Ahhh! You just received the call, or lab result, that revealed that you have celiac disease or a gluten intolerance. What are you going to do now? How are you going to begin a gluten free diet after years of eating “normal” food? Don’t worry, I got you.
I was in your shoes about two and a half years ago. I found out about my celiac diagnosis right before boarding a plane to Italy for a five-month exchange semester. Just my luck – I couldn’t eat gluten in the land of pasta, pizza, pastries, and more. But I made it work, and once I kicked gluten, I actually started feeling pretty great.
Below are my tips to help you begin and adjust to the gluten free diet. Since I had to do this while living alone in Italy, it was definitely hard for me at first. Give yourself some grace as this is a big change. At the end of the day, just know that eating this way will make you feel better and will help heal your body from any intestinal damage. If you have any other tips, leave them in the comment section!
1. Educate yourself.
Soak up all of the information that you can from your doctor, dietitian, and other reputable sources. A gluten free diet is a million times more manageable (and less overwhelming) when you are aware of what you should and shouldn’t be eating. Begin to understand hidden sources of gluten, such as soy sauce (this was shocking to me), medicine coating, and more.
2. Utilize amazing resources that make eating gluten free easy.
Two apps, Find Me Gluten Free and the Gluten Free Scanner, are both extremely helpful. The Gluten Free Scanner allows you to scan the barcode of any item in a grocery store; then, the app will tell you if the item contains gluten or not. Yes, some products have allergens disclosed on their packaging, but this app is perfect for when ingredients are more obscure. I love it!
Using your phone’s location, Find Me Gluten Free locates gluten free restaurants in any area. This app is particularly useful when traveling (especially if you’re unsure about local restaurants). On the app, users review restaurants in all corners of the world (ex. is there a shared fryer, is the staff knowledgeable about gluten free diets, did you have symptoms, etc.) to help other users figure out if a restaurant is safe to eat at.
Be sure to check out Trip Advisor, Yelp, and other popular review platforms as well. They have a “gluten free options” filter which will only display restaurants with safe menu items. You can find a restaurant on one of these platforms and then double-check with Find Me Gluten Free to see what previous diners have to say about the food/safety for celiacs.
3. Focus on eating whole foods first, then think about finding gluten free alternatives.
Okay, this one is really important. Many of us begin our gluten free diets by wondering what gluten free alternatives exist and which ones taste the most like “regular” meals.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, I highly recommend focusing on the parts of your diet that won’t change instead. This helped me shift my mindset. For example, fruit, vegetables, protein sources, etc. will likely stay the same in your new diet; maybe, if anything, you’ll have to prepare them differently (ex. no sauces or marinades with gluten). By focusing on things that stay the same (and there are a lot of them) in your diet, going gluten free is a lot less daunting.
In terms of alternatives, the products I like the most are actually products that are made of healthy ingredients yet mimic a popular “gluten-filled” item; for example, I love cauliflower gnocchi, cauliflower pizza, almond flour tortillas, tahini cookies, and chickpea pasta. I highly recommend getting in the kitchen and trying to make these alternatives on your own! You can always search my blog for gluten free recipes 🙂 With practice, you’ll get good at making them, and in time, you’ll prefer these healthy alternatives to your old favorite treats.
4. Plan ahead.
I always run into problems when I don’t plan ahead, especially when I am traveling. ALWAYS. Unfortunately, with celiac or another gluten issue, you can’t assume that GF options will always be readily available.
While studying abroad, I traveled a lot on the weekends. I had to leave my apartment very early in the morning to get to the airport for certain flights. Those flights were so early that I’d literally roll out of bed, head to the airport, and get on my flight without breakfast.
I wasn’t hungry at 5am when I left my apartment, so my mindset was always why would I pack food?
This was SUCH a mistake!
Italian airport breakfast options generally consisted of croissants, pastries, and the like. GF options like eggs that are commonly eaten for breakfast in the United States are not as popular in Italy. There were multiple times when I didn’t plan ahead and was totally stuck…I’d have to wait to eat for hours until I arrived at my destination, feeling lethargic and hangry. Of course I wasn’t hungry at 5am, but I sure was a mere hour or two later at the airport! Take it from me – not worth it.
Making time before a trip (or even just running errands/going to work/spending hours away from home) to pack GF snacks or small meals is key. Some ideas: apples and nut butter, protein bars, a protein smoothie, carrots/broccoli/cauliflower and hummus, or even a salad. Having coffee beforehand with collagen creamer/protein added can also help. I love putting collagen creamer in my coffee for an extra boost of protein.
5. Inform your friends, family, coworkers, etc.
In some scenarios, it can be really uncomfortable to request specific dietary accommodations. I’ve been there. You don’t want to stand out or feel “different.” It’s the worst! Still, you should absolutely say something about your allergies.
This has taken me a while to feel comfortable with, but it is so, so necessary. Health is of the utmost importance. If you have an allergy or intolerance, you simply need to voice it.
You don’t want to be left hungry, or worse, left eating something that could make you feel ill. Your loving friends and family want you to feel well and healthy, so try to explain the basics to them so they can support you with your new diagnosis/dietary restrictions.
So far, managing celiac in a work setting has been fine. About nine months after my initial diagnosis, I interned at a company that provided lots of catered lunches and restaurant meals. Many meals included sandwiches, bread, bagels, and the like, so I couldn’t eat anything. At first, I didn’t know what to do! As a new temporary employee, I felt self-conscious and didn’t want to stand out in any way.
I quickly realized I needed to speak up for myself, and when I told my colleagues about my dietary restrictions, they were all so receptive. It really wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought it would be. I wasn’t inconveniencing anyone, and speaking up benefitted the group. Options were provided for me moving forward and food with gluten no longer went to waste.
If you’re stuck at a work event where you can’t find a single thing to eat (it’s happened to me), my advice is to grab coffee/a drink or even a plate of fruit/veg if available. This way, you can still munch on a little something as your coworkers eat.
I know it isn’t easy to begin a gluten free diet, especially when you are used to eating gluten. However, it can be done and can be managed. I hope these tips are helpful. Check out some of my gluten free recipes here!
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