December 25, 2025 • 10 mins
When I first went gluten-free, I focused so much on what I needed to start doing — reading labels, avoiding cross-contact, learning new recipes.
But honestly? The things I STOPPED doing made the biggest difference in how I felt and how confident I became.
Today, I’m sharing the habits, mindsets, and patterns I stopped once I started living gluten-free — and why those changes completely transformed my healing.
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
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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.
When I first went gluten-free,I focused so much on what I
needed to start doing.
Reading labels, avoiding crosscontact, learning new recipes.
But honestly, the things Istopped doing made the biggest
difference on how I felt and howconfident I became.
(00:22):
Today I'm sharing the habits,mindsets, and patterns I stopped
once I started livinggluten-free and why those
changes completely transformedmy healing.
And stick around to the endbecause I'll share the one thing
I stopped doing that brought methe most peace.
Let's dive in.
Welcome to the Gluten FreeEngineer Podcast.
I'm your host, Carrie Saunders.
In 2011, I was diagnosed withceliac disease, a moment that
(00:45):
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
simply choose to livegluten-free, this podcast is for
(01:06):
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 podcast.
Today we're talking about thethings that I stopped doing
after going gluten-free and whatreally gave me peace and
freedom.
So one of the things I stoppeddoing is I stopped risking it at
(01:27):
restaurants.
This means no more, maybe it'sfine, no more ordering things
without asking questions.
Because what I found was thatone accidental exposure created
days and days, sometimes weeks,of feeling awful.
Stopping this can change yourconfidence and reduce anxiety
(01:48):
dramatically because you're notworried about am I going to get
sick?
Am I going to get thatmigraine?
Am I going to feel like myjoints hurt so bad?
Am I going to feel like I havethe flu?
Those are like some of thereally major uh symptoms that I
had whenever I would getaccidental gluten exposure.
And then I also stoppedapologizing for my needs.
(02:12):
No more.
Sorry, can you check theingredients?
No more shrinking yourself toavoid being a burden.
I started having a health aspart of my advocacy.
I started making sure Iadvocated for my own health.
We need to realize thatadvocating is not rudeness, it's
self-care.
(02:32):
Any other type of illness orfood allergy, we would not
hesitate to advocate for.
It shouldn't be any differentfor celiac and gluten
intolerance.
It's still something thataffects our body and makes us
feel terrible.
So start getting thatconfidence so that you don't
feel like you need to apologizefor your food needs.
(02:54):
And then I also stoppedassuming something was safe
because it looked safe.
You know, fries cooked in ashared oil.
We I always asked about that.
Um, plain chicken seasoned withwheat coated containing spices.
That's a little sneaky onethere, right?
We need to like be askingeverything.
Is there wheat in any of this?
(03:16):
Usually when you're out at arestaurant, the gluten you're
going to run into is wheat,sometimes barley and sometimes
rye and like breads or maybe asoup or something, but usually
that additive in things, thethickeners, usually wheat.
So you can even say, I have awheat allergy and a gluten
allergy.
You can use both of those wordsif you think that's going to
(03:38):
convey your message better tothe restaurant people.
And then we also want to lookat, you know, think pre-packaged
things, especially chocolate.
Like chocolate is one of myfavorite things.
And one thing I noticed earlyon in being gluten-free was that
many times chocolate isprocessed on shared equipment
(03:59):
with wheat.
So we want to make sure evensome of our favorite
pre-packaged things thatshouldn't have gluten in it, we
need to be looking for thatprocessed in a facility that
also processes wheat.
And if you're celiac, makingsure it's certified safe.
Or at least the uh company saysit's definitely safe.
And then another thing Istopped doing was I stopped
(04:22):
feeling guilty about bringing myown food.
Bringing a dish doesn't makeyou difficult, it actually may
give the uh host relief so thatthey know that you're going to
feel good and feel safe.
It makes you also feel healthyand safe and included.
