We all deal with the celiac disease or gluten intolerance diagnosis differently. But many of us handle the next steps in a pretty similar way.

You process the situation and then you deal with the reality.

After weeks of gluten-free whining and sobbing, I straightened my shoulders and did what any carb-obsessed person would do when banned from wheat. I stocked up on every gluten-free product I could find (gluten-free bread, gluten-free pizza crust, gluten-free pasta) and raced to find the best replacement for each category (pretzels received a huge chunk of attention and energy).

This led to me buying products I never would have eaten before (gluten-free chocolate chip cookies come to mind). Somehow, the fact that I was so restricted made me want to go nuts when safe options were presented.

I realized relatively quickly that I had gone off the deep end (three types of cookies that I actively dislike were sitting on my shelf). Replacing one or two items with twelve was bad gluten-free math. The products are safer, but that doesn’t make the fat and calories magically disappear. Dietary rules still apply. (Except for birthdays and bad days at work.)

So a word of advice… think wisely and stick to your established dietary patten with certain, thoughtful exceptions. And add in new products as you need them.