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A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 250 

My guest on today’s episode is fellow coeliac, founder of Poppy Mac Jewellery and the friend who prompted my own coeliac disease diagnosis, Erin Hainsworth. We’ll talk about her coeliac disease diagnosis, how we approach our gluten free diets differently, our ADHD diagnoses and how Erin brings these life experiences as inspiration to craft beautiful handmade jewellery for Poppy Mac.

What we’ll cover:
* Erin’s coeliac disease symptoms
* All results coming back normal and Erin feeling like all her symptoms were all in her head
* Erin being tested for glandular fever
* Coeliac disease diagnosis and transition to gluten free life
* The perspective of a renewal on life from the coeliac diagnosis
* Grieving gluten and the former life of being able to eat gluten
* How Erin and her partner transitioned their kitchen to incorporate gluten free food
* Erin finding it hard to advocate for herself when dining out and asking for gluten free as there’s a lack of awareness in the hospitality industry
* Gaining confidence over time in her coeliac disease and advocating for herself
* Experiences eating out at various establishments and experiencing a lack of knowledge
* Erin’s eldest child being tested for coeliac disease
* How Erin and I approach our coeliac disease and gluten free diet differently
* How we approach may contain gluten labels
* How we approach dining out with coeliac disease differently
* Erin using Gluteguard occasionally when dining out and not entirely sure the meal is not cross contaminated
* Erin coming across children with coeliac disease in her teaching role
* Erin’s advice for someone newly diagnosed with coeliac disease
* Genetic testing for coeliac disease
* Erin’s experience with pushback when asking to test her daughter for coeliac disease
* Our recent ADHD diagnoses
* The negative stigma around ADHD
* How I helped prompt Erin’s ADHD diagnosis
* The irony of the paperwork and diagnosis process of an ADHD diagnosis
* Erin’s experience with being medicated for her ADHD
* Erin’s ADHD medication being gluten free for her coeliac disease
* How the ADHD medication has allowed Erin to be more present
* The grief Erin experienced of her ADHD brain once on medication but how she’s found a balance of medication in her journey
* Combined ADHD - internalised hyperactivity and inattentive
* The story behind Poppy Mac Jewellery
* The process of how Erin makes her jewellery
* Erin’s jewellery being low tox
* How Erin has used her life experience
* The meditation ring Erin made me and how it’s helping me in my own ADHD journey
* How to connect with Erin and Poppy Mac

Links
Follow Poppy Mac on Instagram
The Fidget Ring Erin made me
https://poppymac.com.au/ 
How To Navigate May Contain Gluten Labels
Now It All Makes Sense: How An ADHD Diagnosis Changed My Life by Alex Partridge
The Imperfects ADHD episode with Hamish Blake: Parenting with ADHD
Join A Gluten Free Podcast Facebook Group 

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This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 

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A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 249

On today's episode we'll share the coeliac and gluten journey of Lucia. She'll share her coeliac disease diagnosis, the challenges of being diagnosed with coeliac disease as an Italian and how Lucia has recreated her favourite Italian food gluten free.

What we'll cover:
* How I connected with Lucia on Instagram
* Lucia sharing her coeliac story with me during Coeliac Awareness Week
* The struggles of being diagnosed with coeliac disease as an Italian
* Finding great gluten free products in cooking and baking
* Meeting great people in the coeliac and gluten free community who have given tips and advice on making gluten free food
* Not buying any processed foods and making everything from scratch
* Creating an Instagram page to share her Italian gluten free food
* How Lucia manages preparation, planning and asking questions when dining out
* Issue of gluten free being treated as a fad
* Inspiration for getting in the kitchen to make gluten free food   
* My reflections on Lucia's journey
* Resources

Links
Follow Lucia on Instagram
How To Dine Out Safely With Coeliac Disease featuring Pasta Di Casa Founder, Anthony Dionne
Navigating Coeliac Disease In Italy
Episode with Ardor Founder, Vince Lotito
The story behind Well & Good
Join A Gluten Free Podcast Facebook Group 

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Email: [email protected]

This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 

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A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 248
My guest on today’s episode is substance abuse, eating disorder and trauma specialist psychotherapist, Alexis Fosler. We’ll explore the link between trauma, eating disorders, addiction and the gut/brain axis. We’ll also share how individuals living with coeliac disease can incorporate various tools to deal with these issues to manage the stresses in their lives.

