5 Myths About Living Gluten-Free (That Are Still Floating Around)

There’s a lot of information out there about living gluten-free – and unfortunately, not all of it is true. Some myths are harmless, but others can make life harder, cause confusion, or even put people’s health at risk. 

Today, I’m busting 5 of the most common gluten-free myths I still hear all the time, even after more than a decade of living gluten-free myself. 

Stick around until the end for my bonus tip – it’s the myth I believed when I was first diagnosed, and it made my gluten-free life a lot harder than it needed to be. 

Save money, and no more guessing for dinner!  Use code GFE to get 20% off annual membership at thedinnerdaily.com. Plan meals for less than $4/month and save money at the grocery store!

Transcript

Introduction to Gluten-Free Myths

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 . There's a lot of information out there about living gluten-free and , unfortunately , not all is true . Some myths are harmless , but others can make life harder , cause confusion or even put people's health at risk . Today , I'm busting five of the most common gluten-free myths I still hear all the time , even after more than a decade of living gluten-free myself . Stick around to the end for my bonus tip . It's a myth I believed when I was first diagnosed and it made my gluten-free life a lot harder than it needed to be .

Carrie Saunders 0:37

Welcome to the Gluten-Free Engineer Podcast . I'm your host , Saunders . 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 . Welcome back to the show .

Carrie Saunders 1:16

Today , we're talking about the five common myths about living gluten-free that I've run into free . That I've run into and the problem with myths . First of all , though , is that myths can come from outdated research , misunderstandings or marketing messaging that's unclear and that causes confusion in the industry . They can make it harder for you to advocate for yourself and to be understood by friends , family and restaurants . I know I ran into this a lot before I figured out how to really advocate for myself , and also during those several years , I felt like there was a period of years there where being gluten-free was looked at as being a fad and not as a health , a reason to do it because of your health , and so it made it really difficult to explain to people that no , this is really serious , you can't just mess with my food and it really needs to be to people that , no , this is really serious , you can't just mess with my food and it really needs to be super gluten-free . So the first myth that I ran into is that you can have a cheat day even if you're gluten-free , and that is so absolutely not true , especially for celiacs and those with gluten intolerance , and really for those who choose to be gluten-free too , it may cause issues in their bodies that are super unpleasant , and we need to make sure that people understand that you can't have a cheat day if you're celiac , for sure you can't even have a cheat crumb . Like even the tiniest amount of gluten can cause damage . It may not cause symptoms . Just because you don't get a symptom from a little tiny bite or cross contact doesn't mean it's not causing damage in a celiac . And then for those with gluten intolerance or who choose to be gluten-free , it can cause some serious symptoms or long-term health complications that you know are unpleasant . You know , sometimes people are gluten-free because they have some other autoimmune disease and it really helps keep that other autoimmune disease in control , and so they don't want to go down the route of that autoimmune disease getting out of control . So that's some of the reasons we need to make sure that we aren't having a cheat day if that is something that our body should not or cannot tolerate .

Carrie Saunders 3:31

And then another thing that was so frustrating when I first started being gluten-free and trying to learn how to do it was that if it's labeled gluten-free it's always safe . I couldn't tell you how many times I was , like you know , feeling really good and then I ate something new and I was like why do I feel funny ? And then like maybe a couple of days later I might try that new thing again and I would be like why do I feel bad again ? And then I look at the label and it would say that it was processed in a facility that processed the meat and I was like , oh , I guess I can't have something that's not certified gluten-free . This was kind of early on , when I was still very much learning this , and there can be hidden gluten and cross-contact risks in prepackaged foods and we want to make sure that we're reading the labels beyond the gluten-free logo . We want to make sure if you're celiac or really need to be strict , you need to have that certified gluten-free logo , not just something that just says gluten-free . And if you are eating something that's not technically certified gluten-free , you're going to want to look at the allergen statement to make sure it doesn't say processed in a facility that also processes wheat , if you're very sensitive and can't have small amounts of gluten at all .

