November 6, 2025 • 12 mins
Thanksgiving can be one of the hardest holidays when you’re gluten-free.
There’s food everywhere, family traditions, and sometimes… not much you can safely eat. It can feel stressful, awkward, or even isolating. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
In this episode, I’m sharing how to survive Thanksgiving gluten-free — without the stress — so you can actually enjoy the day, feel confident, and stay healthy. Stick around until the end, because I’ll share my personal trick for navigating family gatherings without feeling left out.
Come join us in our free Facebook Community, The Gluten Free Engineer.
It’s a space where you can connect with others living gluten-free, ask questions, swap tips and recipes, and get support from people who truly get it. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or a seasoned gluten-free pro, you’ll feel right at home.
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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.
Thanksgiving can be one of thehardest holidays when you're
gluten-free.
There's food everywhere, familytraditions, and sometimes not
much you can safely eat.
It can feel stressful, awkward,or even isolating, but it
(00:20):
doesn't need to be that way.
And then this episode I'msharing how to survive
Thanksgiving gluten-free withoutthe stress so you can actually
enjoy the day, feel confident,and stay healthy.
Stick around at the end becauseI'll share my personal trick
for navigating family gatheringswithout feeling left out.
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 aboutsurviving big holidays such as
Thanksgiving while you're livinggluten-free.
Because many of these holidays,at least in America, are very
(01:25):
much surrounded by lots of food,especially Thanksgiving.
You might be the onlygluten-free person at the table,
and that can feel intimidating.
I know when I was firstdiagnosed with celiac and first
gluten-free, I was the only oneat the table, and it was really
weird and really awkward.
And it wasn't until a few yearslater that we figure out that
(01:46):
my children had celiac too.
And interesting thing is, isyou know, this is uh as of this
recording, 2025, and I wasdiagnosed in 2011.
Now one side of my family isstarting to approach about half
of the people who have celiacover there.
So it's getting to be a littlebit of an interesting um
transition here as more and morepeople in my family are finding
(02:09):
out they have celiac.
But let's go back to whether,you know, let's say you are the
one or the one of the few thathave celiac or need to be
gluten-free for other reasons atThanksgiving.
And the hardest part sometimesis not just the food, it's also
the emotions tied to traditionand belonging.
And I find that that is reallywhat can make emotions pretty
(02:33):
hard when we're at a thThanksgiving or family gathering
or anything similar, is it'sjust those emotions tied to that
tradition and feeling left out.
And you feel like sometimes youdon't have anything to eat or
you risk getting sick if you dotry to eat something.
But we want to find that middleground.
That's something that I workedto do pretty quickly because I
(02:57):
didn't want to be miserableanymore.
And something I want to helpyou guys be able to do is find
that middle ground.
How do we have a good, fun, andsafe holiday such as
Thanksgiving?
So, one thing we talk about alot on the podcast is planning
ahead and communicating earlywhen needed.
So if somebody else is hostingthe food, talk to them early.
(03:17):
Talk to them privately if thatmakes you feel better and is a
little bit easier.
Ask what's being served andoffer to bring a few safe dishes
for you or for you and yourfamily.
Politely explain cross-contactif you need to, and that even a
little bit of gluten can makeyou sick, just like a little bit
of peanuts is reallydevastating to anybody with a
peanut allergy.
(03:38):
With celiac, we can get alittle bit of gluten pretty
easily as well, and it can makeus pretty sick, and depending
upon your severity, it can bepretty devastating.
So we want to be proactive andnot apologetic.
And we need to remember, I'vesaid this multiple times on our
podcast, is you're not beingdifficult.
You're being safe, you'retaking care of you, you're
(03:59):
taking care of your body.
So one thing you can say to thehost if you'd like is you know,
I like to bring a fewgluten-free sides, so I know
there's something I can enjoy,and I think everyone will love
them too.
Or what I like to do is bring acomplete meal, and we'll talk
about that a little bit later onthe podcast episode.
So I don't have to worry abouteating anything else.
(04:19):
I can just eat what I brought,and it's a complete meal for me.
So that kind of transitions usinto our next section is
bringing your own safety foods.
And I always bring this oneparticular food, it's my
children's favorite, it's mychicken curry casserole.
