Because of my allergies, I have been called an undated “red flag.”

I honestly never thought I would be like one red flag when it mattered to date.

I'm a great date – I show up on time for dinners or drinks, I ask them questions about themselves, I never do that ghost people (unless it's really deserved) and I don't expect people to pay the entire bill wherever we go.

Would I call myself a catch? Yes. I have a successful career, great friends, I don't live with my parents, I'm good with my money, and I'm kind and caring.

So why does a fifth of the British population think I'm a red flag? It's because I am gluten free.

But unlike people in the world who think that being gluten-free is a lifestyle choice, for me it is a health problem – I have celiac disease.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which my body's immune system attacks my healthy tissues when I eat gluten. It damages my gut and means I can't absorb nutrients from the food I eat – and am therefore gluten-free (GF).

Don't follow GF diet can lead to an increased risk of cancer for me, even if it is small colon cancersmall bowel lymphoma or Hodgkin lymphoma, so you can see why I'd like to avoid it.

But dating was daunting, given that a third of Brits would avoid inviting someone over for dinner if they were gluten-free, Warbuton's research shows.

A quarter would like girlfriend guests to bring their own food (which I often do in case of cross-contamination), while more than half of Brits don't know what to cook for dinner.

I was diagnosed at age 19, after two years of being very poorly, and it came at a time when I was very single and dating.

I had just broken up with my boyfriend of six months, so I felt free, happy, and ready to throw myself into college.

About six months after my diagnosis, I was flirting with a friend of a friend in the sorority bar of a university near mine.

He was tall and handsome and could talk relatively well, until he offered me a sip of his beer. I politely declined and said, 'No thanks, I can't do that'.

“What do you mean you can't,” he replied, pushing his pint close to my face.

“I have celiac disease,” I said. I can't drink beer.'

Whether he simply didn't care, or didn't understand, there was no excuse for what he did next.

He put a hand behind my head and tapped his pint, pouring beer over my face and into my mouth as he said, 'Don't be so ap**sy.'

I pushed him away, beer flying everywhere, and stormed into the girl's bathroom. As I ran the tap, I tried desperately to rinse my mouth, trying not to feel nauseous at the thought of how much I had already swallowed.

Dabbing my face and feeling violated, I left and went home. That was the most obvious disrespect I faced for simply being gluten-free, but it wasn't an isolated incident throughout my dating experiences.

During my time on various apps – like Tinder and Hinge – I tried to avoid the fact that I had celiac disease, but when it came time to go out to dinner with a potential suitor, I had to confess.

Then the same general reactions would follow. “Your life must be so miserable,” or “I think I would honestly just keep eating gluten.”

'What can you even eat?' was another favorite of mine.

I would inevitably have to book the restaurant myself as in London they wouldn't refuse gluten free menus as much as Google.

But I have had dates that took my needs into account. The sweetest in particular was my current partner, who had his co-worker with celiac disease write down a list of restaurant recommendations that she had tried and tested.

Then he took me to Pho – a casual Vietnamese chain with an almost entirely gluten-free menu.

But once you find that special someone who won't berate you for having celiac disease, there's another challenge: meeting the parents.

Trying to make a good impression on your friend's loved ones is considerably more difficult when you have to list what they can and cannot cook for you, as well as how to cook it.

A simple mistake can mean you can't eat the meal they prepared for you, and it can seem like you're rejecting their efforts. It takes time to learn how to handle someone on a strict diet.

Unfortunately, in the dating world, despite being the one with the disease, you are often the one trying to make accommodations for them, when it should be the other way around.

It's not hard to date or cook for – it just takes some effort.

And if you can't, maybe the red flag is you.

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