The Healthy Celiac Podcast
Welcome to The Healthy Celiac Podcast—the go-to podcast for women with celiac disease! This podcast is designed to help you thrive beyond your diagnosis and embrace life to the fullest because you are so much more than just a woman with celiac disease.
Hosted by Certified Health Coach Belinda Whelan, who specializes in follow-up care for women with celiac disease, each episode is a blend of practical advice, personal stories, and expert interviews. Belinda shares valuable insights on everything from navigating a gluten free lifestyle to managing the emotional aspects of celiac disease.
Join me as we explore topics that empower you to take control of your health, and discover joy in every meal and moment. Tune in for practical advice and support as we navigate the challenges of celiac disease and empower you to live confidently.
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
Unlocking Brain Health: Why Gluten Free Living Matters More Than You Think Ep. 199
In this episode of The Healthy Celiac Podcast, I’m diving into a topic that has hit close to home for me this week—dementia. While there’s no definitive proof that celiac disease directly increases dementia risk, research shows that undiagnosed or untreated celiac disease may be a contributing factor. That’s why it’s crucial to stick to a strict gluten free diet and be proactive about your brain health.
I’ll also share 15 practical ways to slow down cognitive decline, from diet and exercise to stress management and social connections. Plus, I’ll open up about my own family’s experience with dementia and what I’ve learned through research.
If you or a loved one has celiac disease and you're concerned about brain health, this episode is packed with actionable steps to help you live a longer, healthier life.
Previous Episodes Mentioned
Probiotics - https://thehealthyceliacpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1720208/episodes/14785541-navigating-celiac-disease-with-the-help-of-beneficial-bacteria-ep-153
Check out the weighted vest I bought here https://amzn.to/43m5EUq
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
Join my free community and grab your copy of 11 Mistakes People Make Living Gluten Free here https://www.belindawhelan.myflodesk.com/11mistakes
Check out my Daily Health Tracker here
https://www.belindawhelan.com/dailyhealthtracker
And I would love to connect with you on Instagram thehealthyceliac
If you have a spare moment, please pop over to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review. Thank you!
Music Credit bensound.com
Now, when it comes to living with celiac disease and aging gracefully, it's super important to look after not only our overall nutrition and diet, but it's also important to look after our brain health, and on today's episode, I want to share with you a little bit more about a topic that's hit me quite close to home this week and that's dementia, and I want to talk about why it's important to stick to a gluten-free diet to slow down the effects of dementia and also some other ways to slow down getting dementia and how that can help you in the years to come. Or you might know someone that you've noticed some symptoms of dementia and you might be thinking, wow, how is there a way to slow this down if they've got celiac disease? Or perhaps they need to go and get tested for celiac disease? So we're going to cover a whole heap off today on this episode. So welcome back. We'll jump on into it Now when studies have been done on people with celiac disease and them getting dementia.
Speaker 1:There has been no proven study to say that people that are living a gluten-free diet and have a diagnosis with celiac disease have really any more chance of getting dementia than anybody else. However, saying that there are studies that show that people with undiagnosed celiac disease that go on to get dementia have a higher chance of getting dementia. So this is another reason why we really really need to stick to a hundred percent true gluten-free diet no cross contact, no cheat days, no mucking around, just making sure that we truly do eat gluten-free. But having said that, there was another study done that showed that people with celiac disease were a little bit more likely to get vascular dementia. So that's the second most common type of dementia. So there is that link there. So when we talk about our health and we talk about our wellness and I love to cover lots of different topics on the show doesn't always have to be about celiac disease, but this is linked to celiac disease. This is linked to making sure that we do eat gluten-free. So I always have to hone that. I always have to push that, because we see how much better we are when we do eat a gluten-free diet. And you know you may be asymptomatic and think that it's okay to perhaps have some gluten every now and again, but I want you to think about the long-term effects of what that is actually doing to your body. It's not just all the intestinal stuff. It's what's going on in your brain. What inflammation are you causing to your brain? That could make your life pretty average. You know you might get to retirement age and you don't get to enjoy all those beautiful years because you do get dementia. So we're going to talk about 15 ways today to slow down the effects of dementia, and you might be surprised by some of them, and a lot of them are easy to do and some of them will take a little bit of effort. So, you know, listen to the episode, take the information on board, help someone that you know, share the information and you know it could make a big difference.
