The Book that Changed Everything - Discovering Celiac Disease

 In this episode of The Gluten Free Engineer, I share how one special book became the catalyst for a life-changing journey. What started as a quest to lose baby weight and feel “normal” again after having my third child turned into a discovery of primal eating principles that transformed not only my health but my entire family’s well-being. By embracing a lifestyle focused on whole foods and avoiding grains, I began uncovering the root cause of lifelong health struggles—celiac disease. This book led me to identify gluten as the source of my symptoms and set me on a path to recovery, self-discovery, and answers that had eluded me for years. Tune in as I recount the early signs, the research journey, and the profound impact this book had on our lives.


Mentioned Resources:
The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson*


*Contains Affiliate Links

Transcript

Carrie Saunders: 0:00

Quick reminder before we get started on this episode this podcast is based on my personal experiences and isn't medical advice. After having my third child, all I wanted to do was lose the baby weight and feel like myself again. I wanted to get back to what felt normal to me. That's when I started researching healthy yet simple ways to lose weight. I stumbled upon a method that focused on controlling insulin levels by managing the types and amounts of carbs you eat. Little did I know this research would lead me to a book that not only changed my life, but ultimately changed my family's lives as well. Welcome to the Gluten-Free Engineer podcast. I'm your host, k Saunders.

Carrie Saunders: 0:42

In 2011, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, a moment that changed everything, but I was determined not to let it hold me back. With my two engineering degrees, I set out to reverse engineer the gluten-free lifestyle, breaking down recipes, safety tips, travel hacks and everything in between to rebuild a life I love. Whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance or simply choose to live gluten-free, this podcast is for you. Join me each week as we simplify the gluten-free lifestyle, make it fun and prove that you don't have to miss out on anything. You see, looking back, I realize now that I had signs of celiac disease even as a baby and a young child, but back then no one really thought to check for it. As a baby, I was labeled failure to thrive. I was always the tiniest kid just skin and bones in every photo. I can vividly remember when a new car seat law came out in fourth grade If you weighed less than 40 pounds you had to be in a car seat. I was mortified. Fourth grade I thought no way am I sitting in a car seat. But the truth was I weighed less than 40 pounds. I should have been closer to 60 pounds for my age, but no one questioned it. People just thought that's how she is. She's just tiny.

Carrie Saunders: 2:00

Fast forward to 2011. As a mom of three boys, and like so many moms, I was trying to lose the baby weight and get back to a more familiar version of myself. That's when I discovered a new-to-me eating method called eating primally. The book that introduced me to this was the book the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson, which I'll link to in the show notes. At first I wasn't looking to change my life. I just wanted to lose a little weight. But what I didn't realize was how much this book would change everything. Mark's book talks about how eating primarily focusing on whole foods, avoiding grains, limiting dairy and steering clear of refined oils can help stabilize blood sugar levels, regulate insulin and burn fat instead of storing it.

Carrie Saunders: 2:48

What really resonated with me was this 80-20 rule Eat primal 80% of the time and allow yourself a treat meal once a week so you don't feel like you're missing out. This was super important to me as a mom of three kids too. I didn't want to miss out on special birthday events. I didn't want to miss out on you know, maybe we wanted to have pizza for the week. You know, I didn't want to miss out on those common things of where you just kind of eat what's available or what's enjoyable. So I dove into the primal way of eating.

Carrie Saunders: 3:24

For six days a week I avoided grains and followed the plan. On Friday, though, I gave myself a treat meal at lunchtime. My go-to is a turkey and gouda sandwich from our favorite deli. It was my one indulgence for the whole week, but something surprising started happening. After the second week, I noticed I didn't feel great after eating that sandwich. By the third week I felt even worse, and by the fourth week I was miserable. I felt like I had the flu all weekend Body aches, stomach aches, headaches and migraines, but no fever. I wasn't actually sick.

Carrie Saunders: 4:04

At first I didn't really make the connection, but several weeks of this pattern I started to wonder could it be that sandwich? I started doing some research. Why would wheat make me sick? I had eaten it my entire life. I had never connected any of my common ailments that had grown over the years and years and years to the food I was eating, and especially since I'd been tested negative for wheat allergies and other common allergies. That's when I stumbled upon something I never heard of before gluten. I had learned that gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye the most common sources. So I decided to avoid all gluten entirely. I felt better for a while, but one day I felt oddly sick again. I remember meticulously going through everything I'd eaten over the past two days and there it was malt flavoring in a bag of chips, another hidden source of gluten I hadn't known about. I discovered that malt is usually made from barley, one of the main gluten grains. It was a light bulb moment and it taught me just how sneaky gluten can be.

