You're still getting glutened. Or at least, you're always afraid of getting glutened.
What exactly is gluten free?
How can I advocate for myself?
I'm stuck at home all the time. Help!
Hi! I'm Amanda.
I help newly diagnosed Celiacs become so confident going gluten-free, that most of the day, they even forget they have Celiac!
You’ve tried never leaving your house (Celiac hermits, raise your hand!), bringing your own food everywhere (but still feeling awkward about all those looks and comments,) eating out and just hoping for the best (although you still get glutened more often than you’d like,) or simply throwing caution to the wind (this whole GF thing is simply too much, might as well just pretend I can eat gluten, right?)
I used to be afraid all the time of going anywhere involving food- restaurants, birthday parties, work meetings, school, you name it! When I was diagnosed almost 20 years ago, I thought I had to meticulously protect myself to not get sick. My ability to form connections with other people suffered and I simply felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. So I tried creating that sense of belonging at home, by making home a GF haven for me. And while that helped, it still kept me cut off from the rest of the world. (If you feel isolated as a Celiac, I get it). I found the missing piece of both creating a wonderful GF Haven at Home AND developing the courage to be my own advocate when out and about, thus enabling my comfort and ease with Celiac to flourish.
Life with Celiac isn't just about food.
Yes, meal planning is helpful and you might get giddy with delight at the sight of a new GF dessert, but many Celiacs will tell you that living with the condition involves practically creating a new lifestyle for yourself. What I can teach you is how to stand up for and even embrace your Celiac needs so you can feel less afraid and have more fun in your life!
I still feel a little sad when there is just 1 safe place for me to eat on a weekend getaway, but this sense of missing out doesn’t plague me, not nearly as often as it did 20 years ago. Most of the time, I am quite grateful for gluten free foods for keeping my body healthy and can even see how navigating Celiac has built up my courage in my own choices. I don’t need to mull over ingredient lists either. And I’ll let you in on a little secret...90% of the time, I forget I even have Celiac! And I can do this without getting glutened!
You might be thinking... really? You forget you have Celiac? Definitely. It's become so second-nature to me. And I spent 20 years figuring out how so you don't have to!
Fun Facts About Me
I can't help but sing ABBA songs...The Mamma Mia movies speak to my soul. I love a good book, in the sun or in the bath, it doesn't matter. Favorite dog breed? Cavaliers (but all dogs are pretty great). And I speak Italian (Italy is AMAZING for us Celiacs, just saying!)