A Canadian Celiac Blog

Celiac Awareness Month always brings with the hope of spring and the renewal of the plants and flowers in our communities. If you live in a rural area or on a farm, spring brings many more wonders. I’m hoping that it also brings a renewal of your involvement in the celiac community, in person or maybe online. This month Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene and I speak about Celiac Awareness Month, in particular about the mascot for the campaign and some of the activities and promotion related to it. On celiac.ca you’ll find a graphic of “It Be” that’s ready for colouring.

If you’re able to promote celiac awareness month, or share other posts on social media, please be sure to use the hashtags –

#CeliacAwarenessMonth

#CeliacIsAChameleon

#GlutenFree

#CeliacCanada

Also, here is the link to the symptom checker – https:www.celiac.ca/celiac-disease-symptom-checklist

We also spoke about the new course that Selena DeVries RD is starting called The Confident Celiac. You can find Selena online at selenard.com and on Instagram at celiac_made_simple.

Ellen also gave me lots to think about with an article about using rice papers to make croissants. Sounds pretty crazy, but I’ll try over this month and report back.

Here are links from Ellen.

How to tell if a restaurant can do gluten free
Restaurant cross contact anxiety
How to dine out safely – anywhere!

Recipe Worth Trying? Gluten-Free Croissants made with Rice Paper?

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

I love when I have recurring guests to catch us up on the podcast. Melissa Secord, the Executive Director of Celiac Canada is one of those treasured guests from many different episodes. You can find out more about our topics on Celiac Canada’s website celiac.ca.

With the election looming as I recorded with Melissa, she was able to tell me about the letter writing campaign CCA has instituted to send letters to each of the candidates in your electoral riding. This is amazing – all you have to do is fill in some identifying information and press submit and individual letters are sent on your behalf. CCA has crafted a letter explaining our concerns including the cost of gluten free food – our only medicine, tax relief in the form of a flat medical tax claim, and the impact of tariffs on our precious gluten free foods. I encourage you to submit a letter, it only takes a minute or so, to let your candidates know what is important to you.

Melissa gives us a sneak peek at the promotional campaign CCA is rolling out for May, Celiac Awareness month. You can find out more on the website regarding the campaign events and light ups across the country.

I was honoured to be awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in a ceremony presented by Celiac Canada in mid-March. Melissa gives us some background on the awards, some of the recipients and the awards ceremonies that took place across Canada. Melissa herself received an award, which was well deserved. The ceremony was a great opportunity to meet up with people I had spoken with on the podcast, or remember from past in-person conferences – it was truly a memorable occasion.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

It’s the beginning of April, which means that I again have the pleasure of speaking with Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene.com. On this podcast Ellen and I speak about a new study that looks at vitamin deficiencies found with celiac disease and the gluten free diet. We also talk about gluten free food insecurity and Celiac Canada’s efforts to assist.

Ellen posted on social media about a restaurant posting a sign saying they were not able to meet the needs of those requiring a strict gluten free diet or with a serious food allergy. There is a story here that resulted in the sign which Ellen explains, but she received many varied responses to this issue with this particular restaurant. She also tells us about a sushi restaurant near her that goes above and beyond to ensure that many of their meals are gluten free and celiac safe. Ellen and I do love a good news story.

The topic of Artificial Intelligence is one that stirs many emotions and can be controversial. Ellen has found a study that used AI to look over thousands of biopsy results taken during celiac diagnosis and AI was found to be very accurate in identifying CD. AI is currently used in cancer diagnosis. This study prompted some lively discussion but in the end we’re both on the same page that whatever helps in the diagnosis journey is a good thing.

I was recently honoured by Celiac Canada with the presentation of the King Charles III Coronation Medal. I explain more about the award and the truly personal nature of the honour. I will include a couple of photos on my blog acanadianceliacblog.com.