Um, and I'll tell you where youcan find that recipe here soon.
And I always bring that to afamily gathering, especially if
(04:42):
I'm not the one hosting it, andI need to make sure I have a
complete meal that I can eat andthat my family can eat.
And since we're celiac, Iinsist that we in a nice way.
How about I say that?
Um, or at least I try to do ita nice way, insist that we eat,
you know, get our food from thedish first, and then, you know,
(05:03):
everybody else is welcome to getit.
That way I don't have to worryabout cross contact for us if we
are getting our food from ourdish first.
You can also, if you don't wantto bring a whole complete meal,
you can consider packing asmall plate of say food from
home just in case you don't feelcomfortable eating there.
You can also use likedisposable divided containers or
(05:25):
small insulated bags if you'retraveling uh pretty far.
That can be a really great uhtip.
And one thing you might nothave thought about with coolers
is that if you aren't travelingtoo far and you put a hot dish
in there, you know, obviouslymake sure it's safely put in
there, wrap it around withtowels and stuff like that if
you need to, it will stay reallypiping hot for that travel if
(05:47):
you're only going a few hours.
So if you want to bringsomething hot instead of
something cold, put it in acooler.
And that that cooler will help,you know, keep that item at the
temperature it was when you putit in there.
Um, so don't think of that youhave to bring yourself some cold
food.
Bring something you can enjoy,even if you're traveling a few
hours.
And then I will talk about somehidden gluten traps at
(06:11):
Thanksgiving.
And some of these have gottenus, and I didn't expect it.
And some of them, obviously, Ido expect.
Um, gravy.
Obviously, gravy can definitelybe a no-no if especially if
it's thickened with flour.
Um, last year, one time myfamily actually started uh
thickening their gravy withcornstarch because uh yet
another person discovered theyhad celiac disease, so it was
(06:33):
wonderful to help have thatbonding experience and help them
make ham gravy with uhcornstarch and help them taste
test it and things like that.
Now, another thing that theycan really get you that you may
not think about is stuffinginside the turkey.
So if you're celiac and theperson has cooked the turkey
with stuffing in it, there islikely gluten who knows where on
(06:55):
that turkey.
So it's just really not worthit, especially once they start
dissecting it and cutting it up.
That, you know, stuffing glutenis going to get probably
everywhere.
It's not something I recommendanyway.
We really shouldn't be cookingour turkeys with stuffing
anymore.
There's much more flavorfulways to flavor a turkey as well
as stuffing than that, butthat's another story for the
(07:16):
podcast.
Now, one thing that was alittle bit surprising to me was
one year one of my friends gaveme a turkey that her mom had
given her.
She didn't need it, it wasextra, and she gave it to me.
Well, the turkey was a storebrand turkey, and it had a gravy
packet inside, you know,wrapped in plastic.
(07:38):
And we thought, oh, it'll befine.
It's sealed in plastic.
My husband carefully took itout, really rinsed the turkey
and all the things, and wecooked it, and all of us got
sick, like gluten sick, not liketurkey sick.
We got gluten sick from it.
So that's very possible thatthat turkey had maybe some broth
injected in it that had glutenin it, or who knows how the
(08:02):
gravy packets were handled inthe packaging facility.
Somehow we all got gluten fromthat turkey.
So make sure you get, if you'receliac, turkeys that do not
have uh gravy packets alreadyinside them.
It's just really not worth it.
And then also brust orseasoning with wheat.
Obviously, that's one you wantto be careful of, but sometimes
(08:24):
you don't realize that bross orseasoning might have wheat in
it.
So make sure you're doublechecking.
Uh pie fillings or pie madepre-made crust.
Um, many times pie fillings,unless you have made lots of
pies from scratch, you may notrealize that the pie filling
might have some flour in it.
So even if maybe it's acrustless pie, it might still
(08:45):
have some thickener of flourinside.
So make sure you're askingabout that.
And then if you're celiac, weneed to be extra careful of
serving you tensils crossingfrom dish to dish or touching a
gluten on the plate when it'slike a gluten-free dish.
So just be really extra carefulif you're celiac.
Uh, if you know that the hosthas created some gluten safe
(09:08):
foods for you, just kindly askif you can go through the line
first to get the safe foodsfirst before things could get
potentially mixed together andcross contact.
