I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in April 2018 at 19 years old and I suddenly had to change, not only what I was eating, but my whole lifestyle. For me this meant not only saying goodbye to many of my favourite things to eat, but it also created a difficult relationship with food and my body image.

So, you might be thinking what is coeliac disease? Let’s start with a couple of facts.

coeliac disease is actually very common: it affects 1 in 100 people

coeliac disease is not an allergy or food intolerance: it’s a serious autoimmune disease

That means that when you eat gluten, your body’s immune system attacks its own tissues, which causes damage to the lining of the gut and means the body can’t properly absorb nutrients from food.

When I was first diagnosed I felt so overwhelmed, angry and scared. In fact my first comment was something along the lines of “but I love pizza!”. Not only was I facing the challenges of learning how to live without gluten, but I was also dealing with the feeling that my body had betrayed me. I felt like I was missing out on so many things, and it was hard not to be constantly comparing myself to others.

My views towards my body changed too, I actually started to put weight on which was quite unusual for me. I realise now it’s because when I was undiagnosed my body was very unhealthy and wasn’t accepting the nutrients it needed to gain weight. Seeing my body change started to upset me, I was seeing weight gain as a negative rather than realising it was my body starting to heal itself and make progress towards being much stronger and healthier.

Coeliac UK is an amazing charity who are researching and providing new information all the time. They even have an app which scans the barcodes of food to tell you whether or not it is safe to eat. If you or someone you know is struggling with coeliac disease or their body image, remember that you are not alone. Reach out to a friend or a professional for support, and know that it's okay to take the time to adjust.

It’s not always easy, but over the last few years I've come to accept that being Coeliac is just a part of who I am. I have found some of the best recipes and I actually enjoy cooking now! Not being able to grab something from the supermarket and go means that I have started cooking from scratch a lot more, and to be honest it is actually a lot healthier than my old habits. I still enjoy all of my favourite foods (including pizza!) but sometimes they just require a little more effort than calling my local takeaway.

I won’t lie and say that I am so positive all of the time. I still get frustrated when I can’t walk into a restaurant without quizzing them first or when my body gives me symptoms, but I am definitely working on loving my body for all of the great things it does for me rather than hating that small part of me.

That is what we are all about at Foxlow Photography, our body positive boudoir shoots are all about encouraging ladies to work towards loving their bodies exactly how they are now - and that’s what I’m working on too! Not wishing to change something about myself, but learning to love and accept myself as I am today.