Gluten Free Engineer - Making Gluten Free Easy
Feeling lost, overwhelmed, or frustrated on your gluten-free journey? You’re not alone—and you’ve come to the right place.
Hi, I’m Carrie Saunders, host of The Gluten Free Engineer. As someone with celiac disease (or coeliac, depending on where you’re from!), I understand the confusion and overwhelm that come with it. With a husband and three kids also navigating this lifestyle, I’ve learned the hard way how to make gluten-free living easier, safer, and more enjoyable.
Whether you’re new to gluten-free living or a seasoned foodie looking for fresh ideas, this podcast is for you. Each week, we’ll dive into topics like:
- Avoiding cross-contamination and staying safe
- Mouthwatering recipes and recipe conversion tips
- Honest gluten-free product reviews
- Travel hacks and dining-out strategies
- Insights from expert guest speakers
Join me every week as we tackle the challenges of celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and gluten-free living head-on—making it simpler, more delicious, and even fun! Don’t miss an episode—subscribe now and start thriving on your gluten-free journey.
Gluten Free Engineer - Making Gluten Free Easy
The First 30 Days Gluten-Free: What to Expect and How to Thrive
The first 30 days gluten-free can feel overwhelming — you’re cleaning out the pantry, reading labels like a detective, and maybe even wondering if you’ll ever feel normal again. But here’s the good news: those first weeks can also be a time of big wins if you know what to expect.
In today’s episode, I’ll share the changes you might notice in your body, the challenges that trip people up, and practical tips to not just survive — but thrive — in your first month gluten-free. And stick with me until the end, because I’ll share the one thing that made the biggest difference for me in those early days.
Mentioned Resources
EP 13: https://theglutenfreeengineer.com/post/hidden-gluten-where-contamination-lurks-in-your-kitchen
EP 15: https://theglutenfreeengineer.com/post/the-emotional-side-of-going-gluten-free
Come join us in our free Facebook Community, The Gluten Free Engineer.
It’s a space where you can connect with others living gluten-free, ask questions, swap tips and recipes, and get support from people who truly get it. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or a seasoned gluten-free pro, you’ll feel right at home.
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!
Quick reminder before we get started on this episode. This podcast is based on my personal experiences and isn't medical advice. Whether you're celiac or going gluten-free for other reasons, the first 30 days of gluten-free can feel overwhelming. You may be cleaning out the pantry, you might be reading labels like a detective, and maybe even wondering if you'll ever feel normal again. But here's the good news: those first weeks can also be a time of big wins if you know what to expect. In today's episode, I'll share the changes you might notice in your body, the challenges that trip people up, and practical tips to not just survive but to thrive in your first month gluten-free. And stick with me to the end because I'll share the one thing that made the biggest difference for me in those early days. Let's dive in. Welcome to the Gluten Free Engineer Podcast. I'm your host, Carrie 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. Today we're talking about the first 30 days of going gluten-free, whether you are a newly diagnosed celiac or you are making that diet change for other reasons, other health reasons in your life. And what you might find if you're especially if you're going gluten-free cold turkey, which is not what I did, but I have witnessed and seen other people do that. I didn't realize I had to go gluten-free cold turkey because at first I accidentally went gluten-free, didn't realize had celiac. But when you go cold turkey, gluten-free, you're going to be in the detox and overwhelm phase. This is like can be the hardest week. And if you get through this week, you're going to start making momentum. You may be cleaning out gluten from your pantry, from your fridge, from your routine. You may be thinking about how do I have breakfast without gluten? How do I have lunch without gluten? What do I do in this situation? So it's a really good idea to try to think through those situations, not to overwhelm yourself it, but from an opportunity standpoint, what are my opportunities for change? How can I make this change easier? So as long as you're focusing on making it easier, it's going to be a bit just well, plainly easier on you mentally. And whenever we see something that is such a significant change is a major roadblock in our lives, no matter what it is, it can really make it more difficult to go through that um change that's happening, whether it's a new health diagnosis or some other situation in your life that is a major change for you. So always have a very positive attitude when it comes to what are your next steps with being gluten-free and how can you make this easier. You might also in that first week get gluten withdrawal symptoms that can include headaches, fatigue, and mood swings. You may feel worse before you feel better, especially if you're celiac. And that's completely normal. Our bodies at gut biome, I'm learning a lot lately by reading some doctor's books, really want to try to keep themselves alive. You know, it's just like a normal organism out there. They want to keep themselves alive. So they crave the things that are feeding them. So there are certain bacteria that live off of gluten and like a gluten um type of cards, the best. So