What we’ll cover:
* How Alexis and I connected through a mutual friend
* The stresses of living with coeliac disease and being strictly gluten free
* Alexis’ personal background and role as a former corporate executive and what led Alexis into working in addiction, trauma and eating disorders
* Finding a mentor
* Insights Alexis gained from retraining as a psychotherapist being exposed to a broad spectrum of people living with addictions and mental health issues
* Currently studying obesity and  ultraprocessed foods and its impact on
* Acute versus chronic stress
* Complex trauma and modern stressors in our lives
* Homeostasis and allostasis
* How our nervous system adapts to stress over time
* Allostatic load and the cumulative load of stress and challenges over time on our mental and physical health
* How stress impacts our endocrine system
* Is there a healthy level of stress?
* Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
* Effects of stress on our appetite and food habits
* Cortisol, dopamine and other chemicals being activated during stress
* The complexities of our stressors and how we deal with stress in our brains and bodies
* Hypervigilance and avoidance when living with coeliac disease and adhering to a strict gluten free diet
* Eating disorders in people with coeliac disease
* The fear of food, restrictive eating and coeliac disease
* Link between eating disorders and disordered eating
* When to seek help when the stresses of living strictly gluten free
* The relationship between addiction, eating disorders and disordered eating
* Maladaptive behaviours in addiction
* Emotional regulation’s role in addiction, eating disorders and disordered eating
* Dopamine’s role in our habits and compulsions
* Chronic deficits in our dopamine system and alterations in our dopamine systems
* Complexities of dealing with recovery in addictions
* Approaching various addictions, eating disorders and disordered eating with various approaches
* Various approaches to recovery: pharmacological, talk therapy, cognitive flexibility, somatic interventions and changes of environment
* Importance of breath work
* How to create new neural pathways to retrain brain
* Alexis’ PHD and thesis

Links
Follow Living Free on Instagram
Living Free Today
Promises Healthcare
Trauma, Eating Disorders and Addiction Youtube video
ARFID and coeliac disease research
Connect with Alexis’ mentor, Reshie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshie-joseph-a770a358/
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This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 

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A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 247
 
My guest on today’s episode is my brother Blake. We’ll talk about Matt Damon going gluten free for his role as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s new film The Odyssey, our takeaways from our appearance at SBS Insight discussing ultra processed foods and our Sydney Gluten Free Expo ticket giveaway.

What we’ll discuss:
* Matt Damon going gluten free for his role as leading character Odysseus in The Odyssey
* Going gluten free for sport
* How and why celebrities talk differently about their coeliac disease and gluten free diet on podcasts
* Jon Bernthal talking about coeliac disease and his gluten free journey
* Celebrity men talking about coeliac disease and the gluten free diet
* Matt Damon talking about his gluten free diet unprompted on Amy Pohler’s podcast
* The fad of gluten free in society versus more options for the coeliac and gluten free community
* Personal trainers and their potential influence of a gluten free diet in their preparation for physically demanding movie roles
* Our takeaways from our appearance at SBS Insight for the discussion around ultra processed foods as part of our diets as Australians
* Our family’s reflections on ultra processed foods as part of our overall diet
* Friends of ours sharing a food scanning app with us
* The complications of the health star ratings on food packaging in Australia
* Warning labels and other interventions for ultra processed foods in other countries 
* Future podcast guest chatting about gluten doses in various products, health star ratings, etc
* Sydney Gluten Free Expo giveaway  

Links
Matt Damon Goes Gluten Free for his role as Odssyseus in The Odyssey
Jon Bernthal’s coeliac and gluten free journey
Appearance on SBS Insight - Ultra Processed Food Fight 
Full Episode of SBS Insight - Ultra Processed Food Fight
Matt Damon on Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Philip Baker and colleagues’ research findings on Ultra Processed Foods
Sydney Gluten Free Expo

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This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 

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A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 246

My guest on today’s episode is the creator of The Celiac In Italy and Celiacs In Europe, Catalin Varela. We’ll talk about her coeliac disease diagnosis, the differences between the US and her current home of Florence in Italy and the resources she’s created to help the gluten free community travel throughout Italy and Europe.