Managing Vitamin Deficiencies in Celiac Disease & the Gluten-Free Diet (3:15)
Silent Celiac Offers Professional Insight into Food Behaviours
Local Grocer Makes Takes Stand on US Produce
Restaurant’s Transparency Upsets Celiacs (22:02)
Local Japanese Restaurant Called ‘My Name …’ (36:54)                                         Artificial Intelligence Able to Diagnose Celiac Disease in Seconds (49:20)

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

On this episode I’m speaking with Megan who has been recently diagnosed with silent celiac disease, meaning she doesn’t experience any gastrointestinal symptoms she is aware of. Megan is also interested in behavioural eating and works with clients to undo years of dis-ordered eating. I speak to Megan about how she was diagnosed, as well as to how she’s coping as a silent celiac. Megan also gives us some insight into behaviours that you might notice in a celiac child than could indicate that the child is struggling with their behaviours around food. A parent of a celiac child often has a difficult time understanding how their child relates to food and Megan gives us some tips to look for as well as some suggestions you might consider.

You can find Megan online at https://partakemealplanning.com/ and on Instagram at partake_foodie.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

It’s time again for me to talk with Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene.com about articles she has published and information she has provided to us over the past month.

Ellen and I opened our conversation talking about Starbucks and their statement on the safety of their stores for someone who needs to eat gluten free. Ellen hopes they would want to be a leader in gluten free as they have been in other aspects of their business, but it appears that’s not the case at the moment.

Does Starbucks Offer a Gluten-Free Guarantee?

I’m always fascinated with the approaches that researchers take to solving the puzzle of celiac disease. Ellen presents us with work being done on a vaccine which will hopefully allow our bodies to tolerate gluten.
Researchers Work to Create Vaccine to Allow Celiacs to ‘Tolerate’ Gluten

Ellen and I discuss the uses for a genetic test you can take at home to identify those at risk of developing celiac disease.
New At-Home Saliva Test Rules Out Genetic Risk of Developing Celiac Disease

A new study looks at the role dietary fibre plays in young children and how it effects their risk of developing celiac disease by age 13.
Increased Dietary Fibre Intake Before Age Two Linked to Lower Celiac Disease Risk

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

I’ve been using the app Find Me Gluten Free on my phone for more than five years, but I always had some reservations about how to interpret the information I was finding. I decided to go right to the top and speak with the app’s creator Jason Elmore.

The app – Find Me Gluten Free has listings from around the world for restaurants, cafés and bakeries that offer gluten free food. Jason, himself celiac created the app as a place to list and review restaurants that offer gluten free.

I was able to ask Jason all my questions including how to best utilize crowd-sourced reviews and information. I’m often not very confident in the reviews of people I don’t know because I’m unsure of their level of understanding of the gluten free diet. I was pleased to find out that Jason not only had some great tips for reading through the reviews, but the app has incorporated some features to both allow the user to better evaluate the review/reviewer and set a standard for safety.

I encourage you to download the app, use it, and write reviews so the entire gluten free community can benefit from your experiences. If you have any further questions for Jason, or just want to send him some encouraging thoughts you can email him at –

jason@findmeglutenfree.com

You can also follow Find Me Gluten Free on Instagram @findmeglutenfree.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

The beginning of February is my opportunity to again speak with Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene.com about studies and articles she has brought to our attention over the past month.  Ellen and I spoke about the findings of Dr. Diana Mager and her team at the University of Alberta regarding food insecurity in families with a celiac child or children. This is something I covered in a recent podcast with Dr. Mager and something that will help shape the response of Celiac Canada to this issue.

Food Insecurity for Celiac Children | A Canadian Celiac Podcast 

Cost of Gluten-Free Diet Contributing to Food Insecurity

Ellen was able to give us a firsthand introduction to a link between Liver Disease and Celiac Disease that was looked at in a recent study.

