December 4, 2025 • 13 mins
If you’re new to the gluten-free lifestyle — or you remember those early days of feeling overwhelmed — today’s episode is for you.
When I first went gluten-free, I had no idea how much my life was about to change… for the better AND the harder. I made mistakes, I was frustrated in grocery aisles, and I learned so many things the hard way. Today, I’m sharing the 5 things I wish I knew when I first went gluten-free, so your journey can be smoother than mine.
And stick around until the end, because I’ll share the ONE thing that would’ve saved me months of stress.
This episode is brought to you by Find Me Gluten Free—your go-to app for discovering safe, gluten-free dining options wherever you go!
Get your exclusive discount for our listeners at theglutenfreeengineer.com/findmeglutenfree
Because dinning out gluten-free shouldn’t be a guessing game!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carrie Saunders (00:00):
Quick reminder before we get started on this
episode.
This podcast is based on mypersonal experiences and isn't
medical advice.
If you're new to thegluten-free lifestyle or you
remember those early days offeeling overwhelmed, today's
episode is for you.
And when I first wentgluten-free, I had no idea how
much my life was about to changefor the better and the harder.
(00:21):
I made mistakes, I wasfrustrated in grocery aisles,
and I learned so many things thehard way.
Today I'm sharing the fivethings I wish I knew when I
first went gluten-free so yourjourney can be smoother than
mine.
And stick around to the endbecause I'll share the one thing
that would have saved me monthsof stress.
Let's dive in.
Welcome to the Gluten FreeEngineer Podcast.
I'm your host, Carrie Saunders.
(00:42):
In 2011, I was diagnosed withceliac disease, a moment that
changed everything.
But I was determined not to letit hold me back.
With my two engineeringdegrees, I set out to reverse
engineer the gluten-freelifestyle, breaking down
recipes, safety tips, travelhacks, and everything in between
to rebuild a life I love.
Whether you have celiacdisease, gluten intolerance, or
(01:04):
simply choose to livegluten-free, this podcast is for
you.
Join me each week as wesimplify the gluten-free
lifestyle, make it fun, andprove that you don't have to
miss out on anything.
Welcome back to the show.
Today we're talking about thefive things I wish I knew when I
first went gluten-free.
And one of the first things Iwish I knew is that tiny amounts
(01:24):
of gluten really do matter.
And especially the more youheal, the more those tiny
amounts really matter whenyou're celiac.
And it's not just about a bite,that cross contact can really
throw you for a loop.
I actually realized when Ifirst went gluten-free, um, and
real when I realized I hadceliac that I was better off
(01:46):
getting a lot of gluten thanjust a tiny bit, because a lot
of gluten, uh my body would justget rid of it quickly.
Well just say that.
But a tiny bit of gluten wouldlinger on for days.
And I found, you know, in bothsituations, though, I would
usually have debilitatingmigraines and complete brain
fog, and it just wasn't like agood thing.
(02:09):
And so knowing that howsensitive I was and how I needed
to be really careful was reallyimportant for me to learn.
And this is something you maynot know at first, and that's
all right, and that's why I'mhere to tell you this that the
tiny amounts can matter.
Now you could be anasymptomatic celiac, or you
know, you might be glutenintolerant and you might be able
(02:30):
to tolerate a little bit.
But if you're celiac, know thatit's still doing damage to your
body, even if you don't feelsymptoms.
And many people learn this thehard way of not being super
careful when they're celiac andstill having damage, still
having that long-term issues ofvitamin deficiencies and all the
other things that wreaks havocon us.
(02:50):
Um, and we need to make surethat tiny amounts are not
getting to our system as much aspossible.
So work on, you know, gettingthat cross-contamination um
minimal to nothing at all whenyou are, you know, either eating
in your house or going out toeat.
It's just really important whenwe're celiac and then when we
are gluten intolerant orotherwise.
(03:11):
Um, it's just going to probablydepend upon your level of
symptoms there.
And then another thing I had tolearn that gluten hides
everywhere.
It's not just in bread andpasta, it's not in the typical
things.
