On a recent trip to Target, I discovered The Switch Witch — A toy and book set designed for kids who can't participate in eating all of the Halloween candy they collect while trick-or-treating. The concept is this: A great story about how The Switch Witch needs candy to be able to fly her broom, and so on Halloween night, kids leave out their candy for her, and she replaces the candy with a toy.

I absolutely love this concept for kids who have bad allergies and can't participate in Halloween. I myself was not a diagnosed Celiac when I was a kid, but I can't imagine the frustration parents must feel knowing their kids can't trick-or-treat and eat their candy like other kids can.

The beauty of this story is that because it is not part of traditional Halloween lore, families can spin the story into whatever your family needs are. It works for parents who are concerned about their kids diet or weight, or who just don't want a lot of sugar around the house. Whatever you use The Switch Witch for, it is a brilliant way to make sure a child still gets to participate in Halloween fun.

You can buy The Switch Witch here through Target.

Now, even better is that The Switch Witch and Target have teamed up to offer two $500 Target gift cards. Entering is easy: Purchase your Switch Witch from Target and take some photos of The Switch Witch in her new home. Next, submit your photos to The Switch Witch Facebook page. You can submit as many photos as you like. The two photos with the most votes, will each receive a $500 Target gift card.

Enjoy your new favorite Halloween tradition!

— The Healthy Celiac

Weekend trips with friends are supposed to be fun little escapes, but unfortunately for those with celiac disease, these trips can be full of anxiety about how you are going to navigate eating gluten free with a group. I'm not going to pretend that there is some magic formula for surviving a weekend away with friends, but after having done many (some very stressful) weekends myself, I have learned some ways to make them survivable. Here are my best tips for navigating gluten free eating on trips where you may not have much control over the kitchen.

1. If at all possible, be the one to do the grocery shopping --Whether you are staying at a hotel, or somewhere that has a kitchen, if you can be the one to grocery shop for whatever food your group gets, do it. If you are the one shopping, then you can pick up things for yourself that you know will be safe for you to eat — Things that DO NOT require kitchen tools. Remember, things like the toaster, pots, pans, etc will most like be used for gluten, so pick up things that can be cooked in a microwave or oven. I suggest things like Amy's gluten free burritos, frozen pizza (be sure and cook the pizza on a lot of tin foil) and frozen gluten free entrees like lasagna. While these may not be the healthiest choices, at least you can cook them without a bunch of added stress.

2. Have the right kitchen tools — paper towel and tin foil will be your best friend. Again, if you are sharing a kitchen, you are going to want a lot of paper towel and tin foil on hand. Both of these kitchen staples will ensure that your food can stay un cross contaminated. Do not use the common kitchen dish towel — odds are it will be sure to wipe up all sorts of gluten.

3. Keep your things separate — I went on a bachelorette weekend recently with 15 other ladies and the kitchen was a gluten nightmare. When I got to the house, I found a kitchen cupboard and stashed all my gluten free things in there. It was very helpful to have my own little place in the kitchen with extra crackers, snacks, tin foil, etc.

4. Wash your hands ... a lot -- This is an important one — With all the gluten circulating around, you never know what surfaces are clean. Be sure and wash your hands a lot when you are sharing a common kitchen with gluten.

5. Label your food, and then hide it — While away recently, I did this with a container of cream cheese. I put a big 'gluten free only' label on it, and then I hid it in the depths of the fridge. I don't think anyone even saw it except for me that weekend. If you have refrigerated items like cream cheese or hummus, then label them clearly. Most people are not used to accommodating a celiac, and just don't know that they can't share your food. Labeling and hiding are your two best bets to reminding people that your food needs to stay separate.

6. Stash some emergency food in your room / suitcase -- Throw a Larabar or KIND bar in your room for good measure. Just in case you find yourself starving, and you have run out of options.

7. For any shared condiments, try to get squeeze bottles — Offer to be the one to buy the condiments, and then purchase everything in squeeze bottle form. This has made my life SO much easier on multiple occasions. Squeeze bottle ketchup, mayo, mustard, etc can be a lifesaver because they ensure no cross contamination.

8. Remember that people usually have good intentions, but understanding celiac disease is hard — It can get very frustrating traveling with a group when people don't understand how hard / stressful it is to be gluten free. Remember though that most people don't have to understand this disease, and usually have good intentions. Try to up your level of tolerance for those who don't know what you go through.


Good luck!