And everyone usually loves thegluten-free dish anyway.
(04:43):
You give permission to peopleto do this too.
Now, if you're a celiac,obviously get your food out
first so there's less risk ofcross-contamination.
And usually that's just apolite, you know, hey, let me
get my food first so it's safefor me, and then let them share
it.
And then I have people who loveall my gluten-free stuff and
(05:04):
they come back for more.
And the better you get it, youknow, cooking gluten-free is,
you know, some of it's reallynot that hard.
The baking and bread part canbe a bit harder, but people are
going to love your food andthey'll love, you know,
exploring this with you andseeing what it's like.
I also stopped ignoring my bodysignals.
I paid attention to how I feltbased upon what I ate.
(05:27):
And then I did detective workto see, okay, did I eat anything
that could have potentiallybeen risky in the previous day
or two?
So make sure you start doingthat.
Pay attention to when you'reextra tired, when you have brain
fog, when you're irritable, ifyou have digestive systems,
headache, um, skin issues startflaring up, joint pain might
(05:51):
flare up.
So don't ignore those signs orsymptoms because that can help
clue you into where you canmaybe improve on your eating
habits and how you're askingquestions if you're eating out,
or maybe the items that you'vebought at the store to make sure
they are safe for you.
Listening to my body reallysped up my healing, it really
(06:14):
sped up my mental healing andjust made me feel so much
better.
And then one of the thingsthat's so easy to do when you
are first gluten-free is buyingeverything, every gluten-free
product, you know, that you see.
So one of the things I stoppeddoing is buying every
gluten-free product that I saw.
And not everything labeledgluten-free is healthy for one.
(06:38):
Um, and two, you know, we getthis kind of compulsion
compulsion sometimes to try allthe things that are gluten-free,
spread it out over time.
You don't really need to dothat, and not everything will
agree with your body either whenyou even eat these gluten-free
things.
Some of them are veryprocessed, so look for that.
It's something I kind of stresson this podcast is the more
(07:01):
closely we get to whole foods,the much better you're going to
feel.
And it's just a greatcompounding effect.
Everything's going to healfaster.
You're going to feel so muchbetter.
And you won't even know who youare in several years when you
have started eating mostly wholefoods and really focusing on
that and having those process ortreats every once in a while
(07:24):
and not making them yourstaples.
Also, with these gluten-freeproducts, many of them contain
gums, fillers, or lectins thatcan cause other types of
reactions.
So that's again why I encourageyou to eat as many whole foods
as you can because that willhelp you realize which of these
(07:44):
processed gluten-free foodsmight not also go well in my
body.
And then lastly, I stoppedexpecting myself to get it
perfect right away.
Going gluten-free is a learningcurve, especially if you're the
first one in your family, whichI was.
And mistakes are very, verymuch normal.
Give yourself grace, learn fromit so that you minimize your
(08:07):
risk of repeating that mistakeagain.
You don't have to mastereverything in a one week or one
month.
You really have just got tomake those next great baby steps
to getting onto a healthierlife and feeling so, so much
better.
If this episode resonated withyou, I share more of my
gluten-free encouragement,simple recipes, and helpful tips
(08:28):
in our newsletter.
Join me attheglutenfreeengineer.com and
just click on that newsletterbutton to join and get support
that you can trust in there.
And then that bonus tip Ihanded to you in the beginning
of this episode.
The one thing that I stoppeddoing that brought me the most
peace was feeling ashamed of mydiagnosis.
For years I treated gluten-freelike something to hide or
(08:51):
apologize for, um, especiallybefore we figured out that our
kids had it too.
But the moment I stoppedfeeling ashamed, I started
embracing it as part of mystory.
And everything shifted.
My confidence grew, my stresslevels fell, and healing got so
much easier.
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the Gluten Free
(09:14):
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 totheglutenfreengineer.com.
It's your one-stop hub to makegluten-free living simple, fun,
and full of flavor.
