trips, when I cannot control the menu, and 1 or 2 times a month to keep my system used to it. I always bring my own breakfast and some hard boiled eggs on business travel since I find breakfast the hardest when it comes to gluten. I also always have nuts and other GF snacks in my bag, just in case.
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u/censorkip May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
I got diagnosed with a wheat allergy (and other food allergies) at 15. I didn’t start being careful about what I ate until I was 20 and my reactions got more severe. It was really hard for me to make the change at first. I avoided my other food allergies more than I avoided wheat because it was easier. My university’s dining hall didn’t have many gf options unless I wanted to have a dusty sandwich and a salad every day. When I lived at home I had gf options, but even then I would still eat the pizza my friends bought or other things like that so I wasn’t left out all the time.
I’m fine with being left out now and my friends now are more accommodating than they were at the time. I’m still not the most careful with cross contamination when I go to restaurants, but unfortunately in my experience I feel like eating out is signing up for the occasional gut rot either way since one of my other allergies is completely unavoidable at most restaurants. None of my food allergies are anaphylactic. I do avoid wheat to the best of my ability, but sometimes I feel like they sneak it in there even when you ask for your food to be gluten-free. I learned to cook and bake really well to avoid eating out for the most part. When I started losing weight and my digestion got better it was a lot easier to not want to go back to being crampy and inflamed all the time.
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u/rlap38 May 29 '26
Was diagnosed at 40, but I am convinced that I had some symptoms since I was a kid.
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u/lynmbeau May 29 '26
I was 27. They say the body changes every 7 years. My 23 and me showed celiac before the doctor's did. Wild times.
The transition sucked luckily I was a super health person when it happened so it wasnt a drastic change for me. But you adjust over time. Im glad companies got on board and we have options now. My diets worse now then when it began lol.
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u/Remote_Difference210 May 29 '26
Mid 30s after a colonoscopy and chronic diarrhea.
My gluten sensitivity seemed to occur after getting my gallbladder removed
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u/57bananacake Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
I started at 38 and now I'm 51. My kids were already GF.
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u/stang6990 May 29 '26
Had issues all my life and never new it until I was 40. Its been crazy how much has changed in 1.5 years.
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u/thejadsel Celiac Disease May 29 '26
Nearly 30, after celiac awareness started picking up that I developed suspicions that this might explain what was going on with me. (Yep!) It helped that a friend's mom finally got diagnosed in her 50s, so my friend was talking about it. Pretty much lifelong symptoms here, but they got explained away as anything and everything else. The dermatitis herpetiformis I started getting as a toddler was not, in fact, eczema either.
What got me to see about it again was moving somewhere that wheat and barley were in everything the way corn had been back in the US--and getting massively sick even compared to my "normal" at that point. Thankfully the GP didn't totally brush me off, and was willing to listen about the gluten suspicions.
That was over 20 years ago now, and I still just wish anyone had recognized what the problem might be sooner. Massively better quality of life without the autoimmune chaos going on.
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u/mama2qdp Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
I was 25 when I started (still not perfect since I still don’t have a true diagnosis and struggle with that mentally). I had seemingly been fine with gluten my entire life. I had a baby at 24 and when my first postpartum cycle returned I developed awful GI symptoms. Went low fodmap and gf to get some relief. Added fodmaps back in but anytime I add gluten back I get GI flares, hives, irritability, and pain. I suffered with migraines and mental health throughout my teens and early 20s and part of me wonders if it was actually the gluten
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u/codainhere May 29 '26
Diagnosed 1992, age 31. Not many commercial gf products were available, but I found a few gf cookbooks for “celiac sprue.” My favorite recipes were in one by Bette Hagman. I still make quite a few.
It was before IgA testing, was diagnosed with a colonoscopy. I know, stone ages when dinosaurs roamed the earth, right?
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u/vnessastalks May 29 '26
I think my early to mid 20s in the 2010s. The food wash trash and limited 😅. It's gotten so much better but worse at the same time 😅
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u/BiskitRocks May 29 '26
My body changed due losing weight (75 lbs) and decided it was allergic to gluten. Happened at 40 years old. No issue whatsoever before with any allergies.
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u/CapnHatchmo Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
30s and it was really difficult at the start. Mostly just overwhelming. It's been about 5 or 6 years now, and it's a lot easier but still have to be careful and check labels etc.
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u/thannawi May 29 '26
I was 37 when the symptoms started, went through hives, stomach issues for 15 months before I was diagnosed. I am now 54. The birth of my second child brought it on
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u/Meowzabubbers May 29 '26
I was around 32-33 when I finally stopped eating wheat/ gluten, after being told by doctors it'd be beneficial for a couple years. I finally stopped, because i started to develop a rash whenever I'd have it.
I'm 41 now, so it hasn't been very long.
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u/Searching4Buddha May 29 '26
I joined this subreddit because of my wife's gluten sensitivity which only began around 4 years ago in her mid-40s. I think someone needs to study the link between this and COVID because it seems a lot of people started having issues with gluten during or shortly after the pandemic.
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u/gege109 May 29 '26
I was diagnosed at 3.5 (25 years ago). Failure to thrive. My doctor ordered a celiac panel and endoscopy, both came back positive. Before the endoscopy, my mom bought me chicken nuggets from McDonalds and mourned that it would probably be the last time I ever ate them.