— The Healthy Celiac

I'm not going to go so far as to say I feel the need to celebrate the fact that I have celiac disease, but in honor of May being Celiac Disease Awareness Month, I think it is worth looking at the bright side of this disease. There are an infinite number of reasons that having celiac disease sucks — autoimmune issues, random symptoms, no cure, etc. BUT, there are some positive ways this disease has impacted me, and there is no better time than Celiac Disease Awareness Month to look at them.

1. Celiac disease taught me to carefully evaluate everything I eat, and to make healthier choices. I don't know about you, but once I got diagnosed with celiac disease and changed my diet I cut out an enormous amount of crap from my diet. Having celiac disease forced me to learn how to really evaluate the food I eat, and make healthier decisions about what I am putting in my body. Gluten free or not, I now evaluate and carefully consider everything I eat.

2. Celiac disease got me off a whole lot of pharmaceutical drugs. There is a definitely a place for antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals, but for me getting a celiac diagnosis freed me from a lot of unnecessary prescription drugs. According to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, the average length of time it takes for a symptomatic person to be diagnosed with celiac disease in the US is four years. I spent three years undiagnosed, and those years were full of everything from antacids to antidepressants – all of which I did not need. Too many pharmaceutical drugs had left my body feeling more confused and ill than ever. Getting a celiac disease diagnosis was a welcome relief to me — I was no longer trying to fix a variety of symptoms with synthetic drugs.

3. Celiac disease gave me a much deeper compassion for those with chronic illness. I now know what it feels like to have absolutely zero control over my body. I understand what it feels like to feel trapped by an illness and unable to fix it, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Not only has celiac disease made me very thankful I am not battling a more severe and fatal illness, but I also have a lot of empathy for those who are dealing with chronic health challenges. There are many days I walk down the street feeling like absolute garbage, and look perfectly healthy on the outside. There are a lot of other people out there battling their own health issues, and I now have a much deeper compassion for them.

4. Celiac disease has taught me to be responsible for my own health care. I would be shocked to meet someone with celiac disease who hasn't had a handful of disappointing exchanges with health care professionals. I have learned that my health is in my own hands, and if I go to a doctor it is on me to take responsibility for my own health. I remember once being in a clinic getting a prescription for antibiotics and told the doctor I needed to ensure my medication was gluten free because I have celiac disease, to which he responded: "that is where you can't eat wheat right?". This exchange was only about a year ago — my first thought was, who the hell let this man practice medicine?  The point is, I can't expect a doctor to have all the answers  — It is up to me to ask the right questions, and ensure I feel comfortable, regardless of what health issue I am addressing.

5. Celiac disease has taught me how to be patient ... very, very patient. Most people with celiac disease pretty much have a PHD in patience. They most likely struggled though a diagnosis, then struggled through learning how to properly eat gluten free, had to address all their symptoms and residual health problems from this disease, and learn how to educate those around them.  Then there is the added bonus of all the times that a Celiac accidentally ingests gluten and has to endure the 1-5 weeks it takes for the body to heal. All of this ends up making for one very patient person. I didn't notice myself growing especially patient, but when I think about all the time I have spent 'waiting to feel better' I realize that I have actually become a master in the art of patience for things I can't control.

6. Celiac disease has taught me how to take initiative to educate myself. This disease does not come with a handbook — far from it. There are hundreds of potential celiac disease related symptoms, and literally no two people with celiac disease will have the same symptoms and experience. This disease has required hundreds of hours of reading online, asking questions, evaluating information and drawing my own conclusions. I have learned to apply these research and analytical skills to other areas of my life as well. I am much more competent and confident person when it comes to seeking out information and answers to problems. 

Have other ways that celiac disease has actually been a good thing in your life? Please share in the comments!

— The Healthy Celiac

In honor of May being Celiac Disease Awareness Month, I thought it would be a good time to do a post about how to answer questions about celiac disease. Like every other celiac out there, I have been asked about thousand times 'what exactly is celiac disease?'or 'what happens when you eat gluten' — It took me a while to come up with short, succinct ways to answer these question without going into all the sorted details or blabbing on for a long time.

For a while it annoyed me to try and describe what celiac was like, but now I have short, rehearsed responses to these questions. I of course answer with what I am comfortable talking about, and discuss the symptoms that are specific to me. Every celiac is different, and may answer these questions differently!

When I get asked, 'what is celiac disease' I usually reply: It's an autoimmune disease, meaning when I eat gluten, my body doesn't know how to process it, and thinks it is a foreign antibody. Essentially, my body starts attacking itself in different ways — stomach pain, bloating, hair loss, nerve damage, etc.