(09:35):
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
celiac disease and navigating agluten free lifestyle.
This podcast does not providemedical advice.
Always consult with a qualifiedhealthcare professional for
(09:58):
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.
When I first went gluten-free,I focused so much on what I
needed to start doing.
Reading labels, avoiding crosscontact, learning new recipes.
But honestly, the things Istopped doing made the biggest
difference on how I felt and howconfident I became.
(00:22):
Today I'm sharing the habits,mindsets, and patterns I stopped
once I started livinggluten-free and why those
changes completely transformedmy healing.
And stick around to the endbecause I'll share the one thing
I stopped doing that brought methe most peace.
Let's dive in.
Welcome to the Gluten FreeEngineer Podcast.
I'm your host, Carrie Saunders.
In 2011, I was diagnosed withceliac disease, a moment that
(00:45):
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
simply choose to livegluten-free, this podcast is for
(01:06):
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 podcast.
Today we're talking about thethings that I stopped doing
after going gluten-free and whatreally gave me peace and
freedom.
So one of the things I stoppeddoing is I stopped risking it at
(01:27):
restaurants.
This means no more, maybe it'sfine, no more ordering things
without asking questions.
Because what I found was thatone accidental exposure created
days and days, sometimes weeks,of feeling awful.
Stopping this can change yourconfidence and reduce anxiety
(01:48):
dramatically because you're notworried about am I going to get
sick?
Am I going to get thatmigraine?
Am I going to feel like myjoints hurt so bad?
Am I going to feel like I havethe flu?
Those are like some of thereally major uh symptoms that I
had whenever I would getaccidental gluten exposure.
And then I also stoppedapologizing for my needs.
(02:12):
No more.
Sorry, can you check theingredients?
No more shrinking yourself toavoid being a burden.
I started having a health aspart of my advocacy.
I started making sure Iadvocated for my own health.
We need to realize thatadvocating is not rudeness, it's
self-care.
(02:32):
Any other type of illness orfood allergy, we would not
hesitate to advocate for.
It shouldn't be any differentfor celiac and gluten
intolerance.
It's still something thataffects our body and makes us
feel terrible.
So start getting thatconfidence so that you don't
feel like you need to apologizefor your food needs.
(02:54):
And then I also stoppedassuming something was safe
because it looked safe.
You know, fries cooked in ashared oil.
We I always asked about that.
Um, plain chicken seasoned withwheat coated containing spices.
That's a little sneaky onethere, right?
We need to like be askingeverything.
Is there wheat in any of this?
(03:16):
Usually when you're out at arestaurant, the gluten you're
going to run into is wheat,sometimes barley and sometimes
rye and like breads or maybe asoup or something, but usually
that additive in things, thethickeners, usually wheat.
So you can even say, I have awheat allergy and a gluten
allergy.
You can use both of those wordsif you think that's going to
(03:38):
convey your message better tothe restaurant people.
And then we also want to lookat, you know, think pre-packaged
things, especially chocolate.
Like chocolate is one of myfavorite things.
And one thing I noticed earlyon in being gluten-free was that
many times chocolate isprocessed on shared equipment
(03:59):
with wheat.
So we want to make sure evensome of our favorite
pre-packaged things thatshouldn't have gluten in it, we
need to be looking for thatprocessed in a facility that
also processes wheat.
And if you're celiac, makingsure it's certified safe.
Or at least the uh company saysit's definitely safe.
And then another thing Istopped doing was I stopped
(04:22):
feeling guilty about bringing myown food.
Bringing a dish doesn't makeyou difficult, it actually may
give the uh host relief so thatthey know that you're going to
feel good and feel safe.
It makes you also feel healthyand safe and included.
And everyone usually loves thegluten-free dish anyway.
(04:43):
You give permission to peopleto do this too.
Now, if you're a celiac,obviously get your food out
first so there's less risk ofcross-contamination.