And I encourage you to doublecheck ingredients and lists and
really keep an eye out for thatcross contact.
It's it's bitten us a few toomany times over the years, and
we've, you know, tried to do ourbest to learn from that.
(09:29):
So then I want us to next thinkabout what the day really is
about.
What is that day really about?
It's about gratitude, family,and rest, not just the food.
Sure, food is an important partof it, but if we shift our
focus to the other parts thatare really important on what the
(09:50):
day's truly about, because it'sreally truly not about that
food, even though we really lovemany times the Thanksgiving
foods.
Um, shift your focus so thatyou feel you're not, you know,
don't feel like you're missingout anymore.
You're just taking care ofyourself.
And I encourage you to buildsome new traditions that center
on connection, not gluten or theavoidance of gluten.
(10:11):
So if you want even more helpnavigating the holidays
gluten-free or other situationsgluten-free, I share practical
tips, recipes, and encouragementin my newsletter.
Sign up attheglutenfreeengineer.com so you
stay safe, confident, andstress-free all season long.
And then I want to finally talkto you about that trick that's
(10:32):
helped me the most when havingholidays and Thanksgiving
traditions.
I always bring that one dish,that chicken curry casserole,
that I just can't wait to eat.
My children cannot wait to eat.
They look forward to it everysingle holiday, especially at
Thanksgiving.
It's something that feelsfestive and it's delicious.
(10:53):
It's a complete meal because ithas protein, carbs, and veggies
in it.
The only thing it's missing isfruit.
Um, they absolutely love itwhen I cook that.
And I we focus on enjoyingthat.
It's not, we don't focus onwhat we're missing.
We don't focus on the otherdishes that are sitting there.
We could really kind of careless anymore.
(11:14):
We just focus on eating ourfood that nourishes us and that
is safe for us, and thenenjoying the other people's
company.
And if you want that recipe, itis on my website,
theglutenfreeengineer.com.
Just search for chickencasserole to make it easier to
find.
And I hope your Thanksgivingturns from stressful into
(11:34):
satisfying with the tips in thisepisode.
And we will see you next week.
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the Gluten Free
Engineer.
If you found value in thisstory, please share it with
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.
(11:57):
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
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
(12:17):
celiac disease and navigating agluten free lifestyle.
This podcast does not providemedical advice.
Always consult with a qualifiedhealthcare 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.
Thanksgiving can be one of thehardest holidays when you're
gluten-free.
There's food everywhere, familytraditions, and sometimes not
much you can safely eat.
It can feel stressful, awkward,or even isolating, but it
(00:20):
doesn't need to be that way.
And then this episode I'msharing how to survive
Thanksgiving gluten-free withoutthe stress so you can actually
enjoy the day, feel confident,and stay healthy.
Stick around at the end becauseI'll share my personal trick
for navigating family gatheringswithout feeling left out.
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 aboutsurviving big holidays such as
Thanksgiving while you're livinggluten-free.
Because many of these holidays,at least in America, are very
(01:25):
much surrounded by lots of food,especially Thanksgiving.
You might be the onlygluten-free person at the table,
and that can feel intimidating.
I know when I was firstdiagnosed with celiac and first
gluten-free, I was the only oneat the table, and it was really
weird and really awkward.
And it wasn't until a few yearslater that we figure out that
(01:46):
my children had celiac too.
And interesting thing is, isyou know, this is uh as of this
recording, 2025, and I wasdiagnosed in 2011.
Now one side of my family isstarting to approach about half
of the people who have celiacover there.
So it's getting to be a littlebit of an interesting um
transition here as more and morepeople in my family are finding
(02:09):
out they have celiac.
But let's go back to whether,you know, let's say you are the
one or the one of the few thathave celiac or need to be
gluten-free for other reasons atThanksgiving.
And the hardest part sometimesis not just the food, it's also
the emotions tied to traditionand belonging.
And I find that that is reallywhat can make emotions pretty
(02:33):
hard when we're at a thThanksgiving or family gathering
or anything similar, is it'sjust those emotions tied to that
tradition and feeling left out.
