Unexpected Ways to Survive Celiac Disease During the Holidays

The holidays can be a wonderful time of year as you gather with family and friends to celebrate. Unfortunately, if you are someone who has Celiac disease, the holidays can be a very tough time to get through. Whether you are preparing food for a large group of people or you are going to be attending other people’s gatherings, it is often overwhelming to manage your condition with all the food that is around during this time of year. Luckily, there are a number of unexpected ways that you can survive Celiac disease during the holidays.

Living with Celiac Disease Through the Holidays

Help With The Cooking

Whether you are going to host at home or you will be going to someone else’s house, make sure you have a hand in the food preparation. This way, you will be able to scope out the recipes and know what food has gluten in it and what does not. You can also make sure that you prepare something that is gluten free but also delicious.

Label Your Utensils

For people with severe Celiac disease, using a utensil that has been in contact with gluten can be devastating. Because of this, label your utensil, serving spoon, plate, glass, etc. so other people stay away from it and know not to touch it. Typically, nobody is looking to cross contaminate your items but an honest mistake can often be avoided.

Just Say No

You never want to hurt a family member’s feelings if they have invited you over to dinner but if you know there won’t be anything available for you to eat and you can’t bring your own dish, don’t feel guilty passing up an invitation. You’ll feel better in the long run and maybe you can plan a different food-free get together. Also, if you do attend, don’t be persuaded to try something you know you shouldn’t have.

Don’t Overindulge

If you have a little bit of leniency with your Celiac disease, don’t go overboard. There are plenty of sauces and extra ingredients that have minimal gluten in them. While you can consume them in small amounts, don’t over do it just because it is the holidays. This can push you over your tolerance levels and make you sick.

Get Advice

There are so many people just like you who have found interesting and creative ways to navigate Celiac disease holidays. Here are 5 tips for gluten free holiday eating.

Always be sure to communicate to your hosts or your guests that you have Celiac disease and cannot indulge the way other people can. This means you can either bring something that you know you can eat, help with the party or stay away from the food without offending anyone. You can survive Celiac disease this holiday season without making yourself sick.

Find our gluten free Herb Seasoned Stuffing Mix near you and make holiday eating a little bit easier! Available at many Sprouts Farmer’s Markets.