Carrie Saunders 4:46

So myth number three is going gluten-free is automatically healthier , and this can be far from the truth If you were eating processed foods before going gluten-free and you replace those processed foods with gluten-free processed foods . You are helping yourself by not having the gluten , but you're not helping yourself because you're still eating the processed foods . Plus , usually gluten-free processed foods don't have as many vitamins and minerals fortified in them , so you want to be not directly replacing processed foods that are gluten with processed that are not gluten for your entire life . Maybe you do that in the beginning as your transition . Maybe you're new to gluten-free and that's how you mentally cope with it . Maybe you're used to having , you know , that sandwich at lunch , that pasta at dinner , so you want to replace it directly with a gluten-free equivalent , and that's completely fine . But I want to encourage you , if you're beyond the early stages of being gluten-free , of trying to switch some of those things into a bit more natural things , less processed foods , because our bodies are starving of vitamins , minerals and nutrients because we just Simply , as a society anymore don't eat whole foods nearly as much , and so I want to encourage you to make sure that you're getting enough whole foods so that being gluten-free is healthier for you . We want to make sure that we are actually getting those vitamins and minerals that we need .

Carrie Saunders 6:13

Now another myth that I ran into is that you can grow out of celiac disease . Celiac disease is lifelong , even when symptoms improve . It is an autoimmune disease . It's a genetic mutation that happens in people and when that mutation is turned on it generally it stays on . I don't think I've ever read a case in my 12 or so more years of researching this that it has ever turned back off . It is something that is just lifelong . So we want to be vigilant while we are being , while we are you know when we're diagnosed with celiac and when we need to be gluten-free we need to make sure that we aren't getting lazy and getting those cross contacts because even if we don't have symptoms , you can get damaged .

Carrie Saunders 7:03

There's this really good article and story I read , probably seven years ago or so more about the silent celiac and it was an actual , real study on this person who was a silent celiac . They thought their celiac went away because their symptoms went away , and then they all of a sudden started losing all this weight . They were having signs of malnourishment and went to the doctor and they basically were having silent celiac . They didn't have the traditional symptoms of celiac disease , yet their body was getting damaged , they weren't absorbing the nutrients they needed and they were just kind of withering away . So we need to make sure , if you're celiac , to be diligent , no matter whether you get symptoms or not .

Carrie Saunders 7:48

And then myth number five if it doesn't upset your stomach , it's fine . And that's so far from the truth . There are so many non-digestive symptoms like fatigue . So many non-digestive symptoms like fatigue , migraines , joint pain , skin rashes , mood changes . Some of my kids , you know , don't get the digestive symptoms first and they didn't even have the digestive symptoms before we found out they need to be gluten-free . They had these other symptoms and then , when we took them off gluten , the digestive symptoms are way more obvious once they got a little bit of gluten accidentally . But so non-digestive symptoms can be the only thing that you have . And that's kind of similar to that silent celiac story I was just talking about . They didn't have any digestive systems yet their body was being damaged . They were low on their vitamins , they were low in vitamin D , you know . Their hair and their nails were having trouble and long-term damage can occur without immediate stomach issues .

Carrie Saunders 8:49

So let's recap the five myths . The myth number one is you can have a cheat day even if you're gluten-free totally a myth . If it's labeled gluten-free , it's always safe again , totally a myth . Going gluten-free is automatically healthier Again , totally a myth . We need to focus on whole foods as well . You can grow out of celiac disease was myth number four . Completely not true . It's something that , once it's on , it's on . And myth number five if it doesn't upset your stomach , it's fine . Completely not true as well . And if this episode helped you feel more confident in your gluten-free choices , you'll love the extra tips and products finds that I share in my gluten-free newsletter . It's all about making gluten-free life and living easier , more enjoyable and less confusing . Plus , I feature quite a few of my recipes that I'm putting up very regularly . Just go on over to the Gluten-Free Engineer and sign up on our newsletter so you never miss a tip that can simplify your gluten-free life . And then , before we wrap up today , I want to tell you that myth .

Carrie Saunders 9:52

I believed early on that a crumb or a tiny mountain gluten couldn't possibly make me that sick . I thought that if I just avoided the obvious bread and pasta and , you know , did a decent job of cross-contact minimization , I'd be fine . But what I didn't realize is that with some of the celiac , even the smallest , smallest amount of cross-contamination , like a crumb from that cutting board or from that butter dish or a sheared toaster or somebody who had touched gluten and put their hands in that you know bag of chips and then I got chips a second can cause serious symptoms and intestinal damage is something I didn't realize early on and I thought I was a little bit crazy . But once I understood that I started taking extra steps at home and when eating out and with friends and it completely changed how I felt from day to day and I hope this bonus tip helps you realize the seriousness of cross-contact , especially if you are celiac .

Carrie Saunders 10:57

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 .