I don't want to be rude...

"I don't want to be rude..."
This phrase is heard a lot in my life - either I'm saying it as I reject food that I can't physically ingest, or when one of my friends offers me food even though they know I can't have it.
It's often followed by, "Oh. I'm sorry."
DON'T BE SORRY - I'M HEALTHY!
I'm used to it. I want others around me to be used to it, as well. I don't care that I can't eat the food! All I care about is that I can live a regular every day life, just with a strict diet.
For 19 years I was sick. I thought stomach cramps were a normal part of life. I learned to deal with it, but never felt good. When I was diagnosed, after a week of being on the diet, I felt healthy for the first time. It's weird to think about how sick I must have been without realizing it. One of my mom's friends pointed out that I always was having stomach problems in elementary school. Who knew, a simply change in my diet could have made life so much simpler, and healthier, many years sooner.
When food is offered to me, I do not think you are rude, I just want you to learn to live with it just as I do. See the positives of it - I'm not sick. I only will be if you give me food I can't have! Me being healthy is nothing to be sorry about - stop beating yourself up over it.