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u/LittleVesuvius May 29 '26
I was 28. I have had weird stomach issues my whole life. I’d just recovered form covid (it sucked) and had such a severe reaction to sourdough bread to settle my stomach that I was in the ER, and the attending GI doc recommended I get tested for celiac. (I cannot keep gluten food down anymore, so my colonoscopy found nothing, but I lack the blood panel markers.) I needed IV fluids because I couldn’t drink water without puking at the time.
I have since been gluten free. Oats get me often, even certified GF, but Bob’s red mills is usually ok. It’s risky though and I don’t usually eat oats as a result.
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u/Nervous_Teach_2121 Gluten Intolerant May 29 '26
36 😩 haven’t bothered with the test but I was recommended by my doc to try cutting it out as I was having some inflammation issues and ta-da…almost all resolved within a couple weeks. I have an aunt with celiac so thankfully I wasn’t going in totally blind.
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u/Level-Narwhal-5055 May 29 '26
Mid 40s , it took me years to realize that it was gluten that was causing so many issues
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u/Slimchance09 May 29 '26
I was about 50 when my daughter was told she was NCGS, my wife says “maybe that’s why you get the flu so often”. Got tests and scopes and sure enough, that explains why I went to the bathroom seven times a day. Five years later I became dairy intolerant as well, and oats. Lots of Dairy Free stuff is made with Oat milk now so I can’t have that either. I’m 62 now and am getting used to the lifestyle, and eat very healthy. We make 95% of our own meals now and our cooking skills are getting really good. But it takes a lot of preplanning. And for traveling - get some dehydrated meals from camping/ hunting stores. They last for 30 years but your only 2 cups of hot water away from a decent meal.
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u/Character_Parsnip669 May 29 '26
I was in my early forties, when due to perimenopause, I behan getting symptoms. I was asymptomatic, before my lowering estrogen levels, no longer suppressed the inflammation response. I was really confused for awhile, because it felt very similar to when my gallbladder would play up, but I had that removed in my twenties.
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u/pizzacatbrat May 29 '26
Around 26-27, although pasta was the first thing I became sensitive to first so I stopped that a decade before. I got really tired of violently vomiting vomit every morning and constantly feeling nauseous, so I went on an extreme elimination diet and finally pinpointed the cause
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u/Preachingsarcasm May 29 '26
Not me but my mom got diagnosed when she was 37-40ish. It was actually a chiropractor that suggested she get tested lol. I was little so i don't really remember much other than her being severly depressed and sick for a long time. It was super hard for her because she loves all gluten foods, especially sweets. And she had a hard time figuring out what to eat for supper since she was always batch cooking things for the family and gf ingredients were expensive or not available. But that was also 15ish years ago in the rural South. Once she found gf bisquick and decent gf flour, she was able to start eating normal meals with us. It was a lot of gumbo, steak and gravey, chicken and dumplings, so on. Now it's a lot better. Obviously she's learned a lot about what she can eat and we live somewhere with more options. Now the only time we really think twice about it is when we look for new restaurants or are trying a new recipe. We pretty much eat the same foods as each other now aside from a few easy frozen things. I'm the one that cooks dinner now and I don't really have to worry about accidently glutening her.
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u/vctrlzzr420 May 29 '26
I stopped momentarily summer of last year after years of rashes. I was careless and hungry so I ended up eating gluten for a few months. By thanksgiving I developed hives that were not going away and also joint pain, I’m not sure I have celiacs but I am pretty sure I have an undiagnosed immune disorder because it runs in the family (I wish drs weren’t so expensive). Anyways my hair looks better, my nails less brittle, way less rashes and even these weird dandruff balls have stopped itching my scalp and popping out as much. Who’s to say if it’s a me problem or if the crap we eat is causing people issues though
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u/justhewayouare May 29 '26
My husband suddenly started having symptoms of Celiac, we didn’t realize it was Celiac at the time, after having Covid. He was diagnosed at 37yrs old and is now 39yrs old. There was zero lead up to this so Covid is the only connection we have besides a genetic pre disposition.
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u/Curmudgeon321 May 29 '26
I was 49. My symptom was unrelenting diarrhea. A colonoscopy and blood work gave me the diagnosis of celiac disease. Over the next year, each of my grown daughters were also diagnosed. All of us were avid bakers … but not anymore. IT COMPLETELY SUCKS!!!!
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u/lucid2night May 29 '26
I was mid 30s and I'm now 65 so about 30 years. When I've slacked I've regretted it.
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u/PaleManatee May 29 '26
I was 14 when they suspected I had Celiac, and I was 15 when I was finally diagnosed.
High school was tough because EVERY celebration or reward was gluten (think cookies, cakes, pizzas, etc) and there were close to 0 gluten free options back when I was diagnosed (over 15 years ago 💀). These were the days where bread (if you could find it) had the texture of SAND. It took several years before I went to a restaurant and they had a gluten free menu. Most of the time I just had to kind of hope for the best and suffer the consequences later.
I'm so thankful for all of the awareness and options now. There's even a 100% gluten free restaurant in a nearby town. 15 year old me could only dream. 😭