Speaker 1:Now, the reason that I wanted to record this episode is because one of my uncles was recently diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia and my Nana actually had frontal lobe dementia and she declined very, very rapidly and it was heartbreaking to watch because she was just the best. I adored my Nan. She was such a wonderful person and you know talking about my nan. Now we don't know whether she had celiac disease, because on my mom's side there are three of the eight kids have been diagnosed with celiac disease and we don't know whether that came from my mom, my mum's mum or my mum's dad. It could have been either one of them, you know they could have both carried genes. It could have been just from one of them. We don't know. But part of me wonders whether some of the problems that my pop had with his health, they were related to celiac disease. And then I also wonder if some of the health problems that my nan had whether they were related to celiac disease. It's one of those things that we would never, never know.
Speaker 1:But going back to my uncle, he has not had a celiac diagnosis. He hasn't been tested for celiac disease. I have told my family that he should be tested and they all know it. It's one of those things you know it but you don't go and do it. So he hasn't been tested for celiac disease but he has been diagnosed with this frontal lobe dementia and it's heartbreaking because I always remember as a kid he was so intelligent.
Speaker 1:He actually used to work for Arnott's Biscuits, which is the biggest biscuit company here in Australia, and he used to set up their machines for the biscuits. He used to fix the machines when they were producing a new line of biscuits. Then he would change all the settings on the machines to put a different line of biscuits through on that particular machine for the day. So very intelligent man, he was always making things. He was like this machine guy. I just always remember him and my brother making all these gadgets and being a little bit jealous that they'd have their boys days and they'd go off and they'd make all these cool things.
Speaker 1:So you know it's so sad to see that his life has turned to him. Just not even you know his life has turned to him. Just not even you know being kind of with it as much anymore. And you know he's changed a lot His, his thoughts, his talking, everything has changed. And my cousin recently got engaged his son, and it's just, it's heartbreaking because who knows what's going to happen in that time frame between now and when he actually gets married.
Speaker 1:So it is very close home to me, this topic, and that's why I wanted to shed a little bit of light on it, I guess, and definitely learn a little bit more about it for myself, because I know a lot about health and wellness. But I did wonder whether it was all genetic and it was you just predisposed to it, or whether you can slow it down. So in my research and all my reading and everything that I've been looking into and some of the studies that I've been reading linked to celiac disease. It does show that we can slow it down and we can live a much better life. So, yeah, that's why I wanted to share this with you. Just a little bit of background on why I'm talking about this today, because who knows who it may help.
Speaker 1:So let's jump into the first thing that you can do for slowing down dementia. Now you can build muscle for a stronger brain. So if you are not already working out, then it's recommended that you do two to three strength training sessions per week. Now, last week I spoke about wearing a weighted vest. It can even be incorporating a weighted vest into your lifestyle. So adding that, you know, added weight to your body while working out. If you haven't listened to that, go back and check out that episode as well. But adding that extra weight while you're working out or doing chores or doing things around the house can make a big difference as well. But that can help with your brain function, believe it or not. So super easy to do and incorporate and help improve your brain function.
Speaker 1:Now for those of us with celiac disease many people do actually suffer with their muscles depleting because of malnutrition. So, again, this is why it's so, so important to get on top of your celiac disease as well and making sure that you are absorbing the nutrients that you are consuming. I was talking to a lady yesterday on Instagram and she was saying that her body is not absorbing the nutrients. She's had celiac disease for 30 years and to this day, is still getting gluten and her body is not absorbing the nutrients that she needs. So she really needs to get on top of her celiac disease because her body is not doing what it needs to. So if that's something that you need more support in, please make sure that you are on top of your celiac disease, first and foremost, because all of these other tips are wonderful and helpful, but the most important thing, obviously, is to make sure you're on track with celiac disease. So that's where Ultimate Celiac System comes in. You've heard me talk about it, no doubt before. So please go and check out that program and how I can help you further with getting on top of that, because that is the number one key, without a shadow of a doubt. So I'll pop a link to that program below, but otherwise you know when you are absorbing those nutrients and making sure that your body is getting what it needs. That is also helping with your brain function.
Speaker 1:Number two is to get cardio into your wellness routine as well. Now, when we talk about cardio, it doesn't have to be running, it doesn't have to be jogging. It can be dancing, it can be cycling, it can be swimming. It can be anything that gets your heart rate up, something that you enjoy. Walking is fantastic as well, do not get me wrong. Walking is fantastic for cardio, so doing that a couple of times a week as well is super, super important. So that's an easy one to add into your lifestyle, so crazy that it's just a little bit of added, extra exercise that can make a big difference to slowing down the effects of dementia.