When I get asked, 'what happens when you eat gluten' I usually reply: About 20 minutes after I eat gluten I notice the effects. It starts with stomach pain and upset, and then in the days and weeks following, I have a variety of issues like: brain fog, exhaustion, hair loss, joint pain, weigh gain, etc. Your body stops being able to absorb nutrients and that causes a whole host of problems in the body.

When I get asked, 'how do you get celiac disease?' I usually reply: It's a genetic condition, some people are born with it, while others carry the gene silently, until one day it 'kicks in'. A physically or emotionally dramatic event can set it off if you carry the gene, for me it was getting a parasite.

When I get asked, 'do you ever cheat and eat gluten?' I usually reply: No, definitely not. I was so sick for so long prior to my celiac diagnosis, I would never inflict that on myself voluntarily.

When I get asked, 'will a little bit of gluten really hurt you?' I usually reply: Yes, even a tiny bit sets my entire body off — it's like turning on a light switch, once it's on, it's on.

When I get asked 'you're cured as long as you don't eat gluten, right?' I usually reply: Eating a gluten free diet stops the symptoms, it doesn't cure the disease. Celiac disease is a chronic disease with no cure. There are a lot of residual health problems that are associated with celiac disease.

I hope these answers help some of you out there who find it frustrating to answer questions about celiac disease! The more people who know about and understand this disease, the better!

— The Healthy Celiac

As any Celiac or gluten free foodie knows, travel can be a huge challenge when it comes to getting gluten free food on the go. Unexpected layovers, missed connections, and airport terminals with nothing but a Burger King tend to be a big problem when you find yourself suddenly starving. I remember being stuck at LAX for six hours once due to a delayed flight, and there was literally nothing I could safely eat  — even the Hudson News nuts were made in a facility that processed wheat. I definitely learned my lesson to never travel unprepared and on an empty stomach ever again. While some airlines are getting better at having at least a few labeled gluten free snacks on board (shout-out to Delta and Westjet), I never bank on being able to snack in the air.  Now when I travel, I make sure I'm prepared.

Here are my gluten free travel tips to keep you feeling full and nourished on your next journey:

• Depending on what time you are departing, eat a meal before you go — I often pack something to go and eat at the gate. This solution isn't  fool proof if you have a 6am flight though — when that is the case, I rely on the snacks I pack.

• Pack a few snacks — In theory this sounds easy, but I am almost always scrambling to get out of town and rarely have time to pack the snacks that I would ideally want. So, instead I make sure I have a KIND bar or a Larabar (I always keep a few in my kitchen at home for running-out-the-door emergencies). These bars have enough protein to tide me over in a pinch.

• If you're flying cross country or transcontinental, let your airline know ahead of time you have a gluten allergy — Most airlines who serve a meal will accommodate a dietary restriction with enough warning. Delta did a great job of handling this for me when I flew to Europe last year (I had a totally gluten free meal ready for me on-board), and I have had the same experience with Cathay Pacific who provides meals for their Vancouver - New York - Hong Kong route.

• Have a destination meal plan — I do my best to plan my schedule for when I land, and figure out when my next opportunity to eat will be. If I am going somewhere and heading straight into meetings, or know I have a long car or train ride ahead of me, I make sure I overestimate my need for packed snacks. When I'm preparing the food for my journey I am usually at home, and not starving. Many times I have underestimated how much food I will need. One KIND bar in my purse is NOT going to cut it when I have an 8 hour travel day ahead of me (I also always forget how long it takes to get a rental car), so I now double up on snacks.

• Eat clean before you travel — Because traveling as a Celiac and looking for something to eat can sometimes feel like an episode of Survivor, I try to travel feeling the best I can. Pre celiac disease days I used to indulge at the airport and eat the honey roasted peanuts and snack on that bag of chips, but no more. Now when I travel I make sure I haven't eaten a bunch of sugar (don't need a hypoglycemic fit), I am well hydrated, and I have loaded up on veggies and lean protein before hand.

• No alcohol — Say it with me friends, 'I will not drink on-board'. I like a glass of red at 30,000 feet as much as the next person, but every time I have had a drink in the sky I have regretted it .... every, single, time. Not only is it majorly dehydrating, but my meal of Larabars just doesn't seem to sustain my appetite once I have some cabernet in me.

Happy travels!

— The Healthy Celiac