Cinnamon Reflections

Food sensitivities make eating out or eating meals prepared by others...tricky. Do I play roulette with my health? Do I sample something to make them happy? Not all lovingly prepared food is edible for me, yet others seem to fear a lack of table fellowship when I don't eat the exact same thing. Sure there are times were I feel left out, like when the gluten-free option is forgotten during communion... However, the vast majority of the time I am more than happy to share time and conversation with others and honestly spare not a thought about the particular foods on our respective plates.

Earlier this year I listened to a pair of ladies on a podcast--one with food allergies and another with an autoimmune disease controlled by diet--and one of them said something that has stuck with me throughout my dietary journey this past year. When faced with a table of appetizing, yet personally inedible food, she reminds herself: "There's nothing at this table that I cannot recreate later." It helps her with self-control, self-pity, and empowerment when the temptation to "just this once" slip and slide down the road towards illness.

"There's nothing at this table that I cannot recreate later."

Her words came to mind when was at a gathering a few weeks ago where there were some *very* tasty looking baked goods and pastries. The weather had just turned autumn-like and there in the basket was a gooey cinnamon-loaded treat. Sometimes the craving for a food or flavor is fleeting and I forget about it in a few hours. Not the case here. I wanted a cinnamon sugar dessert pronto! I remembered a delicious (nearly sinful) cinnamon roll recipe I had in a cookbook at home and repeated the podcaster's wise words to myself. I could wait less than 24 hours to enjoy an equally gooey cinnamon-loaded treat that wouldn't make me sick. Doubly sweet!

So while I may not be eating the exact food at the same time as you, I assure you I still thoroughly enjoy food. It might look like deprivation in the moment, but let this photo montage assuage any guilt you may ever experience on my behalf.