Speaker 1:The next one is making sure you're getting enough protein. So protein will help with your cognitive function. So making sure that you're getting enough protein in your diet every single day and it doesn't matter whether you've got celiac disease and have to live a gluten-free lifestyle or not the protein sources that we have available to us are the same as everybody else. You know some really great options with meat, with legumes, with nuts, whey powder, protein powders. There's so many different options. I have done a complete episode on protein and I'll link that one below as well if you want to go back and check that out, because there's so many added benefits to protein. But Just by making sure you're eating enough protein can slow down these effects and support your brain function as well.
Speaker 1:The next one I love and I talk about this all the time and that's just eating a really great diet, eating as much low inflammatory foods as possible, obviously, or 100% gluten free, and adding in things that you might not already be consuming so things like leafy greens and things like that but making sure that you're cutting out the processed foods, the things that are causing inflammation. So anything that has been messed with, that's not made naturally, is pretty much processed. So if you're eating lots of sugary foods or lots of processed foods, this will lead to inflammation and obviously inflammation leads to damage and when we have that damage, then there's that problem with leading to dementia as well. So definitely looking at your health and your lifestyle and again, this is where I help people. This is my whole focus is supporting women with celiac disease to help them get their health on track. So that is something that I love helping people with. I'm absolutely obsessed with it, actually. So if that's something you want support with, please reach out to me and find out how I can support you with that, because I know it can be tricky, like if you're addicted to certain foods or you have issues around certain foods and you want support. That is definitely where I can help you and I would absolutely be honored and be thrilled to help you. So please make sure you reach out if you want support in that particular area.
Speaker 1:Now, improving your gut health is another one. This kind of ties in with eating well, but there are added things that you can do for helping your gut. So things like prebiotics, probiotics, eating, fermented foods, things like that they can make a big difference as well. So, again, I've done episodes on so many of these particular different subjects, so make sure you go back through old episodes and find things that you want to learn more about and how it ties closely with celiac disease and how it can support you in your overall health. But by adding in prebiotics, probiotics, fermented foods, you can make a huge difference to slowing down dementia and helping with that brain function.
Speaker 1:The next one is to make sure you're getting the right nutrients and supplements. Now this is actually a question I get asked all the time is what supplements do people need to take? Now, this is not ideal for me to answer. In an ideal world, we would get everything from our diet, but not many people do, and the recommended daily intakes for food are the bare bare minimum to basically survive. So any of those recommendations that you hear about how much you should have of each vitamin, they are just so you know. They are the very, very bare bare minimum. They are not the optimal amount. So just know that if you've ever heard them and gone, oh wow, I'm not getting that amount in my diet, that's the bare bones of it all. That's not going to be, you know, your ultimate. So you may want to think about supplementing. That's definitely an option.
Speaker 1:I personally take supplements. I have been for ever since I had my first daughter. Actually, when I was pregnant with my first daughter, I started on supplements because I wanted to have more for my baby and for my health, and I've been taking supplements ever since. So it totally depends on your health goals. It totally depends on your diet and your lifestyle. But some things that are worth thinking about are taking creatine. So it is recommended that us, as women, we definitely take creatine, especially if we're in our perimenopausal years. That can make a big difference to your cognitive function and help with maintaining muscle. So I take creatine every day now just five milligrams. I add it to smoothies, I add it to shakes, I add it to all different options before I'm going to the gym or after I've been to the gym, and, yeah, I have actually noticed a difference from taking that. So you can find that anywhere online health food shops, sports supplement shops make sure you're getting a gluten-free one, which I highly doubt you would find gluten in them. But still, as always, just read the labels, just in case. But yeah, adding creatine into your lifestyle can be very, very helpful.
Speaker 1:Omega-3s are fantastic for reducing inflammation and boosting brain function. So if you were going to pick two, I'd definitely go with omega-3s and the creatine. Now, when you buy omega-3s, don't buy the cheap, nasty ones. Don't buy like, oh, a thousand supplements for 20 bucks. You're probably going to get mercury poisoning. They are not good products. Look for a high quality supplement. Make sure you're getting one that's not got mercury in it, because you're actually worse off taking them. You're better off saving your money and not having them at all. So don't, don't go to those cheap, you know dodgy ones that sound amazing because you get heaps in a packet. Just avoid them completely and look for a high quality one because, yeah, like I said, you're probably going to get mercury poisoning if you take too many of them and, yeah, it's just avoid, avoid. And then things like vitamin D, vitamin B12 and magnesium can also support with brain function.
