Throwback Thursday: The Celiac Rules
Disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical doctor or counselor. All of my posts are from my own personal experiences in the areas of my own health and wellness. My posts are meant to inspire you in your health journey, but do not qualify for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Please consult a licensed medical professional or counselor. I cannot be personally held responsible for any advice you take from my blog postings and implement into your life without consulting a medical professional first.
As always if you have questions feel free to email me!
The Celiac Rules
Hello everyone!
May is Celiac Awareness Month and even though I raise awareness 365 days a year I like giving people more insight into my Celiac Life during the month of May.
My 3rd Celiac Birthday will be this upcoming October (18th) so this May marks my third year of raising awareness. My goal is to simply educate and make all of you more aware of this disease, because there are a lot of misconceptions out there. The only way to educate is to walk in the shoes of a Celiac. Now I am not saying you need to go GF to know the experience, because you never know what it is like unless you are actually diagnosed. Plus I never advocate for someone to cut out gluten without medical need.
Below are a few “Celiac Rules” you can follow to increase your awareness this month. Maybe by the end of the month you can live one day Gluten Free to see what it is REALLY like.
The Celiac Rules
1) Read EVERYTHING – If a label isn’t available look it up online. Simply look at the ingredients and look for words like wheat, rye, barely, and malt. These are the buzz words to avoid when following a gluten free diet. The “Contains Ingredients” at the end usually states the 8 common allergies the food item may have.
2) Look at the MANUFACTURED Statement: A lot of times foods labeled “gluten free” are contaminated with gluten during the manufacturing process. This statement is usually at the end of the ingredient list. Is the item REALLY safe and GFree?
3) Ask for a gluten free options at a restaurant– This is if you REALLY want an experience. See how the staff treat you and their reactions to “gluten free”. Also do they offer you just plain salad options or a real meal.
4) Look at how people handle food– Do they touch “gluten” and then submerge their hand in a gluten free option? Do they use the same utensils, gloves, etc? Would a celiac be safe eating it or is it cross contaminated? Google “cross contaminated” to understand this more.
5) “When in doubt don’t eat”– I googled everything the first six months of my diagnosis. Even to this day if I doubt it is safe I don’t eat or participate, even with naturally gluten free options.
Hopefully these tips help you become aware during this month. Maybe it helps you see how you yourself can better cater to those with allergies, cross contamination is HUGE, even within my HESA program I see it happen all the time.
When you find a GF item post and tag me in it, text me, snap, tweet, whatever your form of communication is.
Also, send me questions!! This is the month to ask those dying question you have been wanting to. They can be personal or fact based. You can’t become more aware without asking questions.
Until next time,
