Tips & Stories
And yet, decades of celiac disease research, labelling laws and awareness have brought this diagnosis from a lifestyle death sentence to a life-changing revelation. And as authors, advocates, parents and "every day people" have found their voice and shared their truths, the body of life hacks and how-to's has grown as steadily as the gluten-free products and recipes on which folks with celiac disease must rely.
Today, we are proud to recognize 10 of our favorites from among the hundreds of blog posts on celiac disease and following a strictly gluten-free diet that our community of 300+ specialty food bloggers have shared on freedible thus far. Together with free-from food brands and "custom eaters," we are creating the web's first crowd-sourced collection of tips, stories, reviews and other know-how to help make sure that a diagnosis like celiac disease doesn't define you - it sets you free.
We hope you'll check them out, and come see the whole collection and sign up in our Celiac Disease Dible Dible to ask questions or share your own!
1. For a Celiac, Free Food is only Free if Gluten-Free by Tumbling GF
Finding gluten-free food is hard, but what about for those with celiac disease among the millions of Americans struggling to find any food at all? Long-time freedible blogger and champion "CJ," of Tumbling Gluten Free, really moved us all with her very personal struggle to survive on just what she could find in food pantries - which sometimes meant going with hardly any food at all. A poignant reminder of our blessings, and of the fact that sensitive food-health conditions like celiac disease and food allergies don't limit themselves to those who can afford the pricey foods it takes to survive. A must-read for us all.2. Celiac Disease Diagnosis? Now what? by GlutenFreeGal
Receiving a celiac diagnosis often raises more questions than answers. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, Gluten Free Gal offers concrete pointers and a to do list of next steps from getting the proper nutritional tests, to learning how to decipher food labels in this can-do rich "how-to." This article is a must-read for anyone who is newly diagnosed, from an author well-positioned to show you the way!3. On Relationships..."Celiac Disease is Your Problem, Not Mine." by Tasty Meditation
Celiac disease is hard. Full stop. But celiac disease without your loved ones' support? Tasty Meditation pulls back the curtain on love, relationships - and how much a significant other's responses to this life-altering diagnosis can shed painful but much-needed light on the larger truths in a relationship. 4. A Decade Since Diagnosis: 10 Years, 10 Lessons by AntiWheatGirl
A lot can be learned in ten years, especially if you have to learn to live with a life-changing medical diagnosis like celiac disease! Priyanka Chugh, AKA AntiWheatGirl, was just 12 when she learned that like her brother, she had celiac disease, and came of age while learning to manage the condition. Check out her list of the ten most important lessons she learned with a decade under her belt.5. My, Oh My, Peripheral Neuropathy by The Patient Celiac
From bargaining with the devil in the MRI machine to running on numb feet, Jessica Madden, MD of The Patient Celiac shares her journey to diagnose - and learn to live with - peripheral neuropathy triggered by an event of being accidentally "glutened." A doctor herself, on a mission to explain celiac disease to us all, this post is as informative as it is emotionally vulnerable, and an inspiring look at this frightening celiac disease complication. 6. Gluten Removed Beer - Bane or Blessing by MIGlutenFreeGal
There's a lot of misinformation out there about both celiac disease and food allergies, so we're pretty biased towards posts that make an effort to delve into the science behind it all! It's well-accepted that folks with celiac disease must follow a strict gluten-free diet, but what about gluten-removed products? It's become a hot topic in the celiac community, so we were excited to see long-time freedible author MI Gluten Free Gal roll up her sleeves and delve into the science, and the FDA labelling guidelines, behind it all. A well-researched post from an author we're honored to support!7. Tips for Successful Gluten-Free Baking by Lazy Gluten Free
If baking is a science, gluten-free baking is the "rocket science" of them all! In this great "how-to" post, Lazy Gluten Free shares practical tips for making sure that gluten is the only thing your baked goods are without! It's a cheat sheet you're going to want to print out and hang on the refrigerator door, with the inspiration you need to pull out the baking pans!8. Not All Celiacs are Skinny by An Allergic Foodie
We've long been fans of An Allergic Foodie and her take-no-prisoners approach to life as a custom eater, but we just had to include this honest look at her struggle, like that of so many others with celiac disease, to control her weight. Through careful self-analysis, she uncovers the root of her problem and begins taking steps toward shedding those unwanted pounds, and brings the rest of us along on her journey in this empowering post. 9. Gluten Free Fun: My Celiac Story by Gluten Free Globetrotter
Absorbing a celiac disease diagnosis is hard at any age, but what if it's all you've known, all your life? Our friend and well-known celiac advocate Erin Smith of Gluten Free Globetrotter shares how her diagnosis as a young toddler in the early 1980's molded her into the person she is today. From her parents' struggles to create a gluten-free life for her at a time when celiac disease was largely unheard of to her own struggles to walk the line between personal health needs and good old fashioned youthful rebelllion, she pulls back the curtain on how spending a childhood learning to survive turned into a life-long quest to advocate for, educate and support others.10. Touring New York City with Celiac Disease & a Peanut Allergy by KarenJ
Think you can't safely travel with celiac disease? Think again! In her typically detail-oriented style, Karen J shares how she ate her way through the Big Apple with both celiac disease and her son's life-threatening peanut allergy along for the ride. Check out her extensive run-down of the restaurants they tried, & the experiences they fueled! You can browse all our celiac disease posts - along with tips on everything from travel to managing food restrictions at school - on freedible. While you're there, filter our community-wide cookbook to find recipes from across our community that work for all your dietary needs!
