HealthBean Nutrition

Being diagnosed with celiac disease can be very overwhelming. Firstly, as unfortunate as it is, there is not much support out there when your doctor hands you the diagnosis of celiac disease. Many of my clients have told me that they were informed to ‘google’ the diet and were then shown the door.

I remember when I was diagnosed, my doctor said “well you’re a dietitian so this should be easy for you.”

Yes, that was it.

I definitely feel I had a leg up than others, for sure. But, it was still very difficult for me. The first year I learned so much more than the basic gluten free diet. From reading labels correctly, to correcting nutrient deficiencies, to navigating social situations, the learning curve is steep. And, of course, when you live a disease everyday, you see things through a different lens.

It is not as simple as ‘googling’ the gluten free diet. And, in fact, I would say it is much more dangerous to google the information as there is a lot of inaccurate information on the internet, especially when it comes to gluten free and celiac disease.

So, if you have just been diagnosed, take these 3 steps to get your health back on track:

1. Seek out accurate information from dietitian experts in the area of gluten free and celiac disease

Just as there are doctors that specialize in gastrointestinal disorders (gastroenterologists), there are dietitians that specialize in certain areas as well. And, when it comes to celiac disease, it’s very important that you use a dietitian with this expertise.

Registered Dietitians with expertise in the gluten free diet are the nutrition professionals you want to turn to in the case of celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity or wheat allergy. Not only have they taken a 5 year degree program to become registered as a dietitian in their particular province, they also have additional expertise in the gluten free diet helping to get you on the right track right away.

Avoid spending unnecessary dollars on a bunch of supplements, unnecessary and inaccurate ‘food intolerance’ tests, unnecessary microbiome assessments and wisely invest your health dollars, simply, in a dietitian.