Celiac Disease: A Decade in Review

The year? 2011
The month? October

I told Mrs. Dude (who was just Debbie at the time) I was starting a blog about living with celiac disease. She knew I was struggling with the disease still and had a lot to say about it. She also knew my story didn’t seem to gel with what others were saying about celiac disease online (“Once you go gluten free, you’ll feel great!!”) She asked what it’s going to be called. I said “The Gluten Dude” (I’ve since dropped the “The”) and I said I as looking for a good tagline.

She was the one that came up with “The Naked Truth About Living with Celiac Disease”. And hence a blog was born.

Now here we are, 719 blog posts later as we watch the decade come to a close. I thought it would be fun (well…fun for me…I’ll let you judge for yourselves) to go thru each year and pick 1) the most popular post I did that year (traffic and comments); and 2) my favorite post I did that year. And nope…they always didn’t match up. This ain’t gonna be easy but if you’re game, so am I! So…with no further ado…DRUM ROLL PLEASE.

2011 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

My blog was just in diapers and my writing shows it. Nonetheless…it was off to the races.

• Most Popular: 9 signs you may have celiac disease
  This was done pretty tongue in cheek (i.e. You nap more than a two year old), but dang if this not gotten a lot of traffic and comments over the years.
• My Favorite: Celiac disease: A day in the life
  I traveled for an overnight to a banquet in Philadelphia and had some trials and tribulations. Let’s just say I ate a lot of lettuce and enjoyed a martini or 2 or 3 or 4. But fear not…it has a happy ending.
• Honorable Mention: What’s it Like to be Glutened?
  This is the only time I knew I ate gluten and my reaction to it. Ah…the memories.

2012 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

I wrote A LOT of posts this year, including 31 in the month of May alone (everybody was pretty much sick of me at this point, including me.) But it seems this is when I found my footing.

• Most Popular: Stop Eating Gluten Free Foods
  Woo-boy…this one has gotten some attention over the years. 504 comments and counting. 4 years after my diagnosis, this is when I began to heal; when I stopped eating “replacement foods” and started eating…food. Not everyone loved it, but it sure as hell worked for me.
• My Favorite: My Daddy Has Celiac Disease
  One of my dudettes wrote this one when she was quite young. What’s it like when a parent has celiac disease from a kid’s perspective. Nicely done Maddie.
• Honorable Mention: My Celiac Plea to Kim Kardashian
  I had a nice chat with Miss Kardashian. 8 years later and she still annoys the f**k out of me.

2013 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

In February of this year, I had people submit their “Gluten-Free Love Stories” and I posted as many as I could. I love these posts. I think you will too. This is also the year I wrote my first of several anti-Udi’s posts and I wrote my first mailbag. I definitely hit my stride this year.

• Most Popular: Should Celiacs Drink Omission Beer?
  And let the gluten-removed vs gluten free beer wars begin. It makes me happy that people are still finding this post and saying…so that’s why I was getting sick. Sorry Omission.
• My Favorite: Is Semen Gluten Free?
  [snicker…snicker]
• Honorable Mention: Dear Hostess: Please Don’t Make Your Twinkies Gluten Free
  This was a lesson learned. Actually two lessons: 1) Do NOT speak for the community; and 2) Don’t f**k with people’s Twinkies.

2014 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

I finally slowed my blogging pace down a bit this year. You’re welcome.

• Most Popular: I’m So Sorry Our Disease is Such an Inconvenience For You
  When the Huff Post had an article titled “Why Do Your Kid’s Allergies Mean My Kid Can’t Have a Birthday?”, it was ripe for a rebuttal. The cool thing is HP also picked up on my post and with permission, added it to their site.
• My Favorite: My Name is Mrs. Dude and This is My Breast Cancer Journey (So Far…)
  Love you hon!!
• Honorable Mention: A Poem for Linda…Who Says I Deserve to be Sick
  Linda wasn’t happy I didn’t respond to her Facebook post. My first poem!

2015 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

This year started with a BANG and ended with me in a bit of a funk. It was also the year of the Cheerios debacle. 2015 wore me down.

• Most Popular: A Call to NBC to Remove Their NASCAR Super Bowl Ad
  I got wind that the Super Bowl was going to run a NASCAR ad calling gluten-free people weak. I started a petition to get it removed. It picked up steam and was picked up by the press. I was called every name in the book (though kudos to “Gluten Douche” for originality.) We ended up getting over 18,000 signatures and they removed the line from the ad. It was a good win, but a brutal few weeks.
• My Favorite: The Cheerios Recall (aka…The Gluten-Free Sh*t Storm)
  Cheerios came out with “gluten-free” cereal. Many in the community (include the Celiac Disease Foundation) celebrated before we knew anything about their protocols. People began getting sick. Cheerios denied it. Then they had a massive recall because of…GLUTEN.
• Honorable Mention: I am 12 and I Feel So Alone in This Celiac Battle
  I get lots of emails. This one hit me hard.

2016 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

This was a relatively quiet year. Gluten-free became a bit less of a joke in the media…which I suppose is a success story. Naturally, we are still fighting the stigma 3 years later. Sigh.

• Most Popular: A Mom ‘Protects’ Her Celiac Daughter by Hiding Her Diagnosis
  The title says it all.
• My Favorite: Dear Elle: About Your Awful Gluten-Free Cartoon
  Elle magazine posted a cartoon to their zillions of followers on Instagram and Facebook. It was of three people at a restaurant: 2 at a table and 1 sitting in a bubble. The two at the table are saying: We get it Amanda, you’re gluten-free. And along with the cartoon, Elle wrote “We all have that friend”. This one pissed me off. Within 9 hours, they removed it.
• Honorable Mention: 51 Things I Think I Think
  I like lists. I like birthdays. So I wrote this on on my 51st.

2017 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

I wrote my book this year! Shameless plug.

• Most Popular: 102 Reasons to Stop Supporting Udi’s
  I hate Udi’s and how they cheat the celiac community.
• My Favorite: 102 Reasons to Stop Supporting Udi’s
  I really detest Udi’s.
• Honorable Mention: 102 Reasons to Stop Supporting Udi’s
  I think I’ve made myself clear.

2018 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

This is the year I discovered LSD so I have no recollection of the year at all 😉

• Most Popular: When Celiacs Sell Out
  Didn’t make tons of friends with this one, but got my point across.
• My Favorite: Hi…My Name is Scott.
  I finally divulged my real name, told my story a bit and my plans for the future of Gluten Dude.
• Honorable Mention: Change Your Diet. Control Your Anxiety: My Daughter’s Story
  This is my other Dudette’s story of growing up with severe anxiety and how changing her diet helped her. Love you Courtney.

2019 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

That went fast.

• Most Popular: Looking for All Dedicated Gluten Free Restaurants
  I’m building an app for the celiac community (March 2020!!!!) and I asked the community for some assistance. As usual, you bootie.
• My Favorite: Stop Eating (Non Certified Gluten-Free) Oats! Here is Why.
  It seems everyone is confused about the safety of oats…and for good reason. Here, I try to get some clarity on the situation.
• Honorable Mention: Tests Reveal: Gluten-removed Beer is NOT SAFE FOR THOSE WITH CELIAC DISEASE
  A “gluten-removed” beer gets busted for…wait for it…having too much gluten.

2020 – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Hmmmmmmmmmmm…

9 years later and here we are. I wanna say a sincere thanks to all for hanging with me this past decade. It’s been real. Now let’s see what the 20’s brings us.