May is Celiac Awareness Month and also marks four years of me being diagnosed with the disease. I’ll never forget the day I got the call from my doctor informing me of my diagnosis. It was on Cinco de Mayo, and suddenly not only did I have to change my plans for that night… but for my life!
Recently I’ve been getting a lot of emails from people newly diagnosed with Celiac asking lots of questions and I always say the same thing. Does Celiac suck? Yes! Is it hard? Absolutely! Will it ever be easy? No! But I promise over time it will get EASIER!
I’ve learned a lot from my doctors and educating myself through books and major medical websites, but honestly I’ve learned the most about my illness through living it and trial and error.
In honor of Celiac Awareness Month and my anniversary of the disease, I thought I would make a resource guide of all the info I’ve learned so far and what’s helped me get through it. Many of these posts are from my early blog days when no one knew it existed and was my form of therapy!
I’ve rounded up all my Celiac related posts for you!
Celiac Disease 101
What even is Celiac disease? Here I explain what the disease is and what are some common symptoms to look for. Did you know there are over 300 symptoms for Celiac??
Gluten Free… Now What??
So you’re gluten free… now your life is about to really change! Here are my helpful tips to make it a smooth transition!
What Can I Eat on a Gluten Free Diet??
Apparently there are a bazillion different names for gluten and gluten is everywhere! Here I break down for you what you can and cannot eat.
How to Make your Kitchen Gluten Free
Cross-contamination is one reason why you may not be feeling good on a gluten free diet. Keeping your kitchen gluten free is so important! Here are my steps to avoiding gluten contamination in your kitchen.
Gluten in Beauty Products
Not only do I need to worry about my food, but also my cosmetics?! Yup! Here I break it down for you!
Open Letter to Celiac Disease…
Here I get really personal and share a letter to Celiac when I was sick in bed from a flare.
What to Do if You’ve Been “Glutened”
I have certain things I do that help me get through being “glutened”, so here I share my tips with you.
Best Gluten Free App!
This is my go-to app when it comes to being gluten free! It cuts my shopping time in half.
Gluten Free Restaurant Finder App
This is also a game changer app when it comes to being gluten free!
Gluten Free Dining Out Cards
These are so helpful when you eat out or travel to another country!
Gluten Free Travel Tips
Just because you’re gluten free you shouldn’t have to miss out on traveling. Here are some helpful tips!
Gluten Free Road Trip Tips
Road Trips don’t have to be stressful if you follow these helpful tips!
These are some things I’ve learned along the way that have helped make my life easier! I would love to hear your tips!
If there is a topic you would like me to cover, please ask and I would love to try and make a post on it!
Just curious – is there a test you have to take to see if you have it – or is it a process of elimination thing?
There is a blood test and a biopsy of your small intestine (endoscopy). It’s highly recommended NOT to try a gluten free diet to see if you feel better without getting tested first. There is also genetic testing you can do to see if you carry the gene. If you go gluten free and feel great, chances are you won’t eat it again to get tested and if you have celiac it’s important to know so they can follow up and monitor other things. If you want to go gluten free, I recommend getting a simple blood test for celiac and if you don’t have it, then you can go gluten free for personal reasons and not worry about celiac. Hope this helps!
People often forget that being celiac means one has an auto-immune disease – and assume that going gluten free is all they need. Having a regular contact with a doctor is crucial, as unfortunately auto-immune deseases like to travel in packets… and it is quite likely you will find yourself having problem with something else eventually too.
You are so right! It’s so much more then just changing your diet!
So many great post topics! I think the beauty product post is so important and typically goes under the radar.
Thanks! You’re right, most people don’t realize beauty products often contain gluten!
I think people are always shocked to learn how many products out there beyond food products contain gluten in them. I took a class a few years ago and even though I’m not gluten free, it was such a great learning experience!
I know, when I first learned I had to be gluten free I was shocked to learn how many things have gluten!
I don’t have celiac disease but I am gluten intolerant so I appreciate this list of resources! Thanks for sharing it!
Charlene The Frugal Fashionista
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