Your dad is visibly annoyed that you won’t try any of his famous pumpkin pie, even though it contains gluten. What do you do?

“No doubt you have explained your needs to your dad before and you are probably feeling angry that he is minimizing the seriousness of celiac disease. Family dynamics can be especially trying and the holidays can bring that out. Be honest with your dad about how you feel. Explain that holidays are very difficult for you and that you already feel isolated. Tell your dad that you need all of the support of your family and that this kind of pressure makes you wish you stayed home. You miss his pie. You want to eat the stuffing. But you know that you can’t because even a crumb can cause an autoimmune reaction, even if that isn’t visible to those around you.”

– Jennifer North, Beyond Celiac Vice President

“I’d be firm. ‘Dad. I can’t tell you how much I’d love to eat the whole pie! I just can’t. It’d make me really sick. Your getting mad at me for having celiac disease makes me very sad. For next time, I’d love to work with you on modifying your recipe to be gluten-free. That way, I can carry on your tradition but in a way that I can truly take part.’”

– Claire Baker, Beyond Celiac Director of Communications and New Media