A weekly newsletter by writer Christina Heiser, featuring essays on the highs and lows of navigating celiac disease, research-backed self-care strategies to ease the stress of living with an autoimmune disorder, and, of course, recommendations for gluten-free products that *actually* taste good.
Welcome!
I launched Celiac Self-Care to help other people struggling with the stress that often comes along with navigating the celiac lifestyle. At the beginning of my celiac journey, I put my mental and emotional health on the backburner as I focused solely on healing physically. I didn’t prioritize self-care, and I quickly became burnt out.
Plus, it turns out there’s A LOT of misinformation and fear-mongering online about what you can and can’t eat—or do—when you have celiac disease. Quite frankly, from all that I read online in those first few months after my diagnosis, I truly thought my life would be over now that I had to adhere to a strict gluten-free diet.
In the virtual support groups I joined, everyone complained about how awful living with celiac disease was, how they never went out to restaurants and instead cooked all their meals at home, and how they packed kitchen gadgets and utensils with them so they could cook while on vacation.
After a few months, I removed myself from these groups and decided there had to be another way. I made a conscious decision to add self-care (which I define as doing anything, no matter how small, that supports your mental and physical health) to my everyday routine.
I wished there was a space I could’ve turned to like this newsletter that offered an alternative viewpoint to the dominant narrative I encountered online (that having celiac disease = having to miss out on all the fun experiences in life). Enter Celiac Self-Care, where I’ll be sharing the self-care strategies I’ve learned since my celiac diagnosis to help make your journey a little easier.
What else can you expect? I’ll also be offering my best tips and tricks for dining out, traveling, and more as well as the inside scoop on the best gluten-free products out there (all personally vetted by me) so you don’t have to waste your money on things that could potentially suck. I hope you enjoy!
Who am I?
I’m Christina, a writer and editor with more than a decade of experience working with publications and brands, primarily in the health space. I was diagnosed with celiac disease in March 2020 (I got the call from my doctor confirming my diagnosis the week New York City shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic).
Since then, I’ve been using my platform as a writer to help educate others about celiac disease. I’ve written about what it was like to be diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder during the pandemic; how to navigate dietary restrictions as a wedding guest; a beginner’s guide to going gluten-free; why gluten-free food is so damn expensive; and more. And now, I’m sharing more advice with you in this newsletter, with a particular focus on things you can do to make navigating the celiac lifestyle less stressful.
Some of my other favorite articles I’ve written about celiac disease and dietary restrictions include:
Why subscribe?
You’ll get a new edition of Celiac Self-Care sent right to your inbox weekly, so you don’t have to worry about missing anything. Plus, you’ll have full access to my archive of posts. The best part? Currently, it’s all FREE! Yep, I’m sharing all of my tips, tricks, and product recommendations with you for free.