Carrie Saunders: 5:14

Around that time my hairdresser had started asking if I was under a lot of stress too. My hair was thinning no one else noticed because I always had such thick hair to begin with and my nails were also getting weaker than they used to be. They were always super strong. But after 30 years of not knowing or more, it was probably more like 35 years of not knowing I had celiac disease. This was starting to take a toll on my body and on my nutrition. And after cutting out gluten entirely, something amazing happened New hair growth. My nails got strong again. I had a dramatic improvement in my quote bathroom issues.

Carrie Saunders: 5:53

The more I researched gluten, the more I discovered something called celiac disease. I was dumbfounded. Why hadn't the gastroenterologist tested me for this? Years ago when I came to him with IBS symptoms, frustrated but determined. I came to him with IBS symptoms, frustrated but determined. I went to my primary care doctor for blood tests. Unsurprisingly, they came back negative for C-like disease. After all, I had been off gluten for several months. Everything I had read said that you need to be eating gluten regularly for months for the tests to be accurate in your blood. I also went to my allergist, who dismissed my improvements as mere sensitivity. It was another dead end. I was so frustrated, but it didn't stop there.

Carrie Saunders: 6:34

Months later, I brought up my concerns with my children's pediatrician. I explained how I'd become progressively more sensitive to gluten the longer I was off with it and I asked if we should test the kids. I had learned that celiac disease is her with it, and I asked if we should test the kids. I had learned that celiac disease is hereditary and I wanted to make sure they weren't affected too. And we didn't know it. Finally, a doctor who took me seriously.

Carrie Saunders: 6:56

After all these years, testing was confirmed that my oldest son had celiac disease. His immune system was mature enough to show the markers in his blood. After a two-month wait, we visited a new gastroenterologist. I brought him a detailed list of all of my son's symptoms that had disappeared and my own symptoms that had improved or completely disappeared. He had listened carefully and agreed Both my son and I truly had celiac disease. Most people might feel dread at a diagnosis like this, but for me it was honestly a true relief. Finally answers. Finally a doctor who wanted to get to the bottom of our health issues. As I learned more about celiac, everything from my childhood started to make sense being severely underweight, constant skin issues, migraines and even the emotional struggles like suppressed anger. Month by month, the fog lifted. My world went from fuzzy to high definition. I was me again. I'm so thankful for that book. It didn't just change my life, it saved my son from years of undiagnosed celiac disease. It also helped us identify that my other two children and even my husband have celiac disease.

Carrie Saunders: 8:14

Here's what I want you to take away from this episode. Number one listen to your body. You know it better than anyone else. And two push for answers. Don't stop until you find a doctor who will take you seriously Because, like I said in point number one, we know our bodies better than anybody else and we're a huge, big puzzle that sometimes needs to be taken apart. The clues need to be taken apart. And number three start food journaling.

Carrie Saunders: 8:45

Track what you eat and how you feel can be a game changer. Keep in mind that reactions to food aren't always instant as well. They can take hours or even days. Journaling helps you spot these patterns. If I hadn't paid attention to my body, if I hadn't pushed for answers, to this day I still may not have known I had celiac disease If I didn't start paying attention to the food I was eating. Once I started going down the right track of realizing I had celiac, I wouldn't have put it all together either. I would have thought, well, I'm just sensitive to wheat. But I really started digging into everything that I ate and paid attention to my body and my mind. So I encourage you to listen to your body, push for answers if you don't feel well and ask doctors, go to a different doctor if you need to, and start food journaling.

Carrie Saunders: 9:43

We are what we eat and while being gluten-free may not be for everybody, for many people they feel so much better off of it and especially if you have celiac disease, it is a must to not be on it. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Gluten-Free Engineer. If you found value in this story, please share it with someone who might need encouragement on their own gluten-free journey. For more tips, recipes, resources and even links to my YouTube channel, head on over to theglutenfreeengineercom. It's your one-stop hub to make gluten-free living simple, fun and full of flavor. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss out on an episode, and we will see you next week. The Gluten-Free Engineer podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I share my personal experiences and stories about living with celiac disease and navigating a gluten-free lifestyle. This podcast does not provide a medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for medical questions, concerns or advice specific to your health.