The Healthy Celiac Podcast
Hosted by Certified Health Coach, Belinda Whelan, who specializes in follow up care for women with Celiac Disease.
To find out how Belinda can support you, visit her website www.belindawhelan.com and while you're there be sure to download your FREE eBook '11 Mistakes People Make Living Gluten Free'.
For collaborations, please email me info@belindawhelan.com (no MLM opportunities please. 😊)
The Healthy Celiac Podcast
Foods that may Impact your Celiac Health Journey Ep. 163
Alcohol, dairy, eggs, red meat, and of course, gluten—are these foods sabotaging your celiac health journey? This week on the Healthy Celiac Podcast, discover which common dietary staples might be doing more harm than good to your digestive system. You'll walk away with a clearer understanding of how to make smarter food choices tailored to managing celiac disease.
In this episode, we tackle the inflammatory concerns linked with beloved foods like alcohol and dairy and discuss the controversial role of eggs in a celiac diet. Plus, we dive into the hidden dangers lurking in processed red meats and the non-negotiable need to avoid gluten.
Learn firsthand why keeping a food journal could be the game-changer in identifying your personal triggers and optimizing your health. Join us as we navigate these dietary dilemmas and empower you to make informed decisions for a healthier, happier life.
*Episodes Mentioned in this Podcast
Episode 10 - listen here
Episode 21 - listen here
Find out how Ultimate Celiac System can support your Celiac journey here
https://belindawhelantraining.com/ultimate-celiac-system
Wish you could get gluten free meals on the table fast that the whole family will love? Check out Meal Plans Made Easy
https://belindawhelantraining.com/gluten-free-meal-plans-made-easy
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Music Credit bensound.com
Welcome back to the Healthy Celiac Podcast. So this week we are talking about foods that might be worth you testing whether you want to cut back on them or whether you want to cut them out of your diet, and basically it's because in episode 21 we talked about 13 naturally gluten-free foods that support celiac disease, and I wanted to follow that episode up with some foods that actually don't support celiac disease. So we're talking about the absolute opposite this week and we're going to jump straight into it. So, unfortunately for many people, they love their alcohol and if that's you, I get it. I understand. I do enjoy having a drink or two every now and again. However, alcohol is quite inflaming and it can cause pretty bad inflammation in our gut and it's probably not the best thing to be drinking all the time, and definitely not in excess. So let's just get that one straight out of the way, because you knew it would be coming. I can't make an episode and not talk about alcohol when we're talking about what we shouldn't be having. It's definitely in the category of we need to cut back on or eliminate altogether, but certainly starting with cutting back on it is a great place to be.
Speaker 1:All right on to number two dairy. So dairy in all forms can be quite inflaming and can certainly lead to lactose intolerance. So I've got lactose intolerance. When I first got diagnosed with celiac disease, I had secondary lactose intolerance, which means that my body was unable to break down the lactose in dairy. So I went without it until my body had healed, until my gut had healed, and then I was able to reintroduce it. But as the years have gone on, I have actually become lactose intolerant and I can't have it at all. But it is quite inflaming anyway, even if you don't have lactose intolerance. So it's one of those things that it's probably best to sort of play around with and see how you feel with it, because you might notice that if you cut back on it, you actually feel better without it. So I do recommend that that's something that you trial, and if you've never kept a food diary, we might talk about that in a few moments and get to the bottom of how that can support you all right.
Speaker 1:The next one is a little bit controversial because it it's funny because it works differently for both. It could work differently for you as it could work differently for me, and that's eggs. So some people find that they react to eggs and some people find that they feel really good with eggs. So I personally feel great when I eat eggs and I love them and they are a big part of my diet, whereas other people they find that they don't react well to them. So eggs are another one where you do actually need to test them out for yourself. It's not a straight, you know. It's not like alcohol where we can straight up say, yep, alcohol causes inflammation. It's not like with eggs. We can't say that. It depends on the person. So you as an individual, you may find that they're inflaming or you may find that you have no reaction to them. So it's definitely worth keeping a food journal and sort of getting to the bottom of what makes you feel good and what makes you feel blah.
Speaker 1:The next one is red meat, and when we talk about red meat we know that there's lots of wonderful benefits to eating red meat. You know there's iron, there's protein, but they can be a it can be quite an inflaming food. And well in particular, and well in particular, hot dogs, bacon, deli meats and sausages. So depending on where you're getting your red meat from, they could be, you know, if they're the major sources of your red meat intake, then that might be an area that could be worth cutting back on and playing around with again and seeing how you feel without them. So definitely, definitely one to look at.
Speaker 1:The next one is gluten. This one goes without saying. You, as someone living with celiac disease, knows all too well what the side effects are for you eating gluten are, and we all have very, very different side effects. And if you're listening to this episode, my guess is you've already well and truly cut out gluten and you know what it does to your body. It's such an inflammation to your body that you definitely don't want to be struggling with those side effects. You know things like brain fog and fatigue and achy joints. Those are the types of symptoms that we're talking about from inflammation when it comes to gluten.
Speaker 1:All right, moving on to the next one is omega-6 oils. So omega-6 oils for cooking with are not the best option. They can certainly create inflammation in your body, and when we're talking about these types of oils, I want you to think of things like canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, and even mayonnaise falls into that category. So you want to be focusing on other healthier oils you know, such as olive oil, that's a better option to be using. So they can be quite inflaming to your body, so definitely worth cutting back on, and if you can possibly cut them out altogether, that's even better.
