Food can cause more problems for people than others think.

And I’m in that situation.

After several tests, I have officially being diagnosed with a Gluten Sensitive form of IBS which is also causing my Lactose Intolerance.

The illness is causing a lot of pain and discomfort unless I stick to a Gluten, Lactose-Free Diet.

Which sounds easy, yes? No.

Having to eat a certain diet is tough, and if you’ve ever gone on a diet to lose weight, you’ll know how hard it is.

Not only does it cause problems due to trying to find edible food in the supermarket that would disrupt your diet – but it’s also a hassle trying to get the correct food in a restaurant.

Recently, I haven’t had much trouble in restaurants and such because I haven’t gone to any in the past six months. However, in the past, I’ve been with people who have needed to eat one thing and got served another out of pure ignorance.

A couple of years ago, I went into a coffee shop – a very popular café worldwide – and I was with my Dairy Intolerant friend. She asked for a coffee with Soya milk instead of Cow milk, a very simple request – especially considering this store was known, and still is, for having Soya milk available to those who drink it.

But, instead of putting Soya milk in her coffee, the barista decided to put Cow milk in. My friend drank some of the coffee and ended up having to go to the hospital due to the severe stomach pain she was experiencing. When a complaint was made to the store about this specific barista, the barista said: “It’s all just a lifestyle choice, why should I have to change a recipe just so someone can lose weight.”

It’s such a smart thing to do, don’t you think? So smart to just hospitalise someone because they couldn’t be bothered to change the 50ml of Cow milk for Soya milk!

It happened on another occasion with my diabetic friend, he ordered a diet cola – due to the lowered sugar content – but was given a normal cola instead because they were out of diet. They didn’t ask if it was okay for the change, they just did it. And it caused him to have to take his insulin early because his blood sugars went too high, causing him to go home after thirty minutes of being out. This could have been avoided if they’d asked him whether he’d like a different drink – such as water or orange – but no.

These sorts of things happen all the time and it’s purely due to ignorance. Similar to how supermarkets ignore you request attached to your online shopping and ended up giving you a load of substitute foods that aren’t useful to you!

One day, I hope there is a store that will specifically help people with allergies – without the extreme expense.