{"id":3140,"date":"2025-05-17T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=3140"},"modified":"2025-05-21T21:34:21","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T21:34:21","slug":"ive-been-called-an-undateable-red-flag-because-of-my-health-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/17\/ive-been-called-an-undateable-red-flag-because-of-my-health-condition\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve been called an undateable \u2018red flag\u2019 because of my health condition"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"Alice\t<\/div>
Alice would label herself a catch \u2013\u00a0yet a fifth of the UK population thinks she’s a red flag (Picture: Alice Giddings)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I honestly<\/strong> never thought I\u2019d be considered a red flag<\/a> when it came to dating<\/a>. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m a great date \u2013 I show up on time for dinners or drinks, I ask them questions about themselves, I never ghost people<\/a> (unless it\u2019s truly deserved) and I don\u2019t expect people to pay for the entire bill, no matter where we go.<\/p>\n

Would I label myself a catch? Yes. I have a successful career, great friends, I don\u2019t live with my parents, I\u2019m good with my money, and I\u2019m kind and caring.<\/p>\n

So why do a fifth of the UK population think I\u2019m a red flag? It\u2019s because I\u2019m gluten free<\/a>. <\/p>\n

However, unlike the people of the world who think being gluten free is a lifestyle choice, for me it\u2019s a health condition \u2013 I\u2019m coeliac.<\/p>\n

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease where my body\u2019s immune system attacks my healthy tissues when I eat gluten. It damages my gut and means I can\u2019t absorb any nutrients from the food I eat – hence being gluten free (GF).<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Alice\t<\/div>
Not following a GF\u00a0<\/strong>diet could lead to an increased risk of cancer for Alice (Picture: Alice Giddings)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not following a GF <\/strong>diet could lead to an increased risk of cancer for me, including small bowel cancer<\/a>, small bowel lymphoma or Hodgkin lymphoma, so you can see why I\u2019m keen to avoid it.<\/p>\n

But dating has been daunting, given the fact that a third of Brits would avoid inviting someone over for dinner if they were gluten free, according to Warburton\u2019s research.<\/p>\n

\n

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A quarter would request that GF guests bring their own food (which I often do in case of a cross-contamination emergency), while more than half of Brits don\u2019t know what to cook us for dinner.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Alice\t<\/div>
Alice has frequently been disrespected in the dating world for being gluten-free (Picture: Alice Giddings)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was diagnosed at 19, after being very poorly for two years, and it came at a time when I was very much single<\/a> and dating. <\/p>\n

I\u2019d just split up with my boyfriend of six months, so I was feeling free, happy and ready to throw myself into the scene at my university.<\/p>\n

About half a year after my diagnosis I was flirting with a friend of a friend at the student union bar of a university close to mine. <\/p>\n

He was tall and handsome, with relatively good chat, until he offered me a sip of his beer. I politely declined saying \u2018no thanks, I can\u2019t\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018What do you mean you can\u2019t,\u2019 he replied, pushing his pint close to my face.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m coeliac,\u2019 I said. I can\u2019t drink beer.\u2019<\/p>\n

Whether he simply didn\u2019t care, or didn\u2019t understand, there was no excuse for what he did next. <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Alice\t<\/div>
Alice has lost count of the times she’s been asked ‘What can you even eat?’ (Picture: Alice Giddings)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Placing one hand behind my head and tipping his pint, he poured beer over my face and into my mouth while saying: \u2018Don\u2019t be such a wimp.\u2019<\/p>\n

I shoved him off, beer flying everywhere, and stormed off to the girl\u2019s bathroom. Running the tap I tried desperately to rinse out my mouth, trying not to be sick at the thought of how much I\u2019d already swallowed.<\/p>\n

Dabbing my face and feeling violated, I left and headed home. That was the most obvious disrespect I\u2019ve faced for simply being gluten free, but throughout my dating experiences, it wasn\u2019t an isolated incident.<\/p>\n

Throughout my time on various apps – like Tinder and Hinge – I would try to avoid bringing up the fact I was coeliac, but when it came time to go for dinner with a potential suitor, I\u2019d have to fess up.<\/p>\n

\n
Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">Are you gluten-free? Have your say in the comments below<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Then would follow the same generic responses. \u2018Your life must be so miserable\u2019, or \u2018I think I\u2019d just keep eating gluten to be honest\u2019 were common.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018What can you even eat?\u2019 was another favourite of mine.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d inevitably have to book the restaurant myself because they would refuse to do so much as Google gluten free menus in London.<\/p>\n<p>But I have had dates who were considerate of my needs. The sweetest in particular being my now partner, who got his coeliac co-worker to write down a list of restaurant recommendations that she had tried and tested.<\/p>\n<p>He then took me to Pho – a casual Vietnamese chain which has an almost entirely gluten free menu.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"528\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SEI_206448677-de33-e1716897842471.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-20924037\" alt=\"Alice Giddings: My diet keeps me alive, it isn't a red flag\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Alice’s now-partner is incredibly considerate of her needs (Picture: Alice Giddings)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But once you find that special someone who doesn\u2019t berate you for being coeliac, there\u2019s another challenge: meeting the parents. <\/p>\n<p>Trying to make a good impression on your boyfriend\u2019s loved ones is significantly harder when you have to list what they can and can\u2019t cook for you, as well as how they have to cook it. <\/p>\n<p>A simple mistake can mean you can\u2019t eat the meal they\u2019ve made for you, and it can seem like you\u2019re rejecting their efforts. It takes time to learn to cater to someone with a strict dietary requirement.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, despite being the one with the disease, in the dating world, you\u2019re often the one trying to make accommodations for them when it should be the other way around.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not hard to date or cook for \u2013\u00a0it just takes a little effort.<\/p>\n<p>And if you can\u2019t do that, maybe it\u2019s you who is the red flag.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was originally published 29 May, 2024. <\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing <a href=\"mailto:jess.austin@metro.co.uk\">jess.austin@metro.co.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alice would label herself a catch \u2013\u00a0yet a fifth of the UK population thinks she’s a red flag (Picture: Alice Giddings) I honestly never thought I\u2019d be considered a red flag when it came to dating.  I\u2019m a great date \u2013 I show up on time for dinners or drinks, I ask them questions about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3140"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3140"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3148,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3140\/revisions\/3148"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}