Celiac Disease Linked to Chronic Liver Disease

We also talked about the new recipe phenomenon called egg bites or breakfast cups, which can easily be made gluten free. Ellen has given us the recipe from a trusted gluten free bakery near her. As well, we noted that M&M Food Markets has added a new gluten free dinner entrée to their extensive list of gluten free food.

Recipe Alert! Breakfast Egg Cups by Wild Poppy Bistro & Bakery
New to M&M Food Market Introduces Thai Chicken Peanut Curry

Ellen mentioned Celiac Canada’s webpage regarding information for healthcare professionals in managing patients with celiac disease, which many people have found helpful in dealing with their doctors.

www.celiac.ca/healthcare-professionals/management/

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

I always get excited to speak with a guest who can fill in some of the blanks in my knowledge about food insecurity for Celiacs in Canada. I work with Celiac Canada to help educate foodbanks to be able to serve our community better. Dr. Diana Mager and her team at the University of Alberta have, in the past, taken a great interest in the nutritional needs of celiac children in Canada (Podcast Episode 292 – https://bit.ly/Ep292CeliacKidsFoodGuide). More recently Dr. Mager and her team have completed a cross-Canada survey of families to determine the food insecurity issues in families with celiac children. Her article was recently published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition and even made the front cover! You can read the abstract here – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39467010/

Given the causes we know for food insecurity, Dr. Mager was able to identify other issues that were making it difficult for families to maintain a healthy gluten free diet for their celiac children.

You can follow Dr. Mager and her team on Instagram @conquer_celiac.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

It’s the beginning of a new month and a new year, which makes it a great time to chat with Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene.com. On this episode Ellen and I talk about some big picture issues including a study regarding public policies and quality of life for celiacs around the world.

Public Policies vs Quality of Life for Celiacs

We look at one county in the UK that is changing the way celiacs are able to buy and have assistance with the purchase of gluten free food – is this just an experiment in one area to see what might happen on a national scale?

Bah Humbug! UK Scrapping Revered Gluten-Free Food Prescription Subsidy for Celiacs!

The Low FODMAP diet is again a topic of discussion as many celiacs are using it to over time, identify what might be causing them digestive issues once they are established on the gluten free diet.

Low-FODMAP Diet | Hope for Celiacs with Ongoing Symptoms?

Ellen introduces us to a new study using MRI technology to measure the impact of the gluten free diet on celiacs and compares it to those eating a standard diet. The study looks at newly diagnosed celiacs and then again at the same group after one year on the diet. Some interesting conclusions that could only be seen with MRI technology.

MRI Technology Measures Impact of Gluten-Free Diet on Celiacs

We also spoke about my recent podcast with Caleigh McAulay RD from Celiac Canada regarding people who are not celiac, but are eating a gluten free diet – how does this affect us?

Gluten-Free as a Trend | A Canadian Celiac Podcast

Recently Selena DeVries RD who is a good friend of both the podcast and The Celiac Scene, re-branded. You can find her now on –

Instagram –    @celiac_made_simple

Website –   www.selenard.com

Facebook –  Celiac Made Simple

We also spoke about making sure you were signed up on the email list with Celiac Canada to receive current information from them. You can do so by going to the website celiac.ca  and scroll down on the home page to sign up.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Recently, I spoke with Melissa Secord and Caleigh McAulay, RD after they attended the International Symposium on Celiac Disease held in Sheffield UK this fall. During that conversation Caleigh mentioned a presentation that she found very interesting by Anne Lee, RD. The presentation was titled “Is the Gluten-Free Diet Always Portrayed Negatively”.

I was interested to speak to Caleigh about this with a consideration as to who is eating gluten free besides those of us with celiac disease. Caleigh breaks it down for us and looks at the pros and cons of an expanded population eating gluten free. As well we talk about other people who feel the gluten free diet helps their medical conditions.

The research magazine from Celiac Canada regarding insights from the International Symposium is due to be mailed out before year end. I’m excited to read more about some of the scientific breakthroughs and testing of treatments for celiac disease. Very hopeful information at this time of year.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com