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
Answering Your Questions on Gluten Free Living: Challenges, Tips, and Health Insights Ep. 179
Is the gluten challenge worth the risk? This week's episode tackles burning listener questions about living gluten free and managing celiac disease.
I share my own trials with reintroducing gluten and offer advice to a listener, who’s torn about undergoing a gluten challenge for a celiac diagnosis. This segment aims to guide those grappling with similar health concerns and diagnostic dilemmas, especially when symptoms are severe.
I also discuss gluten free inclusivity for kids in educational settings. From homemade gluten free Play-Doh to cost-effective arts and crafts, I share practical tips that guarantee every child can participate in imaginative play.
Plus, I chat about the often-overlooked issue of gluten in beer and its inflammatory effects. Despite the allure of a cold brew, strict avoidance is crucial for those with celiac disease and NCGS.
Article Mentioned in this episode
https://www.belindawhelan.com/post/kid-safe-gluten-free-arts-and-crafts-activities
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
Okay, welcome back to this week's episode where I'm answering some questions that have come into my podcast inbox and also questions asked on YouTube. So let's jump on into it. So the first one is from Dawn, and Dawn says my name is Dawn and I live in the States. I listened to your podcast and you mentioned missing a good chocolate donut. Yep, if you've listened to my episode, you've heard me talk about this. So thank you, dawn, for mentioning that.
Speaker 1:We have a brand here called Katz and they have very good donuts. Not sure if they're international, but thought maybe you could see if you could order them and try it. Thanks, thank you so much, dawn. That is so awesome of you letting me know that. I have tried the glazed donuts from Katz. We can get them here in Australia in Woolworths in our freezer section, and I thought they were quite nice actually, and they reminded me a lot of Krispy Kreme. So the very first time that I went to the USA many, many years ago was prior to my celiac disease diagnosis and I tried a Krispy Kreme because we didn't have them here in Australia at that time. So I would probably liken the glazed Krispy Kremes to the glazed cats donuts.
Speaker 1:I had a quick look online for the chocolate ones and Woolworths doesn't stock them, unfortunately, here, but I did find them from another online store and they were going to cost 63 dollars a box. So let me know if you think they're worth me forking out that much money. Otherwise I might just hold off. Um, or if anyone wants to send me a box, let me know, but no, seriously. If they're worth 63 dollars me a box, let me know, but no, seriously. If they're worth $63 for a box full, let me know. I will definitely order them and try them, all right. The next one is from Elkie. I hope I've pronounced your name correctly, elkie.
Speaker 1:So hi, I just came across your podcast after my doctor called me yesterday that my genetic blood testing came back positive for celiac disease. I chose the genetic test over the gluten diet blood test because I'm terrified of eating gluten due to the severe side effects that I experienced. I totally get that. I'm 27, but since I turned 25, my intolerance has progressively worsened, leading to severe bloating, vomiting, hives, migraines and other symptoms. My doctor mentioned that, given my side effects and positive genetic test result, I may not need to get the final confirmation by going on a high gluten diet prior to a blood test or endoscopy. What's your take on this? Before this call, I knew very little about celiac disease, don't we all? Uh, other than the fact that my body couldn't handle gluten. So I appreciate your podcast. Thank you. I'm so glad I listened to the one on doing a gluten diet before the blood test. Do you think I should still do it to triple confirm? Thank you, elkie. All right, tricky one, very tricky. So I am the same.
Speaker 1:I had gone off gluten after my celiac disease diagnosis so I went to my doctor. My doctor said you just need to go on a gluten-free diet. So I cut out the gluten and had to wait. I can't even remember how long, but I had to wait for my appointment to get in with a gastroenterologist and when I went to that appointment he told me that he needed to do a scope. But in order to do that scope he needed me to go back to eating gluten. And I just burst into tears. I was like I am not doing that to my body, like I just started to feel a little bit better because I was eating gluten free and I just could not, like I just couldn gluten-free and I just could not, like I just couldn't do it. I just could not do that to myself, to feel that way again. And he was fine. He looked at my blood test and the results and he could see very, very clearly from there and agreed with my doctor that that was enough for a diagnosis.