And you feel like sometimes youdon't have anything to eat or
you risk getting sick if you dotry to eat something.
But we want to find that middleground.
That's something that I workedto do pretty quickly because I
(02:57):
didn't want to be miserableanymore.
And something I want to helpyou guys be able to do is find
that middle ground.
How do we have a good, fun, andsafe holiday such as
Thanksgiving?
So, one thing we talk about alot on the podcast is planning
ahead and communicating earlywhen needed.
So if somebody else is hostingthe food, talk to them early.
(03:17):
Talk to them privately if thatmakes you feel better and is a
little bit easier.
Ask what's being served andoffer to bring a few safe dishes
for you or for you and yourfamily.
Politely explain cross-contactif you need to, and that even a
little bit of gluten can makeyou sick, just like a little bit
of peanuts is reallydevastating to anybody with a
peanut allergy.
(03:38):
With celiac, we can get alittle bit of gluten pretty
easily as well, and it can makeus pretty sick, and depending
upon your severity, it can bepretty devastating.
So we want to be proactive andnot apologetic.
And we need to remember, I'vesaid this multiple times on our
podcast, is you're not beingdifficult.
You're being safe, you'retaking care of you, you're
(03:59):
taking care of your body.
So one thing you can say to thehost if you'd like is you know,
I like to bring a fewgluten-free sides, so I know
there's something I can enjoy,and I think everyone will love
them too.
Or what I like to do is bring acomplete meal, and we'll talk
about that a little bit later onthe podcast episode.
So I don't have to worry abouteating anything else.
(04:19):
I can just eat what I brought,and it's a complete meal for me.
So that kind of transitions usinto our next section is
bringing your own safety foods.
And I always bring this oneparticular food, it's my
children's favorite, it's mychicken curry casserole.
Um, and I'll tell you where youcan find that recipe here soon.
And I always bring that to afamily gathering, especially if
(04:42):
I'm not the one hosting it, andI need to make sure I have a
complete meal that I can eat andthat my family can eat.
And since we're celiac, Iinsist that we in a nice way.
How about I say that?
Um, or at least I try to do ita nice way, insist that we eat,
you know, get our food from thedish first, and then, you know,
(05:03):
everybody else is welcome to getit.
That way I don't have to worryabout cross contact for us if we
are getting our food from ourdish first.
You can also, if you don't wantto bring a whole complete meal,
you can consider packing asmall plate of say food from
home just in case you don't feelcomfortable eating there.
You can also use likedisposable divided containers or
(05:25):
small insulated bags if you'retraveling uh pretty far.
That can be a really great uhtip.
And one thing you might nothave thought about with coolers
is that if you aren't travelingtoo far and you put a hot dish
in there, you know, obviouslymake sure it's safely put in
there, wrap it around withtowels and stuff like that if
you need to, it will stay reallypiping hot for that travel if
(05:47):
you're only going a few hours.
So if you want to bringsomething hot instead of
something cold, put it in acooler.
And that that cooler will help,you know, keep that item at the
temperature it was when you putit in there.
Um, so don't think of that youhave to bring yourself some cold
food.
Bring something you can enjoy,even if you're traveling a few
hours.
And then I will talk about somehidden gluten traps at
(06:11):
Thanksgiving.
And some of these have gottenus, and I didn't expect it.
And some of them, obviously, Ido expect.
Um, gravy.
Obviously, gravy can definitelybe a no-no if especially if
it's thickened with flour.
Um, last year, one time myfamily actually started uh
thickening their gravy withcornstarch because uh yet
another person discovered theyhad celiac disease, so it was
(06:33):
wonderful to help have thatbonding experience and help them
make ham gravy with uhcornstarch and help them taste
test it and things like that.
Now, another thing that theycan really get you that you may
not think about is stuffinginside the turkey.
So if you're celiac and theperson has cooked the turkey
with stuffing in it, there islikely gluten who knows where on
(06:55):
that turkey.
So it's just really not worthit, especially once they start
dissecting it and cutting it up.
That, you know, stuffing glutenis going to get probably
everywhere.
It's not something I recommendanyway.
We really shouldn't be cookingour turkeys with stuffing
anymore.
There's much more flavorfulways to flavor a turkey as well
as stuffing than that, butthat's another story for the
(07:16):
podcast.
