A gluten-free diet is no picnic. Especially if you’re 14-years-old and surrounded by normal chow for a teenager.
However, the rather restrictive dining experience was made just a little easier recently for Goodrich eighth grade student Kara Millerschin.
On Aug. 13, she was diagnosed with celiac disease, after enduring painful stomachaches for about a year. The autoimmune disease damages the small intestines and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food by eating gluten found in products such as wheat, barley, rye, and sometimes oats.
‘Gluten is in a lot of foods you wouldn’t expect it to be in,? said Kara’s mother, Beth Millerschin. ‘She can’t eat normal pizza, cookies, crackers, licorice, breaded meats, really anything doughy, and a lot of candies. Also she can’t eat foods that may have been processed in the same area as foods that do contain gluten, so we have to read the labels on everything and do a lot of research to find the gluten-free foods. It can be a lot of work.?
The Millerschin family has tried to switch to as many gluten-free alternatives as possible, such as pizza with a rice-based crust, but they often find that the taste simply isn’t there.
‘It’s really hard to not give in to eating normal junk foods and things like that,? said Kara. ‘But it makes me feel better, so it’s the best option. It’s just hard to find foods that I actually like without gluten in them.?
Friends at Goodrich Middle School who sit with Kara and watch her eat a special diet opted to show some support.
Girls who sit at Kara’s lunch table including Jaime Spicko, Taylor Wyles, Kate Lieber, Kaylee Grzywacz, Grace Jones, Abby Patrick, Abbie Reimel, and Emily Lawrence decided to give up eating foods containing gluten for five days to see what their friend struggles through on a day-to-day basis.
‘I learned that it’s a lot harder than you may think,? said Jaime Spicko. ‘Everything we ate we had to double-check the labels on and make sure there was no gluten in it. And buying gluten-free alternatives can get expensive too, so we mostly had to eat salads, meats without breading and a lot of fruits and veggies.?
But Kara appreciated the support of her friends.
‘It made me really happy and surprised that they lasted five days. I’m glad they supported me.?