those bacteria that is in your stomach, the digestive bacteria, is going to get kind of angry at you that you're starting to starve it. Now, in the end, this is a good thing because that's not the bacteria you really want in your stomach anyway. You know, we want to have because that's just not compatible with you. So you just know that you might have some, you know, you might kind of feel flu-ish that first week. Um, I'm sure you probably heard of the keto diet and having keto flu. That's part of this. You may you kind of may feel like a keto type of flu. You might also get very overwhelmed and you might have fear of eating the wrong thing if you're celiac. You might have grief over favorite foods, no matter the reason that you're going gluten-free. And this is really normal. And we actually have an episode about the grief that comes behind um going gluten-free, especially when it's a medical diagnosis and not, you know, a choice that you've made for your own for health reasons. So just know that there's going to be potentially some emotional overwhelm. Have some trusted best friend or your spouse or partner who is there and ready to support you during those times. It's really going to make it a lot more helpful if you find somebody, even if they're not in your immediate family. Maybe your immediate family doesn't quite get it or understand. But I bet you can find a friend out there that can understand. And you're always welcome to join our free Facebook group. Uh, just look for the gluten-free engineer to find support in there too. And then in week two, you'll kind of get more into the learning mode, likely. You will start getting better at reading the labels. You will be able to find hidden gluten a bit better. Um, you might find it in sauces, dressings, and seasonings. We have some episodes on where you can find hidden gluten and some places to watch out for. So if you're new to being gluten-free, definitely check that one out. You're going to want to be discovering naturally gluten-free foods that feel safe. That is going to really help you make this transition. So go for single ingredient foods. That's the easiest way to be gluten-free is single ingredient foods, like an apple, a banana, an orange, salad, um, maybe the cheese that's on top of it now. Much, much of those cheeses are not single ingredients. So I'm going to give you a little exception there, just for some taste, if you can tolerate cheese. But I it's pretty rare that cheese has gluten in it. Just avoid like blue cheese and stuff like that because the mold is grown on wheat sometimes there. But you want to add some things maybe to your salad that are single ingredients. Um, maybe it's carrots, maybe it's celery, maybe it's bell peppers. Um, and then when you want to add something else into it, I'm kind of squirreling here on the salad because I kind of got stuck on salads lately when I'm eating. Um, make sure you find a gluten-free dressing so that you are satisfied. I know a lot of people can't eat salads without dressing. I am one of those weird ones who can. It doesn't really bother me that much. Although I do enjoy a very good ranch or some sort of vinaigrette. Um, but Tessame brand and Primal Kitchen are great at being gluten-free. So look for those if you are having a hard time determining whether a salad dressing has gluten in it or not. Okay, back to single ingredient foods. I a little bit went on a tangent there, um, but I want to make sure we have enjoyable food too. So other single ingredient foods would be like potatoes. Um, we could be putting in the protein of your choice, provided it is not modified, it is not, you know, marinated, it is there's nothing done to it. It's just literally a chunk of chicken or beef or pork, um, and nothing else has been done to it. So those single ingredient foods can really make it super simple for you at first, until you might want to add in a little bit of somewhat processed foods. I do like to talk on the podcast about, you know, minimally processed is so much better for us in the long run and in general. And it makes it a lot easier when you're gluten-free to find gluten-free items when you get minimally processed things, things that are like five ingredients or less. And I find my tummy feels better that way too. And then I want you to find your first go-to meals that make your life easier. What would you love to have for breakfast, for example? What could you eat every day for breakfast so you don't have to decide how to eat a gluten-free breakfast? And then maybe you rotate it the next week. It depends on who you are. But me personally, I can eat the same thing for breakfast every day. I just really don't even like breakfast. And it just is just fuel for my day. So I eat um a couple things of uh chicken or pork sausage that I know are gluten-free, and that's it. I just eat two pieces of sausage and some water and I'm done. That's my breakfast. Um, but I know a lot of people like to have a more fulfilling and bigger breakfast. So, what is that for you? What would you love to eat every day? Is it um eggs and maybe a gluten-free toast with uh something simple like butter or jelly on it? You know, is it um avocado toast? You know, what is it that is for you? And make sure it's you know, obviously certified gluten-free if you're going to go that route. And then repeat the same thing for lunch. You know, maybe you have a simple rotation for lunch. We want to make the decision to take small here. We want to minimize it as much as possible, especially those first weeks going gluten-free. I would recommend not getting too adventurous, just so you can keep things simple. Obviously, we