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5 Things to Quit Doing in the New Year if You Have Celiac Disease
Consider this your New Year's anti-resolution guide.
I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions. I think the whole concept is pretty dumb—especially when you consider that only 9% of Americans who make resolutions actually keep them.
According to research, 23% of people quit their resolutions by the end of the first week—and a whopping 43% quit by the end of January. Making—and then quickly breaking—resolutions can lead to stress and disappointment.
So, for 2024, I’m reframing the way I view New Year’s resolutions. Instead of making impossible goals I know I won’t be able to achieve, I’ve put together a “to-don’t” list of things I’m going to opt out of this year as someone with celiac disease.
Want to join me? Here are five things to quit doing in the new year if you have celiac disease. And if you don’t have celiac disease, I think these anti-resolutions can still apply to your life.
1. Don’t: Let fear hold you back from living your life
One thing I hear a lot from other people in the celiac community is that they’re afraid to dine out, travel, and participate in other activities they used to do pre-diagnosis because they worry about being exposed to gluten. A 2018 study found that this hypervigilance to a gluten-free diet led to decreased quality of life in teens and adults with celiac disease.
It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s entirely possible to enjoy your life—and the things you love doing—with celiac disease. What’s helped me the most is to plan things out in advance. Sure, I’ve lost a bit of spontaneity when it comes to dining out or traveling, but planning gives me peace of mind to enjoy myself.
For me, planning includes reading reviews of restaurants to pinpoint places I can safely eat at, asking for travel and dining recommendations in online groups, and contacting restaurants before I go to ask if they can safely feed someone with celiac disease.
2. Don’t: Shy away from voicing your needs
Speaking up for myself has been key in managing my condition. I let friends and family know that I’m more comfortable when I’m able to choose the restaurant if we’re making plans to go out. That way, I don’t have to say no to social plans or sit there awkwardly picking at a salad.
I also ask for help in researching and contacting restaurants so the burden isn’t totally on me. For example, in the few weddings I’ve been to since being diagnosed with celiac disease, I asked my partner if he could contact venues on my behalf to ask if they could provide a gluten-free meal so that was one less thing I had to do.
3. Don’t: Be afraid to say no
If I’m invited to an event where I know I won’t be able to eat—and I’m not super excited about attending anyway—then I’m fine with saying no and skipping out to avoid any unnecessary stress.
This one is hard for me given that I’m a people pleaser, but at the end of the day, I’ve realized that I need to put my own health and well-being first. Sometimes, it’s just easier to say no and avoid a situation altogether than to think about whether I’ll need to eat beforehand or bring my own food somewhere.
4. Don't: Beat yourself up if you accidentally eat gluten
No matter how diligent you are, being “glutened” (aka accidentally eating gluten) can happen. Early on in my diagnosis when this would happen to me, I would beat myself up for making a mistake and not being perfect in how I was navigating celiac disease.
But I was setting impossible standards for myself. After all, we live in a gluten-filled world—so chances are, you’ll accidentally eat gluten at some point or another in your celiac journey. The best things to do are rest, hydrate, and not blame yourself.
5. Don’t: Neglect self-care
Finally, it’s really important that you’re checking in with yourself and prioritizing your mental well-being. Living with celiac disease can be stressful (and studies show people with celiac disease are at higher risk of developing mental health disorders), so making time for self-care is a must.
Self-care for me includes maintaining a regular exercise routine, using meal kits to cut down on how much I have to cook, spending time with other people in the celiac community, and being kind to myself since I know I’m doing the best I can with managing my condition.