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While support from others is necessary for a successful gluten-free life, so is the support we provide ourselves. Self-support is one of the most essential forms of support for celiac disease.
Self-support is the support that we provide ourselves. It is everything that we do to set ourselves up for success. There are many forms of self-support for celiac disease and they all are equally important.
Reading food labels is incredibly important when managing celiac disease. Learning to and identifying if a food item is thus, one of the most important forms of self-support for celiac disease.
If you need help building your food label reading skills check out the blog post I wrote about it and also consider working with a celiac disease dietitian!
Your sanity on your gluten-free lifestyle journey will depend greatly on those around you. If the people you surround yourself with aren’t being supportive, you need to set boundaries so they aren’t impeding your progress.
This might look like not going out to eat or visiting with certain people. It might also look like taking a break from the relationship entirely.
Regardless, remember that you deserve your loved ones full support and you should not have to settle for less.
Cooking is one of my favorite forms of self-support for celiac disease. When you cook yourself a meal, you know what’s in your food, you know that it’s safe, and you know that you just nourished your belly in the safest way possible.
A great form of self-support for celiac disease is educating others on it. Many people don’t know what celiac disease is nor what a gluten-free diet involves. Helping others understand celiac disease and what it entails can help them better support you.
Check out my blog post on “How to Educate Others on Celiac Disease” for more information on this topic.
Preparation is important when living with celiac disease. Spontaneity around hunger and food is difficult and preparation is a way to combat it.
Support yourself by preparing for food events. This might involve getting snacks to enjoy, contacting the host about your needs, and coaching yourself on staying calm during the event.
Prepare for eating out by calling restaurants about options ahead of time, viewing menus and yelp reviews online, and notifying those dining out with you about your needs.
Prepare for travel by looking up grocery stores and gluten-free restaurant options at your destination. Schedule a place to stay that has a kitchen.
Journaling has been linked to improved optimize, purpose, and resilience which are all things people with celiac disease could always use a little more of.
Journaling and processing your thoughts and emotions can really help you gain a deeper self-understanding.