Speaker 1:You may need to have a further blood test just to have a look a little bit deeper, further than just the genetic testing, because one in three people do actually carry the gene for celiac disease. But based on your symptoms, your body does not want you eating gluten. So I would say I am with you on that. I wouldn't want to go back on gluten either if you've been, especially if you've cut it out for you know, a number of years, like oh, it'll kill you, like you'll just not literally, but it will be a nightmare to go back on gluten if you cut it out for a good couple of years. So so if your doctor is supportive that he or she will happily give you a celiac disease diagnosis without having to put you back on that gluten and having the scope, then 100% do what feels right for you. I would personally be the same, because I did do that. They do say the gold standard is to go have a scope. But there's different circumstances obviously and, like I said, if your doctor supports this and is happy to give you a celiac diagnosis, then that's great.
Speaker 1:If you had only cut it out for say, a week or a couple of days, that would be a very different story. I know you sent this through a few weeks ago so I'm only just getting to record this episode now. So I'm sure you've made your decision, but I hope this helps somebody else as well trying to figure it out. But if you know you 100% know that that is gluten that is causing those symptoms which you sound like you're very convinced and you're very know that that is gluten that is causing those symptoms which you sound like, you're very convinced and you're very positive that that's what's going on. Yeah, it's not worth that pain. So usually I say to people if you've only just cut out gluten, let's just say your doctor told you a week ago and you've started to cut out gluten, you're probably not 100% on top of cutting out gluten completely, so it would definitely be worth staying on eating gluten and then having a scope.
Speaker 1:Some countries will not give you a celiac disease diagnosis without conducting that scope. So it depends where people are located. You may definitely want that scope for future because if and when there is a cure, you may not have access to that cure if you don't have a confirmed celiac disease diagnosis. That's one thing to think about. There may be an opportunity to get subsidies from the government or some other benefactor that can support your food costs. So that's something to look at as well. But if your doctor will give you a celiac disease diagnosis on paper confirmation, then I would run with sticking to what you think is right and not going back on the gluten. So it depends on people's situations. But, elkie, in your situation it certainly sounds like you haven't been eating gluten and your symptoms are so severe that I totally get why you don't want to continue eating gluten. So I hope that helps.
Speaker 1:All right, the next one. I don't know who this is from. They didn't leave a name. Just a reminder that if anyone sends through, like if you want to send through a message over at the podcast, so over on my Buzzsprout website. So I can't respond to those text messages via me messaging you back. They only are one way and it doesn't show up your name unless you type it. So it's really helpful if you let me know your name and where you're from as well, so I can tailor that information specifically to you and where you are located.
Speaker 1:So the next one. I'm really sorry I don't know who this is from. So it says my son has just been diagnosed with celiac disease and is starting kindergarten in the new year. I'm worried that he will get left out of activities. I know they use Play-Doh and I've heard that has wheat in it and I wondered if you could share how I can keep him safe. Good question.
Speaker 1:So my son? He was already at kindergarten when he got his non-celiac gluten sensitivity diagnosis. So when we went into that space of kindergarten he was exposed to everything, and then we had to guide the kindergarten on what was safe for my son and what was needed to be avoided. And they were amazing. They were so on top of things. So, 100%, it's about communicating with your kindergarten. If you are in America, you can talk to the educators there about getting a 504 plan in place to keep your son safe. They are legally required then to make sure that they take care of your son in a way that you know all the regulations and everything that are put into place, keep him 100 percent safe and included.
Speaker 1:If you are here in Australia, I personally had a really, really great experience with our son's kindergarten and it was literally about communicating. It was telling them what he needed, what he needed to avoid, and making sure that they you know, they talked to me about things that were coming up for him in the space of learning and having an awareness of what celiac disease was and what non-celiac gluten sensitivity was, and teaching them that it wasn't just an intolerance. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity can be as severe as celiac disease if people don't take it as seriously. So there is long-term risks involved for people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity if they don't stick to a gluten-free diet. So I had to educate them on it still being as important as treating someone with celiac disease. So talk to the kindergarten, talk to the educators. You might need to have a meeting. You might want to do it probably prior to the summer holidays, if you're here in Australia, just to have them aware of your son's going to be starting there and his needs.
