How I Practice Celiac Self-Care (and Why You Should Too)
Because navigating gluten-free living can be hard AF.
When I was diagnosed with celiac disease in March 2020, I didn’t realize just how much it would impact my quality of life. All my doctor told me was that I’d have to eat gluten-free from now on — honestly, she made it sound so easy.
Of course, as I started doing my own research on what living gluten-free really meant, I quickly learned that it wasn’t exactly going to be that simple.
In fact, studies find that the “treatment” for celiac disease (adhering to a strict gluten-free diet) is more burdensome than the treatment for other chronic conditions. And yep: I was stressed and exhausted to the max as I tried to find my footing managing this disease.
I’ve wanted to start this newsletter for a while (hello, procrastination) to help other people with celiac disease navigate living with this condition and hopefully feel a little less alone. I’ve finally gotten my act together, so welcome to the first issue of Celiac Self-Care!
For my first post, I’m sharing how celiac disease has impacted my mental health and what I’ve done to make self-care more of a priority. What can you expect next from this newsletter? I’ll be sharing more self-care strategies, musings on life with celiac disease, and product recommendations on a bi-monthly basis. Thanks for joining me on this ride!
I wasn’t prepared for how celiac disease would change how I lived my life
For starters, I’d have to diligently read ingredient labels on packaged foods to ensure there was no hidden gluten. Did you know that soy sauce had gluten in it? I certainly didn’t! What about imitation crab? Yep, California rolls were now sadly off-limits.
Because I was diagnosed early on in the pandemic, I didn’t have the option of going to restaurants, so I cooked the majority of my meals at home. While I actually think this was a good thing because my risk of accidentally eating gluten was incredibly low inside my apartment, it was exhausting to have to do all of this cooking on top of working a full-time job and maintaining a stable of freelance writing clients.
Once the world started opening up again and I felt more comfortable dining out, I had to interrogate restaurant staff on their cooking methods to ensure there was no risk of cross-contact with gluten in the kitchen. You’d think French fries would be pretty safe, but if a restaurant fries their potatoes in the same oil as, say, beer-battered onion rings, then they’re a no-go for someone with celiac disease.
The biggest lifestyle shift I wasn’t expecting? I’d no longer be able to act spontaneously when it came to dining out, particularly while traveling. Instead, I’d have to do a ton of research beforehand to find celiac-safe restaurants and plan my entire day around my meals.
This involved scouring various apps, Facebook groups, and review sites and calling or emailing restaurants in advance to find out more about their menus and how they prepared their food.
I was so focused on my physical health that I forgot all about my mental health
For about the first year of my diagnosis, I was so focused on my physical health and making sure I didn’t accidentally eat gluten that I completely neglected my mental and emotional well-being.
I got to the point where I dreaded having to cook another meal for myself after a long day of work — but I didn’t want to order takeout or go to a restaurant either because I knew I’d have to ask a ton of questions and I’d always be stressed about whether what I was served was really, truly 100% gluten-free.
For these reasons, I sometimes thought it’d be easier to just skip a meal. And I’m not alone: Research shows people with celiac disease (particularly women) are at higher risk of developing mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
I was miserable and knew I had to make a change. As a health writer and editor, I’ve written tons of articles throughout my career referencing the importance of self-care — but it wasn’t something I was prioritizing in my own life at the time.
Clearly, my balance was off, so I made a commitment to myself to be better about self-care — and it’s honestly made a huge difference in my quality of life over the last couple of years.
What celiac self-care looks like for me
ICYMI, self-care is the practice of taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Here are some of the self-care strategies that have helped make managing celiac disease easier for me:
I use meal kits to cut down on cooking
Since cooking all of my meals was a main source of my stress and anxiety, I decided to sign up for a few prepared meal subscription services to take some of the burden off myself.
My go-to meal service, Freshly, unfortunately has gone out of business — but I’m also a fan of Hungryroot, which has lots of gluten-free options and recipes that take under 10 minutes to prepare. I like to use meal kits one week out of the month to give myself a break in the kitchen.
If you’re in the New York City area, I’m also a big fan of Happy Tummy Asia, which offers gluten-free versions of popular Asian takeout meals, including sesame chicken and pad see ew.
I maintain a regular exercise routine
This is something I’m still working on sticking with — but when I get into the habit of exercising daily, I feel so much better mentally.
I enjoy low-impact workouts like Pilates, barre, and yoga, and when I want more cardio, I go for indoor cycling or dance cardio classes. Currently, I have a digital Peloton subscription so I can exercise at home (a big barrier for me is having to travel somewhere to take a class).
I found the right support group
Please, for the love of god, don’t take anything you read in an online celiac support group seriously. There’s so, so, so much misinformation and fear-mongering in these groups.
After getting into an argument with someone in one of these groups who said they were glutened by their tampon (this is literally impossible since gluten can’t be absorbed via the skin or mucous membranes!!!), I promptly removed myself from these groups for the sake of my mental health.
I’m lucky enough to have found Beyond Celiac, a reputable nonprofit organization working toward a celiac cure. I’m now an ambassador for the organization and have had the opportunity to connect with many other like-minded people with celiac disease. This has been an invaluable support resource for me, and I highly encourage you to check out the ambassador program to learn more.
I try to be kind to myself
Back in 2020, I wrote an article about what it was like to be diagnosed with celiac disease during a global pandemic. I interviewed Kaitlyn Willwerth, RD, LDN, with OnPoint Nutrition, who explained why kindness is key when living with celiac disease.
“In my experience working with clients who are doing really restrictive diets like this, it can be really tough on people mentally — and it can be really discouraging when it’s not going as planned,” Willworth told me previously.
Sounds about right, doesn’t it? As a perfectionist, I know I was disappointed that navigating the gluten-free lifestyle wasn't going as smoothly as I thought it would in the beginning.
But as Willworth so rightly pointed out, habit change isn’t easy — and it can be really tough to give up foods you love, especially if they’re foods you’ve grown up eating and have an emotional connection with.
So the best piece of celiac self-care advice I can give you is to not be so hard on yourself — there will be ups and downs in your celiac journey, but we’re all doing the best we can.
Products I’m loving right now
Every newsletter, I’ll share (at least) three products that are currently part of my celiac self-care routine, from food to beauty to wellness. For this inaugural issue, I’ve rounded up my favorite gluten-free pastas because pasta always makes everything better, IMO.
Jovial Gluten-Free Farfalle Pasta: This is, hands-down, the best gluten-free pasta brand I’ve tried. Made from brown rice, the farfalle tastes just like regular pasta, and most importantly, it doesn’t fall apart. Plus, I just love the bowtie shape. I particularly like pairing this pasta with Gotham Greens Vegan Pesto.
Banza Rotini: I’ve been enjoying this chickpea pasta since before I was diagnosed with celiac disease. I like that it’s high in protein and fiber and has a unique, nutty flavor. However, this is definitely an example of a gluten-free pasta that you need to keep your eye on when it comes to cooking time. I usually cook it one or two minutes less than it says on the box to prevent it from falling apart.
Le Veneziane Gluten-Free Penne: I’m a big fan of corn-based gluten-free pastas, and this one from Italy is one of the best I’ve tried. I honestly had to second-guess whether it was really gluten-free. The texture is very close to regular pasta, and it holds up well as leftovers. What more could you want?
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