Speaker 1:So look at what your you know your health and lifestyle is like. Look at your diet, look at what you might need to add in and boost into your regime, because yeah, like I said, it's a little bit hard for me to give recommendations, and not that I can, but it is about learning what your body needs and you know you may need to go to the doctors and go hey, can you just do a blood test on me, tell me what I'm low in, tell me what I need to take and go from there. That can be really, really helpful. And if you have been getting regularly gluten, you may be having issues with malabsorption and you may just need that little bit of extra support and helping with healing and digestion and making sure that your body is getting the nutrients that it needs. So you know, go to your doctor, get your test done, look at where things are at and then make a decision moving forward about you know what you might add in supplement wise, what you might change within your diet and see what will support you in that particular area.
Speaker 1:All right, the next one sleep. Like your life depends on it, because it does. Sleeping is when our body repairs. Our body gets rid of toxins. When we sleep, it repairs, it heals, it does all these amazing things while we sleep. So if you're not getting enough sleep, then how is your body supposed to heal? And if you've got inflammation in the body, then of course that's going to cause more issues in the brain. So if you can give your body the rest that it needs and deserves and you're getting that, you know that.
Speaker 1:Deep sleep, the REM sleep, where you've got the rapid eye movement, that's when the body has the time to do what it needs to do. And this is something that I teach in my program, ultimate Celiac System, about getting enough rest every night, not just when you've been gluten, not just when you're trying to heal your body all the time. It's so, so important to get enough restful sleep. So if you're in a position right now where you're like, oh, actually I don't get enough sleep, or I'm a shift worker or you know I have bad habits where I stay up all night watching TV or playing on my phone make the decision to put some steps into place where you can start to wind down. I have notifications that come up on my phone at nine o'clock and it's a little notification that reminds me to do my affirmations, to do my daily gratitude, and then I know it's time to kind of start winding down and getting ready to go to bed.
Speaker 1:I I aim for 10 30 at night. That's my sleep time. Anything past that I'm not ideal. The next day I've got to get up at seven in the morning and get my kids ready for school. So I find that I'm not ideal. The next day I've got to get up at seven in the morning and get my kids ready for school. So I find that when I go to bed at 1030, get up at seven, that's ideal for me. That might be not enough sleep for you. That might be too much sleep for you.
Speaker 1:So again, it's finding that right balance of what suits you. You know, making sure that you're having that restful sleep. Keep your phone out of your bedroom, you know, don't be looking at screens in your bed and doing all of the things that make us stay up at night. If you have trouble sleeping, you might want to try melatonin, you might want to try meditation, like there's so many ways of making sure you get restful sleep at night. So, looking to adding that to your daily routine, because it is one of those things that, like I said, it helps with healing, it helps with inflammation, it helps with getting rid of toxins out of your body and just generally feeling better.
Speaker 1:And what happens when we feel better is we do better, and when I say we do better, we make better decisions. Like I'm not even going to kid around with you here, when I was sleep deprived after my third baby, I was not making good decisions. I was drinking more coffee, I was reaching for more sugary food because I was just in like fight or flight mode all day long, trying to survive. So if you feel like you're in that place, have a look back at what's happening at night. Are you not getting enough sleep? Because we want to look after our brain. We want to look after our overall health, and this can be like oh, it's like a game changer when you get sleep, it's got that beautiful flow on effect that makes a big difference with everything else. So please look at that if that's something that you're like. Oh, now that you mentioned that, belinda, that is something that I need to improve on. So definitely look into how you can improve your sleep patterns if you know that they're not ideal.
Speaker 1:The next one is managing your stress. We all have stress. It's part of human nature to have stress, but we all have different levels of stress. We all have stress. It's part of human nature to have stress, but we all have different levels of stress. So, you know, living with celiac disease, I think that that plays a huge, huge part in our level of stress. I believe that we have this layer of stress every single day, that we have to be aware of what we're eating, where we're going, what we're touching, you know who we're around, what's happening in our kitchen, what's happening in our workplace, like it is always this added layer of what's going on in our heads, isn't it? It's always there in the back of our minds. Am I going to get gluten? How do I look after myself? How do I protect myself today? So that is that little bit of added stress, but we're talking about the full-on stress. If you are stressed every single day, this is going to add up and cause so many problems long-term.