Now, one thing that was alittle bit surprising to me was
one year one of my friends gaveme a turkey that her mom had
given her.
She didn't need it, it wasextra, and she gave it to me.
Well, the turkey was a storebrand turkey, and it had a gravy
packet inside, you know,wrapped in plastic.
(07:38):
And we thought, oh, it'll befine.
It's sealed in plastic.
My husband carefully took itout, really rinsed the turkey
and all the things, and wecooked it, and all of us got
sick, like gluten sick, not liketurkey sick.
We got gluten sick from it.
So that's very possible thatthat turkey had maybe some broth
injected in it that had glutenin it, or who knows how the
(08:02):
gravy packets were handled inthe packaging facility.
Somehow we all got gluten fromthat turkey.
So make sure you get, if you'receliac, turkeys that do not
have uh gravy packets alreadyinside them.
It's just really not worth it.
And then also brust orseasoning with wheat.
Obviously, that's one you wantto be careful of, but sometimes
(08:24):
you don't realize that bross orseasoning might have wheat in
it.
So make sure you're doublechecking.
Uh pie fillings or pie madepre-made crust.
Um, many times pie fillings,unless you have made lots of
pies from scratch, you may notrealize that the pie filling
might have some flour in it.
So even if maybe it's acrustless pie, it might still
(08:45):
have some thickener of flourinside.
So make sure you're askingabout that.
And then if you're celiac, weneed to be extra careful of
serving you tensils crossingfrom dish to dish or touching a
gluten on the plate when it'slike a gluten-free dish.
So just be really extra carefulif you're celiac.
Uh, if you know that the hosthas created some gluten safe
(09:08):
foods for you, just kindly askif you can go through the line
first to get the safe foodsfirst before things could get
potentially mixed together andcross contact.
And I encourage you to doublecheck ingredients and lists and
really keep an eye out for thatcross contact.
It's it's bitten us a few toomany times over the years, and
we've, you know, tried to do ourbest to learn from that.
(09:29):
So then I want us to next thinkabout what the day really is
about.
What is that day really about?
It's about gratitude, family,and rest, not just the food.
Sure, food is an important partof it, but if we shift our
focus to the other parts thatare really important on what the
(09:50):
day's truly about, because it'sreally truly not about that
food, even though we really lovemany times the Thanksgiving
foods.
Um, shift your focus so thatyou feel you're not, you know,
don't feel like you're missingout anymore.
You're just taking care ofyourself.
And I encourage you to buildsome new traditions that center
on connection, not gluten or theavoidance of gluten.
(10:11):
So if you want even more helpnavigating the holidays
gluten-free or other situationsgluten-free, I share practical
tips, recipes, and encouragementin my newsletter.
Sign up attheglutenfreeengineer.com so you
stay safe, confident, andstress-free all season long.
And then I want to finally talkto you about that trick that's
(10:32):
helped me the most when havingholidays and Thanksgiving
traditions.
I always bring that one dish,that chicken curry casserole,
that I just can't wait to eat.
My children cannot wait to eat.
They look forward to it everysingle holiday, especially at
Thanksgiving.
It's something that feelsfestive and it's delicious.
(10:53):
It's a complete meal because ithas protein, carbs, and veggies
in it.
The only thing it's missing isfruit.
Um, they absolutely love itwhen I cook that.
And I we focus on enjoyingthat.
It's not, we don't focus onwhat we're missing.
We don't focus on the otherdishes that are sitting there.
We could really kind of careless anymore.
(11:14):
We just focus on eating ourfood that nourishes us and that
is safe for us, and thenenjoying the other people's
company.
And if you want that recipe, itis on my website,
theglutenfreeengineer.com.
Just search for chickencasserole to make it easier to
find.
And I hope your Thanksgivingturns from stressful into
(11:34):
satisfying with the tips in thisepisode.
And we will see you next week.
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the Gluten Free
Engineer.
If you found value in thisstory, please share it with
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.
(11:57):
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
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
(12:17):
celiac disease and navigating agluten free lifestyle.
This podcast does not providemedical advice.
Always consult with a qualifiedhealthcare professional for
medical questions, concerns, oradvice specific to your health.
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