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I am getting off topic here, but I did notice in the last two posts on
this subject that both of the posters were correct in their own ways.
If I had been diagnosed with DH as a child then I would know no
difference and there would be no sense of loss, but I wasn't and so I do
feel a loss at what I remember some things to taste like.  I think that
many if not all of those diagnosed as adults feel that in some respect
just because we are a wheat-oriented society and that it is so difficult
to curb these old habits.  I was diagnosed about 2 years ago, and for me
since I had never had the great intestional distress that lasted for
years that others had, there was no great sense of relief in discovering
the cause of my rash.  At the time, I was 23 and working a lot and
eating a lot of pizza and Mc Donald's.  All of a sudden I had to stop
and read and investigate everything I put into my mouth.  I still
consider this an awful diet to try to adhere to, but I am feeling better
about it as I find more options and choices food wise.  I am sure that 5
years down the line, I will hardly remember what gluten-filled food
tasted like, but for now there is still that memory of what white bread
(a staple in my previous diet) and pizza is supposed to taste like and
when I bite into most GF foods, no matter how I try, it just isn't the
same.  If I had been diagnosed at 16 months, I would have never known
the difference.  The problem for me, and I would guess I am not the only
one, is that I had to change my whole life around to accomodate this,
and that is not easy.  I can't even imagine what it must be like for
someone older, who had been eating wheat for 40 or more years and
suddenly had to change.  I will still consider this an awful diet for a
few more years, but more and more it gets better as I find foods that
while not the same, are comparable and I believe I am not alone in this.
 It is exciting to find new dishes, but for me personally, it is still
hard to drive past Pizza Hut and smell the "real" pizza smell.

Joanne
AZ