It is in soy sauce, it's inother sauces, it can be in
broths, it can be in seasonings,it can be in candy and gums,
(03:32):
um, it can be in medication thatis one of the more frustrating
things for me because you haveto, you don't even can't even
look at the inactive ingredientshalf the time, especially
prescription medications, andyou have to work with your
pharmacist there.
It can be in cosmetics,toothpaste, shampoo, like just
about anything out there, it canbe in there.
And why that is, is becauseit's a very inexpensive binder,
(03:55):
it's a really inexpensivethickening agent, too.
So many times flour is used inthese things, or wheat is used,
or some form of wheat thatcreates this binding agency.
That's one of the reasons whyit can be a medication is to
hold the pills together.
And so we need to be reallycareful about you know looking
(04:16):
at every single thing.
And one of the things I liketo, you know, think about too is
like lotions and anything thatyou put on your body or in your
in your body, both, are reallyimportant to double check that
there isn't gluten in it.
Even in our house, our umanimals are gluten-free as well.
Because we, you know, with allof us being celiac, we don't
(04:39):
want the dog or the cat food tomake us sick.
Um, whether we're handling itor whether we fet that animal or
something, we don't want tomake it make it make us sick.
It's also something that catsaren't supposed to be eating.
They're supposed to be eating,you know, they're carnivores,
they're just supposed to beeating carnivores.
So really getting them offthat's much healthier for them
too.
And, you know, there's reallyno animal out there that will
(05:02):
eat straight up wheat, barley,or rye uh without getting a
stomach ache unless we haveprocessed it for them and put it
in their food.
So I tend to lean towards thefact that one, it helps us as
celiacs and those who are verysensitive to gluten, um, and
it's a bit better on our animalsuh to be careful what we're
feeding them.
Obviously, talk to your vet.
(05:23):
I'm double not saying that I'ma vet here, but this is just my
opinion on um what I think we'vedone to our mainstream food for
our animals as well.
And learning is many times asteep learning curve whenever
we're first going gluten-freeand trying to find all the
gluten ingredients.
There are really um odd namesfor some of the ingredients that
(05:44):
actually are gluteningredients.
So I would do a search to findout what those names are.
I there are I don't want to saythem on the podcast because I
know I would mispronounce someof them.
They're really kind of crazy,um long, weird words, especially
when they come to being putinto cosmetics and medicine and
shampoos and stuff like that.
So do be careful and look upthat current list for that.
(06:07):
And it does get easier andbecomes very automatic over
time.
It's I can glance at a labelnow, and it's no problem for me
to find whether there's glutenin it or not.
So don't feel like this issuper overwhelming.
Take it one step at a time.
You know, figure out you know,those first favorite things that
you use all the time.
Start with what you use all thetime, and that will make it
(06:28):
easier and make sure they'regluten-free.
And then, you know, when youwant to add something new to
your life, whether it's um atopical thing, a cosmetic of
some sort or toothpaste orsomething, or something you want
to eat, double check those newthings.
And then number three, if youare celiac or highly gluten
intolerant, healing can takelonger than most people tell
you.
It's not instant.
(06:49):
Um, some take symptoms takeweeks, some symptoms take
months, some symptoms take yearsto get through.
And it's normal to feelfrustrated and or discouraged on
those early days, especiallywhen you've removed it and you
still don't feel great yet.
You hear that, oh, you're gonnafeel really good once you go
off gluten.
Well, every every body isdifferent, every person's body,
(07:11):
you know, is different in thishealing process.
So you may feel a differencewithin a day or two.
Um, but you know, maybesomebody else, you know, it's
gonna take them weeks or a monthto really feel better.
It just really depends on howmuch damage and how much your
body reacts to gluten.
So feel, you know, know thatthat's normal, just to be really
(07:31):
patient.
Your body is rebuilding.
So give it some time and giveyourself grace.
Very likely you've been eatinggluten all your life and didn't
know it was bothering you.