And usually that's just apolite, you know, hey, let me
get my food first so it's safefor me, and then let them share
it.
And then I have people who loveall my gluten-free stuff and
(05:04):
they come back for more.
And the better you get it, youknow, cooking gluten-free is,
you know, some of it's reallynot that hard.
The baking and bread part canbe a bit harder, but people are
going to love your food andthey'll love, you know,
exploring this with you andseeing what it's like.
I also stopped ignoring my bodysignals.
I paid attention to how I feltbased upon what I ate.
(05:27):
And then I did detective workto see, okay, did I eat anything
that could have potentiallybeen risky in the previous day
or two?
So make sure you start doingthat.
Pay attention to when you'reextra tired, when you have brain
fog, when you're irritable, ifyou have digestive systems,
headache, um, skin issues startflaring up, joint pain might
(05:51):
flare up.
So don't ignore those signs orsymptoms because that can help
clue you into where you canmaybe improve on your eating
habits and how you're askingquestions if you're eating out,
or maybe the items that you'vebought at the store to make sure
they are safe for you.
Listening to my body reallysped up my healing, it really
(06:14):
sped up my mental healing andjust made me feel so much
better.
And then one of the thingsthat's so easy to do when you
are first gluten-free is buyingeverything, every gluten-free
product, you know, that you see.
So one of the things I stoppeddoing is buying every
gluten-free product that I saw.
And not everything labeledgluten-free is healthy for one.
(06:38):
Um, and two, you know, we getthis kind of compulsion
compulsion sometimes to try allthe things that are gluten-free,
spread it out over time.
You don't really need to dothat, and not everything will
agree with your body either whenyou even eat these gluten-free
things.
Some of them are veryprocessed, so look for that.
It's something I kind of stresson this podcast is the more
(07:01):
closely we get to whole foods,the much better you're going to
feel.
And it's just a greatcompounding effect.
Everything's going to healfaster.
You're going to feel so muchbetter.
And you won't even know who youare in several years when you
have started eating mostly wholefoods and really focusing on
that and having those process ortreats every once in a while
(07:24):
and not making them yourstaples.
Also, with these gluten-freeproducts, many of them contain
gums, fillers, or lectins thatcan cause other types of
reactions.
So that's again why I encourageyou to eat as many whole foods
as you can because that willhelp you realize which of these
(07:44):
processed gluten-free foodsmight not also go well in my
body.
And then lastly, I stoppedexpecting myself to get it
perfect right away.
Going gluten-free is a learningcurve, especially if you're the
first one in your family, whichI was.
And mistakes are very, verymuch normal.
Give yourself grace, learn fromit so that you minimize your
(08:07):
risk of repeating that mistakeagain.
You don't have to mastereverything in a one week or one
month.
You really have just got tomake those next great baby steps
to getting onto a healthierlife and feeling so, so much
better.
If this episode resonated withyou, I share more of my
gluten-free encouragement,simple recipes, and helpful tips
(08:28):
in our newsletter.
Join me attheglutenfreeengineer.com and
just click on that newsletterbutton to join and get support
that you can trust in there.
And then that bonus tip Ihanded to you in the beginning
of this episode.
The one thing that I stoppeddoing that brought me the most
peace was feeling ashamed of mydiagnosis.
For years I treated gluten-freelike something to hide or
(08:51):
apologize for, um, especiallybefore we figured out that our
kids had it too.
But the moment I stoppedfeeling ashamed, I started
embracing it as part of mystory.
And everything shifted.
My confidence grew, my stresslevels fell, and healing got so
much easier.
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the Gluten Free
(09:14):
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 totheglutenfreengineer.com.
It's your one-stop hub to makegluten-free living simple, fun,
and full of flavor.
(09:35):
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
celiac disease and navigating agluten free lifestyle.
This podcast does not providemedical advice.
Always consult with a qualifiedhealthcare professional for
(09:58):
medical questions, concerns, oradvice specific to your health.
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