Speaker 1:Play-doh, as you mentioned yes, it does have wheat in it. Reef's kindergarten was fantastic. They provided him with gluten-free Play-Doh, they made it themselves and his school has done the same thing for him. Pretty sure he's in year two now. Pretty sure this is the first year that they haven't had Play-Doh, but last year and in reception so reception in year one they had Play-Doh. It was part of their learning. They would build things with it. It was part of like a sensory experience and helping them calm down. So all the other kids had their own pot of standard Play-Doh and my son had a homemade version which you know. He was included and the kids had to wipe and clean their spaces afterwards, but they would only use their Play-Doh at their desk. So yeah, talking to the kindy about whether they can provide a gluten-free Play-Doh is a really good option and if they aren't happy to do that, then perhaps you could provide it if you're happy to do that, and asking them to keep that separate and you know he's still got that option of playing with Play-Doh.
Speaker 1:I have just put together a blog post with some different arts and crafts activities that you might want to share with the kindy good ideas for at home as well. But you know some educators can't, you know, fathom what they need to be looking for. So these have got. This article has got some really cool activities that they might want to set up at the kindergarten which you know. They are simple, cost effective and they can be done for all the kids, not just your son. So it's about, you know, having everyone included and involved. So I will link that blog post below so you can check that out and feel free to share that far and wide, because that can definitely help people in the education space grandparents, you know, carers, babysitters, whoever looks after kids that have gluten-free needs. So I hope there's some cool ideas in there that you like, because, um, one in particular was a sensory bin.
Speaker 1:Uh, that I used to do for my son. He was obsessed with his sensory bin. Like I could literally leave him with this for hours and he would just play and use his imagination and it was no joke. It was a plastic tub that he would sit in and I filled it with lentils and he had scoopers and he had little dinosaur toys and he would pour the lentils into things and I'm not even joking for probably a good two years he used this same tub. I would swap out the lentils every now and again because I get hair and stuff. So, yeah, he, he got like, oh, my god, just reflecting on how much he played with that, you could see how much his eye hand coordination would improve with him scooping and pouring things in. And, yeah, such a simple activity and, like I said, so easy to set up, anyone can use it, cost effective, you don't have to use lentils, you can use rice, you can use, like, all sorts of different ingredients. So, yeah, I've got lots of ideas like that on the blog post so, like I said, I will post a link to that below All right.
Speaker 1:And then the last one is from Gabby on YouTube and she asked if I could talk about beer causing inflammation. So we did have a bit of a chat on YouTube in the comment section about this and unfortunately, gabby has not been 100% strict with her gluten-free diet and I'm hoping, from my comments with her, that she has cut out beer. Because, if you don't know, beer does contain gluten. Unless you're buying a gluten-free beer, not a low gluten beer, not a, you know, not a gluten removed beer, gluten-free beer, you don't want to be drinking any of the other stuff. So, yes, beer 100% causes inflammation. It's got gluten in it.
Speaker 1:So if you consume gluten, yes, it causes inflammation in your body. You're going to gluten yourself. You're going to have all the gastrointestinal problems that happen from consuming gluten. Whatever your symptoms are, 100% be triggered by consuming beer. If it doesn't mess with you that much and you might just get a bloated tummy or you think that you're okay with it. You are not. You are 100% not okay with it. It is still causing intestinal damage, so you want to be cutting it out. Please, please, please, don't drink normal beer.
Speaker 1:It is not worth the pain, doesn't matter how much you love it, it is not worth the pain. My brother was devastated when he could no longer drink beer. And it's just part of life. You just have to accept that your body is better off without it. So anytime that you have gluten, it will trigger an autoimmune response that causes inflammation in your body and, like I said, depending on the symptoms that you experience, will depend on the types of inflammation that you experience.
Speaker 1:So I can't even give you a good response about that one. Sorry, gabby, it's just a complete flat-out. No for me, not worth it. Don't touch it. It's, yeah, it's not worth the pain and the long-term effects that can happen from continuing to consume gluten. So I hope that convinces you to stop drinking beer and looking for a better option for your yeah, your fun and and enjoying something that is safe for your body. So thank you so much for tuning in into this week's episode. I love hearing from you, so if you have a question that you want to send through, you can pop it here on YouTube if you're watching on YouTube, or you can send me a one-way message over on my Buzzsprout website if you're listening on the Buzzsprout website, and you can always inbox me on Instagram via the healthy celiac and I can get that to you there. But, yeah, otherwise, have a fabulous week. I look forward to talking with you soon and, yeah, keep away from that gluten beer.