And so it's been slowly, youknow, potentially damaging you
or causing you um, you know,health issues, health symptoms
over all these years, and theyprobably gradually grew upon
you.
So know that that's kind of thesame reverse process.
(07:54):
It's like, you know, when wegain weight over the years and
then we try to lose it, it's notan instant loss of weight.
You know, we need to work andslowly bring that weight off
just like it's slowly added on.
Uh similar for you know,healing with celiac and uh
gluten-intolerant symptoms.
And then number four, feelingleft out is real.
Oh my goodness, so real, andit's so normal.
(08:16):
Social gatherings can be veryhard, family events both can be
very hard and emotional.
You just got to take each oneat a time and look at how to
make each one uh find a way tomake it happy, find a way to
find joy and it find a way toappreciate the people you're
with and try to take the focusoff the food.
(08:37):
That is what's going to reallyhelp you at first.
And I know that food is tiedtradition to tradition,
belonging, and connection, butlet's work on the the social
aspect of it and therelationships, you know, while
you're in this healing andlearning process that will make
those type of events uh lessstressful and more focused on
(08:58):
happiness.
And with time, you will learnnew traditions, you will learn
food swaps, you will learnconfidence.
Um, you'll become like me,where I just love bringing my
gluten-free stuff and I knowpeople are going to enjoy it and
not even realize it'sgluten-free.
You'll get to that point overtime with practice.
It took me a while to get tothat point.
I had so many failures in thebeginning.
(09:20):
Um, it's completely, completelynormal.
You just, you know, try, tryagain.
And then number five, you areallowed to advocate for yourself
without guilt.
This was something very hardfor me.
I felt like I was being tooneedy or being too dramatic and
or annoying or like the extraspecial person.
(09:41):
I just felt like all the eyeswere on me and that I was just
trying to be, you know, draw allthe attention to me.
And I really wasn't, but that'show I perceived other people,
you know, seeing me.
And just remember, you'reprotecting your health.
You're not being dramatic,you're not being annoying,
you're not trying to be thatperson that wants all the
(10:02):
attention.
And saying, I can't eat thisisn't rude.
It's responsible.
Or you can simply say no, thankyou.
You know, people decline foodall the time.
Don't feel like it's weird ifyou say no, thank you.
I'm not interested in thatitem.
You don't have to say I can'teat it because it's not
gluten-free.
You can just say no, thank youtoo.
(10:22):
That can be much easier to doaround those who um are a bit
more, you know, feel like maybeyou're making a big deal out of
something that you shouldn't be,even though you really should
be.
So give yourself grace andpermission to say no thank you,
or if needed, I can't eat thatfood if they're really insisting
upon it.
And your future self will thankyou every time.
(10:42):
You will feel so much betteronce you get through this
awkward phase, it'll just becomesecond nature and family and
friends will start to justrealize okay, she or he's not
going to eat those foods becauseshe can't anymore.
Um, so just you know, take itone step at a time, take a deep
breath, and you know, enjoyyourself and just say no, thank
(11:02):
you when needed.
And if you're early on yourgluten-free journey or you just
need encouragement along theway, or love new recipes, my
newsletter is full of simplerecipes, tips, and support.
You can go on over totheglutenfreeengineer.com and
click on the newsletter link tosign right up.
I'd love to help you feelconfident and safe on this
(11:23):
journey.
And then here's the thing Iwish someone had told me from
day one.
You don't have to get itperfect to make progress.
Every mistake teaches yousomething, every win builds
confidence, and over time itstops feeling overwhelming.
You're learning a whole new wayof life, very likely, and
you're doing better than youthink.
(11:44):
So just keep going and youknow, draw upon your wins, learn
from your mistakes, and youhave got this.
You will be able to make greatprogress, feel great, and get
your life back again.
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the Gluten Free
Engineer.
If you found value in thisstory, please share it with
(12:06):
someone who might needencouragement on their own
gluten-free journey.
For more tips, recipes,resources, and even links to my
YouTube channel, head on over totheglutenfreeengineer.com.
It's your one-stop hub to makegluten-free living simple, fun,
and full of flavor.