Speaker 1:So please look at how you can lower your stress. This is different for every single person. I can't give you the be all and end all, but it could be simple. Things like breath work, like meditation, grounding. If you don't know what grounding is, it's basically connecting your feet to the earth, getting those beautiful electrons from the ground. So you know, all of these different things can help with lowering stress. But then they might lower stress. But how can you prevent the stress?
Speaker 1:So what is causing the stress in your life? What are the things that are causing you to feel stress? Can you eliminate those? Can you lower them? Can you have a conversation about what the things are that are causing you stress? It could be a particular person, it could be something in the workplace, it could be that you're studying.
Speaker 1:There's so many factors that cause stress. There are short-term stress problems, there are long-term stress problems. So short-term stress problems could be something like moving house or, you know, going through the loss of a loved one that causes stress, but it's not going to always be there. Once you've moved house, that stress should subside Once you have got established in your home and you're settled, and things like that. It's the long-term stress, the ongoing, like I hate my job, I hate going to work. This sucks. I don't like working with these people.
Speaker 1:That is added stress every day that causes anxiety and that's where you need to look at why you're dealing with this and can you change it. So that's a really, really important one and, yeah, you need to kind of look at what's going on for you. If that is an issue, because it's kind of like. If that is an issue because it's kind of like, you know, everyone's stress is different and we all have different coping mechanisms and we all have different levels of our stress tolerance as well. So think about that. Maybe you might need to start journaling. That can be a big one for helping you see what is causing your stress. But if there's something that is a big stress in your life, you know, I know a lot of people have children that have major health issues and that stress is not going anywhere and they're dealing with that on a day-to-day basis. So that's about looking after you. What can you do from now on to help with those stress levels? And it is about taking time for yourself to make sure that you are bringing in some of these wellness tips to help with lowering your stress. I hope that helps, because I know what it's like living with stress and it is very full on and can be hard work.
Speaker 1:The next one is to stay mentally active. I am sure you've heard this before that it's so important to keep the brain active and not stagnant. So you would have heard things like you know, doing crosswords and playing bingo and doing different things and these sound like old people things. They do no offense. But using your brain is so, so powerful because you know you could be into jigsaw puzzles. I personally hate jigsaw puzzles. They are like my arch nemesis. I cannot stand puzzles. I don't know why, but I don't like puzzles at all. So for me, I'm going to have to find something as I get older to kind of help with what am I going to focus on to use my brain?
Speaker 1:I know my nan. Before she got dementia she was so crafty, she was like the most clever lady. She used to sew everything. She used to make dolls. She used to make like stitch dolls. She'd make ceramic dolls that she'd paint. She taught me how to cross stitch Like she was so, so talented and she did that right up until she got dementia, until she just couldn't function any longer, and it was amazing to watch and I think that that probably did help her. And then when she stopped doing those things, the decline went quite rapidly after that. But you know, her hands started to go and she just she couldn't do it any longer.
Speaker 1:But find something that you love. I personally think I might get back into cross stitch. I don't know, it's very. You have to really think about it. So, yeah, there's lots of different things that you might like to try, but yeah, it's making sure that you're still using your brain. If you're young or you're, like you know, mid forties, like me, you probably not at that point where you need to focus on something Like I'm always still busy doing things. You know, I've got kids to deal with, helping them with their homework. You know I've got my podcast, my YouTube, I'm doing stuff online. I'm helping people, I'm coaching people. So for me, I feel like I'm getting a lot of brain stimulation as it is. But yeah, as the years go on, it'll be interesting to see what kind of activities I'm drawn to. So it's something to think about for later on. This is probably not a now problem, but just something to be aware of Now.
Speaker 1:The next one is especially for those of us women with perimenopause, and that is considering HRT. So if you're interested in learning more about HRT, I've done an episode on that recently as well. So hormone replacement therapy Now, it helps with protecting the brain, because the estrogen in the hormone replacement therapy can protect the brain, and that is why it can be very important for those of us going through perimenopause to look into HRT. So learn a little bit more about that. Obviously, that's not my, you know. I can't say yes, it's definitely for you or you should do this. It's personal choice, but it is something worth looking into and learning a little bit more about. So, like I said, I'll link that episode below and you can go back and check that out as well.
