Life is full of surprises — some good and some bad. Celiac disease is one of them, and it is up to you to decide whether or not it is a good or bad one.
One thing that has positively changed my life as a celiac is the habits I adopted.
Regardless of if you have an autoimmune disease, certain habits can result in positive outcomes. Celiac disease patients may specifically benefit from specific habits. As celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, it can affect several areas of your life. From chronic fatigue or another autoimmune diagnosis to depression, celiac disease sometimes gets the best of us and it is important to take care of both our physical and mental health to improve our lives.
Here are some habits to adopt if you have celiac disease:
Eat Healthy
Healthy eating is an important habit to implement for any individual. For celiac disease patients, it’s imperative because the main issue that arises for celiac disease patients occurs in the gut. Furthermore, vitamin deficiency is often associated with celiac disease. In order to nourish and heal your gut, you must eat healthy. Consider implementing healthy proteins, fats, carbs, and vegetables into each meal. Sooner or later it will become a habit you don’t even think about and your body will thank you for it.
Learn How to Research
One habit that I have unwillingly implemented into my life is researching. You may be thinking — Research is not a habit. You will quickly realize research is a habit for celiac disease patients. Unexpected symptoms? Research. Traveling? Research. Making restaurant reservations? Research.
The second I am invited to join family or friends at a restaurant, I am researching the restaurant, its menu, reviews, etc. It is a habit you will find yourself doing more often than you’d like to. I think someday we will be able to go to a restaurant or a new city without having to spend 30 minutes to an hour researching, but we are a ways away from this idea, and for now, we will need to implement research into our lives as a necessary habit.
Eat Probiotics
I personally think probiotics are not talked about enough. I’m sure you have heard about the benefits of probiotics a time or two, but it is definitely something that I do not hear talked about often. Probiotics help heal the gut and reduce inflammation, which is something celiac disease patients greatly struggle with. Make it a habit to eat probiotics throughout each day.
While some take a probiotic supplement, it is best to eat probiotic foods, such as:
- Yogurt
- Kimchi
- Tempeh
- Kombucha
- Miso
- Sauerkraut
- Kefir
- Pickles
Drink Plenty of Water
Staying hydrated with celiac disease is so important and I learned the hard way. With celiac disease, symptoms are the only way to figure out if you have been glutened. From fatigue to vomiting and sitting on the toilet, you can expect your body to experience dehydration if you have accidentally consumed gluten.
After consuming gluten, it is likely your body will try to discard and empty out your system to get rid of any toxins as soon as possible. This also means all liquids will be flushed out, causing dehydration and further complications. For this reason, I prioritize my water intake. Additionally, your body will work to repair itself faster with adequate water intake.
Though I never intentionally consume gluten, there have been times I most likely consumed gluten through cross contact or just ate something my stomach did not necessarily agree with and I would become sick, and dehydrated.
Drink Tea
Herbal tea has been known for its soothing effect and digestion aid. Many herbal teas can support gut health, help bloating, stomachaches, constipation, and IBS, and improve sleep. There are many benefits to drinking tea. Here are a few teas that are best for digestion:
- Peppermint tea
- Black tea
- Ginger tea
- Fennel seed tea
- Licorice tea
- Chamomile tea
Exercise
Make exercise a part of your daily habits to stay healthy, relieve stress, and improve your overall health. Exercise has been a form of therapy for me and has been a habit I adopted into my life many years ago. It is something I look forward to, and is extremely beneficial for celiac disease patients.
Exercise does not need to be intense and vigorous. You do not need to push yourself to the point where you nearly pass out. Create an exercise routine you enjoy and that keeps you active. Start small and go from there.
Here are exercise examples:
- Walking
- Jogging
- Weight lifting
- Swimming
- Hiking
Follow a Routine
Creating and following a routine has allowed me to implement exercise into my daily life, meal prep, and ensure I am still living a healthy, balanced life with celiac disease. I try to stay as fit as possible, while still enjoying basic life components such as family gatherings, friend outings, and enjoying new foods at restaurants that are new to me.
Small changes lead to significant results. As stress is big with celiac disease patients, it is important to implement small habits that will make a big difference.
Listening to my favorite podcast while doing my nightly skincare routine, working out, meal prepping, and saving treat meals for the weekend are all part of my routine that helps me strive as a celiac disease patient. Though these are small activities in my routine, they are stress-relieving for me, and allow me to live my best life with an autoimmune disease.
Reduce Alcohol Intake
Drinking alcohol has become a social norm in today’s society. While I enjoy a drink or two every now and then, I often reflect on how harmful and foolish drinking alcohol is. It is crazy to think that so many of us resort to drinking to enhance the night, loosen up at a social event, or destress and relax after a stressful day or week. You may be telling yourself — one drink every so often won’t hurt. I would tell myself this every other weekend but came to realize it doesn’t hurt (if I don’t drink excessively) but it doesn’t do me any good either.
Alcohol does the exact opposite for me. I do not relax. My body responds poorly to alcohol, even one drink. And I finally realized the symptoms and feelings I am experiencing is my body telling me to stop drinking. I would experience extreme anxiety, insomnia, acne, stomachaches, and depression after drinking. Furthermore, I was pouring alcohol on an opened wound — my stomach.
With celiac disease, we should all be extra cautious with what we are consuming because of how long it takes our small intestines to heal. And the unfortunate thing is, we won’t know if it is completely healed without an endoscopy. Without gut health, our overall health suffers. So, consider how toxic alcohol is for your body as a celiac disease patient. Challenge yourself to reduce alcohol or completely cut it out and see how much better you feel. Educate yourself on alcohol consumption and its effects.
Meal Prep
Meal prepping can save you the time and energy that you might not have throughout the week. After a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is cook meals for both dinner and lunch for the following work days. Cooking, cleaning the kitchen, and doing the dishes is a whole job within itself.
I spend my Sundays prepping for the week, which includes meal prepping. Don’t get me wrong, meal prepping can take 1-4 hours depending on the meals, but it gives me time throughout the week to tackle other tasks and it gives me time to enjoy my hobbies outside of work. Additionally, it allows me to better manage my meals, stay healthy, save money, and ensure I am eating gluten free. Follow CeliacCulture on Instagram for meal prep ideas.
Weekly Schedules
Creating a schedule for the week that lies ahead of you is extremely beneficial. It doesn’t have to be an in-depth schedule that lists what you should or want to be doing every hour of the day. Instead, you can list the things you need to get done and schedule them throughout the week. This is very helpful because it has held me reliable for actions, tasks, and workouts that need to get done. I take note of any doctor’s or dentist’s appointments, returns that need to be made, grocery trips, exercise, etc.
Journal
Lastly, consider journaling. There are no limitations when it comes to journaling. Write down your thoughts, ideas, goals, feelings, or just storytell. Or maybe free-write every day and write about all of the above throughout each journal. Journal your celiac disease journey, or take note of the symptoms you experience after eating certain foods or at certain restaurants. Regardless of the method you use, you might find it to be very therapeutic and enjoyable.
Journaling has been largely talked about recently because of its benefits. Journaling can help you achieve goals, become inspired, improve anxiety and reduce stress, strengthen your memory, etc. Here are simple journaling ideas and topics to get you started.
Recap
With celiac disease comes stress, anxiety, questions, etc. Make your life more enjoyable and welcoming by implementing habits into your life. Consider the following:
- Eat healthy
- Learn how to research
- Eat probiotics
- Drink plenty of water
- Drink tea
- Exercise
- Follow a routine
- Reduce alcohol intake
- Meal prep
- Weekly schedules
- Journal