And don't forget to subscribeso you never miss out on an
(12:27):
episode.
And we will see you next week.
The Gluten Free EngineerPodcast is for informational and
entertainment purposes only.
I share my personal experiencesand stories about living with
celiac disease and navigating agluten free lifestyle.
This podcast does not providemedical advice.
Always consult with a qualifiedhealth care professional for
medical questions, concerns, oradvice specific to your health.
Quick reminder before we get started on this
episode.
This podcast is based on mypersonal experiences and isn't
medical advice.
If you're new to thegluten-free lifestyle or you
remember those early days offeeling overwhelmed, today's
episode is for you.
And when I first wentgluten-free, I had no idea how
much my life was about to changefor the better and the harder.
(00:21):
I made mistakes, I wasfrustrated in grocery aisles,
and I learned so many things thehard way.
Today I'm sharing the fivethings I wish I knew when I
first went gluten-free so yourjourney can be smoother than
mine.
And stick around to the endbecause I'll share the one thing
that would have saved me monthsof stress.
Let's dive in.
Welcome to the Gluten FreeEngineer Podcast.
I'm your host, Carrie Saunders.
(00:42):
In 2011, I was diagnosed withceliac disease, a moment that
changed everything.
But I was determined not to letit hold me back.
With my two engineeringdegrees, I set out to reverse
engineer the gluten-freelifestyle, breaking down
recipes, safety tips, travelhacks, and everything in between
to rebuild a life I love.
Whether you have celiacdisease, gluten intolerance, or
(01:04):
simply choose to livegluten-free, this podcast is for
you.
Join me each week as wesimplify the gluten-free
lifestyle, make it fun, andprove that you don't have to
miss out on anything.
Welcome back to the show.
Today we're talking about thefive things I wish I knew when I
first went gluten-free.
And one of the first things Iwish I knew is that tiny amounts
(01:24):
of gluten really do matter.
And especially the more youheal, the more those tiny
amounts really matter whenyou're celiac.
And it's not just about a bite,that cross contact can really
throw you for a loop.
I actually realized when Ifirst went gluten-free, um, and
real when I realized I hadceliac that I was better off
(01:46):
getting a lot of gluten thanjust a tiny bit, because a lot
of gluten, uh my body would justget rid of it quickly.
Well just say that.
But a tiny bit of gluten wouldlinger on for days.
And I found, you know, in bothsituations, though, I would
usually have debilitatingmigraines and complete brain
fog, and it just wasn't like agood thing.
(02:09):
And so knowing that howsensitive I was and how I needed
to be really careful was reallyimportant for me to learn.
And this is something you maynot know at first, and that's
all right, and that's why I'mhere to tell you this that the
tiny amounts can matter.
Now you could be anasymptomatic celiac, or you
know, you might be glutenintolerant and you might be able
(02:30):
to tolerate a little bit.
But if you're celiac, know thatit's still doing damage to your
body, even if you don't feelsymptoms.
And many people learn this thehard way of not being super
careful when they're celiac andstill having damage, still
having that long-term issues ofvitamin deficiencies and all the
other things that wreaks havocon us.
(02:50):
Um, and we need to make surethat tiny amounts are not
getting to our system as much aspossible.
So work on, you know, gettingthat cross-contamination um
minimal to nothing at all whenyou are, you know, either eating
in your house or going out toeat.
It's just really important whenwe're celiac and then when we
are gluten intolerant orotherwise.
(03:11):
Um, it's just going to probablydepend upon your level of
symptoms there.
And then another thing I had tolearn that gluten hides
everywhere.
It's not just in bread andpasta, it's not in the typical
things.
It is in soy sauce, it's inother sauces, it can be in
broths, it can be in seasonings,it can be in candy and gums,
(03:32):
um, it can be in medication thatis one of the more frustrating
things for me because you haveto, you don't even can't even
look at the inactive ingredientshalf the time, especially
prescription medications, andyou have to work with your
pharmacist there.
It can be in cosmetics,toothpaste, shampoo, like just
about anything out there, it canbe in there.