Speaker 1:The next one is intermittent fasting. So intermittent fasting can help with lowering inflammation. So how do we do intermittent fasting Completely depends on you. You might only be able to last a day and a half, you might be able to last longer. It all depends on your metabolism, your blood sugar levels. There's so many factors that contribute to intermittent fasting. But if that's something you're interested in learning more about, reach out and let me know. I'm happy to do an episode on that if that's something that you know, a lot of you want to learn more about. But it can support, you know, slowing down dementia and helping with that brain function. So, you know, if that's something you've heard a little bit more about and you're like I'm interested in trying that or you've been doing that, you know it totally depends on how often for your lifestyle and, yeah, it's just something to think about and add to your wellness routine if that's something you're interested in.
Speaker 1:The next one is protecting your hearing and your vision. So, as the years progress, making sure that you're getting regular checkups, because it has been proven that when people start to lose their hearing, their cognitive decline is much more rapid, and part of me wonders whether it's because they don't have that support from others and they don't have, you know, the access to getting support, because they can't hear what's going on. They're not aware of what's going on around them and it can make people really go into themselves when they can't hear properly. So please make sure you keep on top of your hearing and your vision. If you're a woman in her men and boys years, you might have noticed that you need glasses these days. So you know, if you start to notice vision changes as well, go and get your eyes checked. Keep on top of it and make sure that you are aware that this can also lead to issues down the track if you don't keep on top of it.
Speaker 1:The next one is kind of a no brainer and that's reducing alcohol and quitting smoking. So both lead to inflammation. Inflammation again leads to issues in the brain. So you know, you hear so many things about alcohol. You know red wine is good, blah, blah, blah. So it depends on your alcohol intake. It depends on what you're drinking how often.
Speaker 1:I've certainly cut back on drinking the like. You know, since I started HRT. I've noticed a big difference, but I, having said that, I don't normally drink that much. I hadn't been drinking that much, but I would have the occasional drink on weekends. But I haven't even been doing that anymore. I've just been more aware of there's no actual benefit for me. I was doing it more with of. There's no actual benefit for me. I was doing it more with my husband than in a social situation, so I was quite happy to just be like no thanks, I don't want to drink tonight.
Speaker 1:So you know, think about what the benefits are versus the risk. Could you just cut back? Could you swap one drink out a night? You know what? What is it for you? Everyone's different. I'm not going to make anyone feel guilty about this, because I know we all see alcohol as a different. You know kettle of fish Was that a good way to explain it? I don't know. We all see alcohol differently. Some of us avoid it completely, some of us have it socially, some of us have it once in a blue moon. So have a look at your intake and see whether you want to adjust it, whether you want to cut out completely. I know for me that I sleep better when I don't drink at all. I know that for a fact. So you know track how you're going with your health and wellness and see whether alcohol is making you sleep badly or giving you flushes or whatever, because you know many people don't even realize the effects that they're getting from even one or two glasses of alcohol. So that's definitely something to look into If you are a smoker.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry, I have nothing good to say about smoking. I used to hypnotize people to become non-smokers and that is incredible in itself. So if that's something that you are interested in, reach out to someone who can hypnotize you, because it is powerful and, yeah, you won't even know yourself, plus the amount of money you'll save, you can redirect that money into some wellness products instead of, you know, wasting it on cigarettes and vaping I should say vaping as well. Not a good idea. So, yeah, if you're listening to the Healthy Celiac Podcast I don't even know if I'd have smokers listening Let me know If you're a smoker. I'm interested to know if this podcast is still appealing to you anyway, even if you are a smoker, because you might be focused on other areas and kind of like, yeah, let's not focus on the smoking, we'll worry about that later. So just interested to hear from you if you are a smoker.
Speaker 1:So send me a message at the Healthy Celiac over on Instagram, or pop a message here below, or a comment rather here below on YouTube, and the next one is to challenge your brain daily. This kind of ties back to the puzzles and the games and things like that, but could it be something completely different, like volunteering or getting out into your community and helping others? Just being able to do something that's different, that stretches you beyond what you are already doing, can help with your brain function as well. So that's an interesting one. And particularly if you are retired, many people find that once they've retired they feel like they have kind of no purpose or goals in life and we see that when people volunteer it makes a big difference. My mom has been a volunteer ever since I can remember. When I was in primary school she was always volunteering. She helped at our school canteen. She has helped in our church forever. In a day I don't remember a week where she has not volunteered in some capacity at her church.
