Personal Story: School Lunch

In a past post about eating lunches at schools, Scott wanted to give a personal example of what I did during my days in elementary and middle school.

Being a young kid it is hard to understand why you are not allowed to eat some food that other kids are eating and why you have to bring your lunch everyday and be “different’ from everyone else. This is what I felt for a large part of my child hood. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in the 3rd grade so that meant from then on I would have to change my routine to include a home made lunch. I have said many times that today awareness for Celiac Disease is much greater than in the past so the options are much greater. Limited options and a fear of being “different” were the biggest hurdles I would face in elementary school and middle school.

Perhaps the most important part of the day for kids is lunch. It was a time to eat, socialize and try to sit by that girl you have been thinking about for a few days. Not for me. Lunch time was a time to struggle find food that would maintain my energy level for the rest of the day. I used to be exhausted by the end of the day because I would not eat a good lunch. This was mainly my own fault. My parents were very helpful in providing me with the necessary ingredients to prepare a good lunch but it was the fear of being “different” that challenged me. Usually my lunches consisted of fruits, vegetables and a sandwich made with pumpernickel bread which most kids have never seen before. While everyone else would go to the lunch line and pick out what they wanted I was always the one with a brown sack lunch with a weird looking sandwich. I wanted to avoid this so often times that included eating while no one was watching or simply not eating as much. Looking back on this I realized it was a huge mistake. I would love to go back and understand that it is okay to have a different lunch than everyone else and just go about my business, probably would have tacked on a few pounds for me today. Having the confidence to get over that would have been great but I am using it as an experience and I hope to pass that along to readers.

Now a days I have a much better understanding and do not let the difference in diets effect how I live my life or eat my meals. I understand that people have certain needs and I do too. I am so glad that I went through that part of my life because it really made me understand and appreciate the help I have gotten from my family and peers over the years! I no longer worry about what others think, because now my meals look so much better than everyone elses

With the rise in awareness for Celiac Disease I think it will be easier for kids to “fit in” during lunch time because I can imagine more people are sending healthier lunches with their kids and kids should not feel weird for having a lunch that doesn’t look like everyone else. It may take a while to understand but the sooner you can get over it the better. I believe that it is not just kids who have these feeling but anyone who is just getting onto the diet might feel the same way. Something like this is something you have no control over do not let it take control of you.

Thank you for the question Scott, I am glad I had a chance to share.

Tags: Gluten Free Lunch