And why that is, is becauseit's a very inexpensive binder,
(03:55):
it's a really inexpensivethickening agent, too.
So many times flour is used inthese things, or wheat is used,
or some form of wheat thatcreates this binding agency.
That's one of the reasons whyit can be a medication is to
hold the pills together.
And so we need to be reallycareful about you know looking
(04:16):
at every single thing.
And one of the things I liketo, you know, think about too is
like lotions and anything thatyou put on your body or in your
in your body, both, are reallyimportant to double check that
there isn't gluten in it.
Even in our house, our umanimals are gluten-free as well.
Because we, you know, with allof us being celiac, we don't
(04:39):
want the dog or the cat food tomake us sick.
Um, whether we're handling itor whether we fet that animal or
something, we don't want tomake it make it make us sick.
It's also something that catsaren't supposed to be eating.
They're supposed to be eating,you know, they're carnivores,
they're just supposed to beeating carnivores.
So really getting them offthat's much healthier for them
too.
And, you know, there's reallyno animal out there that will
(05:02):
eat straight up wheat, barley,or rye uh without getting a
stomach ache unless we haveprocessed it for them and put it
in their food.
So I tend to lean towards thefact that one, it helps us as
celiacs and those who are verysensitive to gluten, um, and
it's a bit better on our animalsuh to be careful what we're
feeding them.
Obviously, talk to your vet.
(05:23):
I'm double not saying that I'ma vet here, but this is just my
opinion on um what I think we'vedone to our mainstream food for
our animals as well.
And learning is many times asteep learning curve whenever
we're first going gluten-freeand trying to find all the
gluten ingredients.
There are really um odd namesfor some of the ingredients that
(05:44):
actually are gluteningredients.
So I would do a search to findout what those names are.
I there are I don't want to saythem on the podcast because I
know I would mispronounce someof them.
They're really kind of crazy,um long, weird words, especially
when they come to being putinto cosmetics and medicine and
shampoos and stuff like that.
So do be careful and look upthat current list for that.
(06:07):
And it does get easier andbecomes very automatic over
time.
It's I can glance at a labelnow, and it's no problem for me
to find whether there's glutenin it or not.
So don't feel like this issuper overwhelming.
Take it one step at a time.
You know, figure out you know,those first favorite things that
you use all the time.
Start with what you use all thetime, and that will make it
(06:28):
easier and make sure they'regluten-free.
And then, you know, when youwant to add something new to
your life, whether it's um atopical thing, a cosmetic of
some sort or toothpaste orsomething, or something you want
to eat, double check those newthings.
And then number three, if youare celiac or highly gluten
intolerant, healing can takelonger than most people tell
you.
It's not instant.
(06:49):
Um, some take symptoms takeweeks, some symptoms take
months, some symptoms take yearsto get through.
And it's normal to feelfrustrated and or discouraged on
those early days, especiallywhen you've removed it and you
still don't feel great yet.
You hear that, oh, you're gonnafeel really good once you go
off gluten.
Well, every every body isdifferent, every person's body,
(07:11):
you know, is different in thishealing process.
So you may feel a differencewithin a day or two.
Um, but you know, maybesomebody else, you know, it's
gonna take them weeks or a monthto really feel better.
It just really depends on howmuch damage and how much your
body reacts to gluten.
So feel, you know, know thatthat's normal, just to be really
(07:31):
patient.
Your body is rebuilding.
So give it some time and giveyourself grace.
Very likely you've been eatinggluten all your life and didn't
know it was bothering you.
And so it's been slowly, youknow, potentially damaging you
or causing you um, you know,health issues, health symptoms
over all these years, and theyprobably gradually grew upon
you.
So know that that's kind of thesame reverse process.
(07:54):
It's like, you know, when wegain weight over the years and
then we try to lose it, it's notan instant loss of weight.
You know, we need to work andslowly bring that weight off
just like it's slowly added on.
Uh similar for you know,healing with celiac and uh
gluten-intolerant symptoms.