Speaker 1:So you know, if you're a part of a church group you could get involved there. You know you could help out at a soup kitchen. You could help out at a secondhand shop, like there's so many options to help and make a difference in other people's lives. You know a lot of people read in primary schools with kids. So have a think about what you could do with your time to kind of stretch you and and make you do more than what you're already doing. So that's something to have in the back of your mind, you know, maybe not now, but maybe later on, once you're retired or if you've got a little bit more time on your hands. And the last one, which is super, super important, is to continue to be socially active, and this is one of the most powerful things. And when they've looked at the blue zones throughout the world, they've proven that the people that have got amazing brain function are the ones that are living in these blue zones, that have got community connection, whether that's through family, friends, the community. And that could tie back to that volunteering that we just spoke about.
Speaker 1:So making sure that you are spending time with other people. My Nana, she lived on her own for a very, very long time after my pop passed away and I know that my mom and my auntie wished that they got her out of that little unit and into a home with other people, so living in a village with other people around her much, much sooner. It wasn't long after she moved to that facility that her her function went downhill very, very quickly. So they do believe that it could have been a lot better for her if she was there sooner. So making sure that, no matter what you are around people, you know whether you get out into the community and you know you're doing things with others, or the people you know whether you get out into the community and you know you're doing things with others or the people that you live near, or making sure you're spending time with family or friends, is so, so important.
Speaker 1:My stepdad he retired and he'd been working as a security guard for many, many years and he worked shift work and he was always very tired, like we just thought he was this grumpy old man and the poor bugger. He was just tired because he worked shift work. And now that he has retired he is a different person, like my mum, and I cannot believe how social he is. He is constantly out and about, he rides a bike and he goes off on his bike. He goes on these massive treks, he catches up with his friends for coffee, he goes to different men's groups, they have social gatherings, they have social outings and it's just so fantastic to see how much of a social butterfly he's become since he's resigned from his career and his job and no longer work. So he's still keeping himself busy, because we were a little bit worried Prior to that. He never had activities or caught up with people because he was all over the show with his roster so he didn't have the time or the opportunity to do so. So you know, think about how you can continue that in your years. It doesn't even have to be before retirement.
Speaker 1:You might find now that you're quite isolated and you don't spend a lot of time with others. I am a bit of an introvert. I would say I'm borderline introvert, extrovert I can be one or the other, depending on the day who I'm with. But I'm quite happy to stay at home. Like when we got put in lockdown and we didn't have to go anywhere for a week, I was like, oh, this is heaven. Everyone else in the house was going stir crazy and I was like this is great, I don't have to rush anywhere, I don't have to do anything. But I know for me that I do get a little bit crazy when I'm stuck at home for too long and don't have people around me. I have to get out, and especially that my husband works away he's not here for four days at a time I like to get out and go meet friends for coffee or go catch up with my mom, and I do make sure that I'm not always isolated and make sure that I have those connections with people that are important in my life.
Speaker 1:So, keeping up with those social you know, social gatherings, social outings, you know if, if food is something that stresses you out about going out with friends, again that's where you might need some support with that particular area. But it's the social aspect and making sure that you're seeing people and interacting is the highlight, not the food. So please remember that if you're using that to hold you back, don't make it is the highlight, not the food. So please remember that if you're using that to hold you back, don't make it about the food. Make it about the social aspect, because that's the most most important part Now. A 2020 study showed that social isolation was one of the key factors in dementia. So please make sure that you remember that fact when going through life and you know whether you're avoiding going out with friends, family, loved ones because of the whole gluten-free food thing. Please remember that it doesn't have to be about the food. It can be about the social aspect. Without the food, you don't have to go out and eat. You could eat beforehand if you're petrified of eating. But remember, the social aspect is so, so important in preventing dementia.
Speaker 1:So, to wrap this up, I hope that this inspires you to think about some of these steps and think about your future self moving forward. Put some of these steps into place now and be aware that you have the power to completely change your future by the actions that you take today and the steps that you put into place. And, like I said, if you want my support, I'm here to guide you and to be that person to walk you through this journey. So make sure you reach out to me. I'd love to support you and help you on your journey, but otherwise, thank you so much for listening. I know this episode is a little bit longer than what I normally share, but I felt it was super important to get this information out there and in your ears and help you moving forward. So thank you so much for tuning in and I look forward to sharing more with you on the show next week. Have a great week, take care Bye.