Speaker 1:All right, the next one sugary drinks and foods. Now, if you've been around for a little while now, you know that I'm a big advocate for eating as much real food as possible, and when I say real food, I mean something that hasn't been messed around with, that hasn't been mass produced and marketed and, you know, had things added to it and done to it to make it basically not real food anymore. It's so highly processed that it's not really real food anymore. So when we look at those types of packaged foods, and especially gluten-free packaged foods, they tend to make up for a lack of flavor with sugar. Okay, so sugar is an excellent ingredient for covering up a lack of flavor. Pity about what it does to our health. So when we look at our gluten-free packaged foods, you have a look at the sugar content. It's usually very, very high. So when we eat those sugary packaged foods, it's causing inflammation in our body and it can be quite a challenge to come off.
Speaker 1:Sugar. Sugar is an addiction. You can think of sugar like crack, cocaine, and it is actually an addiction. So people are so highly addicted to sugar that it gets to a point of when they're going to get their next sugar hit. So if you haven't looked into sugar addiction and the downside of sugar, I suggest that that's something that you learn a little bit more about, because it is not great for our health. And if you're drinking soda pop or soft drink, then you're getting a high amount of sugar in your diet. So, yes, definitely worth cutting back on your sugary drinks and your foods. And it's not only just soft drinks, actually. If you think of the energy drinks that are available, not only are they high in caffeine, they're actually really, really high in sugar. So definitely worth looking at what you're putting into your body and how much sugar is going into you. All right.
Speaker 1:And the next one is nightshade vegetables. So if you've never heard of nightshade vegetables, think of it like sort of your red vegetables and things that are like chili, cayenne pepper, things like that. So even goji berries actually fall into this category. So when you eat these types of foods, you may find that they cause inflammation. When I eat goji berries, I find that they affect my mood. I love goji berries they actually have a lot of great health benefits to them but I find that they actually affect my mood. So I believe that there's some kind of inflammation going on within my body that's actually causing some sort of reaction from the goji berries that is, you know, leading to the inflammation. So they are not one of the best options for me personally. So it's it's again, it's worth finding out which ones work for you and which ones don't.
Speaker 1:So when we spoke a couple of episodes ago, in episode 21, about the foods that are naturally gluten-free, that can support you in, you know, your celiac disease journey and that can lower inflammation, funnily enough we have tomatoes in that category. We also have red bell peppers, or what we call them here in Australia, capsicum, but yet they fall under this nightshade veggies category. So it can be conflicting and sometimes I feel like, you know, with food it can be so different. You know, one person says one thing, the next person says the other, but this is where I teach you that it's all about your unique body. So, yes, we're talking about things that can be inflaming and we've talked about things that can be anti-inflammatory, but it's about learning all about your unique body and what works for you, because not every one of these is going to work for you and not every single one of them is worth cutting out. So it can be confusing and I don't want to confuse you, but these are the foods that I want you to look at for your body personally and see what you need to cut back on and what you need to have a look at within your diet.
Speaker 1:All right, the next one is salt. So we do need salt in our diet. I personally prefer not to have table salt. I think that is the worst option getting around. However, we do need a little bit of salt. So, you know, go for the Himalayan pink salt, don't be going for the table salt and really cut back on salt. So really really cut back on your salt intake.
Speaker 1:If you eat a lot of packaged food again, like the sugar, you'll see that there's a lot of salt added into packaged food. So that's where you know, taking it back to the basics, cooking for ourselves, cooking meals that you know don't have packaged items in them. That is the best way to eat. That's what I highly recommend to my clients, and I know it can be tough, and I know it can be difficult for some people, but it's about looking at where you can cut back and where you can make these little tweaks in your life and your diet to make yourself a better and healthier version of you.
Speaker 1:All right, and then the last one is excessive carbohydrates. So when you have too many carbohydrates in your diet, it can escalate inflammation. So, you know, there's a lot of foods that I've got, actually, that are healthy, that have got carbs in them, but it's about being, you know, making sure that you're not cutting out all carbohydrates, but not having too many carbohydrates and not having those refined carbohydrates. So, again, it's worth looking at what you're eating. It's worth finding out what works for you, what works for your unique body. Now there's also some extra steps that I recommend that you look at within your lifestyle, and I talked about those in episode 10, and that episode, if you'd like to go back and have a listen to, is five steps you can take this week to be a healthier celiac, and I'll pop a link to that below so you can have a listen to that, because we talk about other areas that can help you and lower stress and make you feel better as well. So I recommend that you have a listen to that episode.
Speaker 1:Now, my biggest tip that I can give to you, if you're feeling a little overwhelmed after listening to this episode, because it's a lot of information to take in you know, you might've thought that this journey is just about cutting out gluten and it's just about eating gluten-free. But if you're here because you want to be healthier and you want to be the best version of you which I really hope you do I really hope that's why you are here then it is about learning all of these different little bits of information and doing the best that you can. So the next step for you would be to start a food diary and writing down what you're eating, when you're eating it, how you feel, how you're reacting, your moods, those types of things. Now, if you haven't checked out my elimination program, I recommend you go have a squizzy at that, because eliminate will help you with this area of your diet, and there's actually a food diary included in that program and you get access to me, as well as your health coach, within our Facebook community. So if you're interested in checking out that program, it's an amazing program. I've helped so many women improve their health and their husbands get on board as well. So it's an excellent program to help you get to the bottom of which foods are going to support you and which foods are inflaming you, and you'll come out the other side of that program a completely different person, because you'll have such a better understanding of why food makes you feel the way that it does. So I'll pop a link below to eliminate as well, in case you'd like to read a little bit of information about that.
Speaker 1:So I hope you've enjoyed this episode. I hope you've learned a little, something, something, and if you would like to jump on my newsletter list, please head on over to BelindaWhelancom. And if you're interested in checking out my Eliminate program, I recommend you get on my email list because there's a special offer in there. The only people in my VIP list get access to little hint there for you. So belindawheelancom to jump on there. So thanks again for listening, guys, and I look forward to talking to you and with you again very, very soon. Thanks a lot, bye.