And then number four, feelingleft out is real.
Oh my goodness, so real, andit's so normal.
(08:16):
Social gatherings can be veryhard, family events both can be
very hard and emotional.
You just got to take each oneat a time and look at how to
make each one uh find a way tomake it happy, find a way to
find joy and it find a way toappreciate the people you're
with and try to take the focusoff the food.
(08:37):
That is what's going to reallyhelp you at first.
And I know that food is tiedtradition to tradition,
belonging, and connection, butlet's work on the the social
aspect of it and therelationships, you know, while
you're in this healing andlearning process that will make
those type of events uh lessstressful and more focused on
(08:58):
happiness.
And with time, you will learnnew traditions, you will learn
food swaps, you will learnconfidence.
Um, you'll become like me,where I just love bringing my
gluten-free stuff and I knowpeople are going to enjoy it and
not even realize it'sgluten-free.
You'll get to that point overtime with practice.
It took me a while to get tothat point.
I had so many failures in thebeginning.
(09:20):
Um, it's completely, completelynormal.
You just, you know, try, tryagain.
And then number five, you areallowed to advocate for yourself
without guilt.
This was something very hardfor me.
I felt like I was being tooneedy or being too dramatic and
or annoying or like the extraspecial person.
(09:41):
I just felt like all the eyeswere on me and that I was just
trying to be, you know, draw allthe attention to me.
And I really wasn't, but that'show I perceived other people,
you know, seeing me.
And just remember, you'reprotecting your health.
You're not being dramatic,you're not being annoying,
you're not trying to be thatperson that wants all the
(10:02):
attention.
And saying, I can't eat thisisn't rude.
It's responsible.
Or you can simply say no, thankyou.
You know, people decline foodall the time.
Don't feel like it's weird ifyou say no, thank you.
I'm not interested in thatitem.
You don't have to say I can'teat it because it's not
gluten-free.
You can just say no, thank youtoo.
(10:22):
That can be much easier to doaround those who um are a bit
more, you know, feel like maybeyou're making a big deal out of
something that you shouldn't be,even though you really should
be.
So give yourself grace andpermission to say no thank you,
or if needed, I can't eat thatfood if they're really insisting
upon it.
And your future self will thankyou every time.
(10:42):
You will feel so much betteronce you get through this
awkward phase, it'll just becomesecond nature and family and
friends will start to justrealize okay, she or he's not
going to eat those foods becauseshe can't anymore.
Um, so just you know, take itone step at a time, take a deep
breath, and you know, enjoyyourself and just say no, thank
(11:02):
you when needed.
And if you're early on yourgluten-free journey or you just
need encouragement along theway, or love new recipes, my
newsletter is full of simplerecipes, tips, and support.
You can go on over totheglutenfreeengineer.com and
click on the newsletter link tosign right up.
I'd love to help you feelconfident and safe on this
(11:23):
journey.
And then here's the thing Iwish someone had told me from
day one.
You don't have to get itperfect to make progress.
Every mistake teaches yousomething, every win builds
confidence, and over time itstops feeling overwhelming.
You're learning a whole new wayof life, very likely, and
you're doing better than youthink.
(11:44):
So just keep going and youknow, draw upon your wins, learn
from your mistakes, and youhave got this.
You will be able to make greatprogress, feel great, and get
your life back again.
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the Gluten Free
Engineer.
If you found value in thisstory, please share it with
(12:06):
someone who might needencouragement on their own
gluten-free journey.
For more tips, recipes,resources, and even links to my
YouTube channel, head on over totheglutenfreeengineer.com.
It's your one-stop hub to makegluten-free living simple, fun,
and full of flavor.
And don't forget to subscribeso you never miss out on an
(12:27):
episode.
And we will see you next week.
The Gluten Free EngineerPodcast is for informational and
entertainment purposes only.
I share my personal experiencesand stories about living with
celiac disease and navigating agluten free lifestyle.
This podcast does not providemedical advice.
Always consult with a qualifiedhealth care professional for
medical questions, concerns, oradvice specific to your health.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.