want to still have fun and reward ourselves, but still keep it pretty simple so that you are feeling better and you're not too um having to decide too many things too much. And then in week three, you might see some small wins. You're gonna see your digestion probably improve. You're gonna probably see bloating decreases. You may even have seen that in week two as you get gluten out of your body, because when it's not supposed to be in our bodies, when our bodies are not tolerant to it, it can cause all kinds of weird stuff, including bloating and just feeling meh, just very meh. Um, more energy you'll probably find that you have that brain fog is probably going to start to lift. I remember when I first went gluten-free accidentally, it was like the world was in high definition again. I don't know how else to describe it, other than I didn't feel like I had like this fog around my peripheral vision. And in in literally my vision itself, it seemed like, as well as my mental vision, if that makes sense. So you're gonna see some of that brain fog uh getting lifted and you're gonna start feeling better there. You're gonna probably start getting some confidence as you navigate restaurants or grocery stores. And I also want to say here too, you're gonna gain that confidence, but also expect you'll might mess up later. Just don't beat yourself up from it and you know figure out what what went wrong. What could you do better to make um make make it so you don't actually get like accidentally get gluten or something like that? So I want your confidence to grow. I want you to feel good about your choices and how you're making your choices, but don't like beat yourself up if you make a mistake. I've made mistakes so many times, it's not even funny. Obviously, I try to learn from it and not repeat that same mistake again, but I also don't want you to get down on yourself because this is a hard process. If you make a mistake, let's say, you know, how do we fix this? Where do we go with this next? What could I do better? How can do I need to prepare something? Should I have brought a snack? You know, what are all these things? We talk about this in one of our episodes. How can we help whenever we made a mistake and learn from it? And then in week four, you're gonna get even more confidence and more into a routine. I feel like about four weeks is when, oh my goodness, I just felt so, so good. And I felt like I had this down. I felt like I was doing so well. You're gonna get more into a rhythm, you're gonna find your favorite products, your meals and snacks that you love. This is gonna be a wonderful week for you. I feel like I feel like for most people, week four is really good. You're gonna also be able to see how much better you feel, and that's gonna be a motivation to keep going. Um, some people ask me, how do you not even want that donut or that, you know, croissants or whatever it might be, or that bread at that restaurant. And I just tell them, I said, it makes me feel so bad that I just don't even want it. So once you've detoxed enough, you're gonna probably get to a point eventually where, and it may not be at four weeks, it could be longer. It kind of depends upon your upbringing, who you are, and how you deal with these things and how your body reacts too. But you will eventually get to a point where it's like, I feel terrible if I even have a little tiny crumb or a little tiny bite. It's just not even worth it. And so you won't even want to do it. So you're gonna really get into a great routine and rhythm, and you're gonna really feel how much better that you feel afterwards, and that's gonna help you keep going. And I want you to start focusing on thriving at this point and not just surviving because the first few weeks you're gonna more feel like you're in survival mode. How do I do this? How do I get this right? But then as you get in the routine and you get more confidence, you're gonna be more on thriving. So, how can you thrive more here? And then, so I want to give you a little bit of tips for the first 30 days on how to thrive throughout it. I want you to plan simple meals to avoid overwhelm, like we talked about earlier. I want you to always carry safe snacks to prevent getting stuck hungry somewhere where you can't find something safe to eat. I want you to also join a support group or an online community like our Facebook group, the Gluten Free Engineer, for encouragement. And I want you to give yourself grace. Mistakes can happen and they probably will. And each one is there to teach you something. How can you fix it? How can you avoid this in the future? And if you're just starting your gluten-free journey, you don't have to do it alone. Every few weeks I send out a gluten-free newsletter with recipes, product finds, and encouragements to make the transition easier. Go ahead and sign up at theglutenfreeengineer.com so you always have support and new ideas in your inbox. And then here's the one thing that made the biggest difference for me in the first 30 days was keeping a list of safe go-to meals and snacks, whether it was on my fridge or on my counter. In those early weeks, decision fatigue is definitely real. So having a list I could glance at look, you know, took away the stress of what do I eat and made everything more manageable because we don't want you stuck worried about what to eat next. 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 theglutenfreeengineer.com. 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 medical advice. Always consult with a qualified health care professional for medical questions, concerns, or advice specific to your health.
