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my first bagel in fifteen years

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

This morning I ate my first bagel in fifteen years.

It was fifteen years ago that I learned that I had to forever avoid gluten--the protein in beer--as well as dairy. That followed on an initial diagnosis back in the 80's. When I first went off of wheat and dairy, the improvement in my health was so dramatic (and permanent) that I foolishly returned to consumption of those foods at the end of the decade and carried on through a cycle of gradually worsening health until that time in 1996 when I went back on the strict avoidance diet.

In the 80's, there were simply no alternatives to wheat-based foods on the market. No breads, pastas. There were a few cereals, but no alternate milks with which to eat them (I used orange juice).

Now things are different. There are three pizza places in my neighbourhood that offer gluten-free pizza, and there are two bakeries in the larger area that offer gluten-free baked goods. And now the Foodland chain of grocery stores carries gluten-free foods like bagels that aren't frozen. Frozen gluten-free foods have been available at grocery stores for some time, but .. why eat them.

Happily, this morning's bagels tasted great and had a good texture. Woohoo!