What we’ll cover:
* Catalin’s coeliac disease diagnosis and her symptoms pre-diagnosis
* Neurological symptoms of coeliac disease
* Catalin’s misdiagnosis of cancer
* Catalin’s family friend prompting to test for coeliac disease
* Cutting out more things other than gluten from the diet to help improve Catalin’s health
* Catalin’s training in integrative nutrition
* How Catalin’s 6 month travels around the world changed her perspective and approach to coeliac disease and the gluten free diet
* Catalin’s degree in medical anthropology and writing her thesis on how people living with coeliac disease approach their disease and the gluten free diet differently depending on where they live in the world
* What Catalin found from her thesis
* Why Florence is a great place for people living with coeliac disease
* Biggest differences in approaches to coeliac disease and the gluten free diet within the US compared to Italy
* Catalin’s experience of eating out and making her own food in Florence
* How Italy compares to neighbouring countries in Europe in terms of gluten free options and coeliac disease awareness
* Navigating buying gluten free food in supermarkets in Italy
* The use of gluten free wheat starch in Italy in gluten free products
* The misconception of being able to eat gluten when you have coeliac disease in Italy and Europe
* Wheat being imported into Italy from Canada
* Gluten free food subsidy for people living with coeliac disease in Italy
* The nuances of the gluten free subsidy for italian residents with coeliac disease
* The cost of gluten free food in Italy
* Catalin’s thoughts on the population screening for the study of coeliac disease and Type 1 diabetes
* Catalin’s work with the Italian Celiac Association (AIC)
* Celiacs and Europe and the consulting services offered
* Clients sharing their gluten free travel stories after their consultations
* Tips for travelling to Italy with coeliac disease

Links
Use our code GFFAM for 10% off booking a consultation with Celiacs In Europe
Follow Celiac In Italy on Instagram 
https://celiacinitaly.com/
https://celiacsineurope.com/
Follow Celiacs In Europe on Instagram
https://www.aglutenfreefamily.com.au/blog/how-to-travel-gluten-free-in-europe-and-the-one-resource-that-makes-it-easier

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Email: [email protected]

📸 Photo credit: WEHI. 1G Royal Pde Parkville 3052 VIC Australia. https://www.wehi.edu.au/

This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 

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A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 245

On today's episode we share the story of Isla's coeliac disease diagnosis told by her mother Isla and how they made the goal to run a marathon for coeliac disease awareness.

What we'll cover:
* Reflecting on Glenn and Harley's story a few weeks ago
* How I found the story of Isla and her mum, Kirsty
* Isla's coeliac disease symptoms
* The pizza that changed everything
* Trying to find the problem behind Isla's health issues
* Isla being dismissed by health professionals
* Isla's consistent sicknesses
* Daycare employee suggesting to keep a food journal for Isla
* Doctor testing for coeliac disease and confirming via repeated blood test
* Relief after Isla's coeliac disease diagnosis
* The worry and alertness still lingering
* The transition to gluten free life for Isla
* How Isla and Kirsty found the Edinburgh Marathon
* The support around Isla's fundraiser for Coeliac UK
* The amount of awareness needed around coeliac disease in the UK and throughout the world
* My closing thoughts

Links
Follow @coeliacmamma on Instagram
Read our blog post on Isla's fundraiser
Original article: Musselburgh girl 'smashes' junior marathon for Coeliac UK
Join A Gluten Free Podcast Facebook Group 

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This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 

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A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 244
 
My guest on today’s episode is Associate Professor, gastroenterologist and world-leading coeliac disease researcher, Jason Tye-Din. We’ll talk about the latest updates on the Interleukin 2 blood test, updated advice around oats as part of a gluten free diet and all the other incredible research he and his team at WEHI are currently undertaking.

What we’ll cover:
* Introducing Jason and our previous episode together
* How coeliac disease is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects all parts and organs of the body
* How the Interleukin 2 diagnostic tool works
* Interleukin 2 blood test being used in various other coeliac disease research trials
* Interleukin 2 blood test used in the Gluten Threshold Study to determine if T cells are being activated when participants are ingesting very low levels of gluten
* Interleukin 2 (IL-2) blood test soon to be used in a trial involving children
* Updates around this blood test and implementation plans
* Non-biospy approach in diagnosing coeliac disease and how IL-2 could play a part in this
* Working on a salivary coeliac disease test
* How the IL-2 test might work in people with potential coeliac disease
* Gluten Threshold Study and how IL-2 was used in the study
* The response from the Gluten Threshold Study
* World Health Organisation reference threshold for gluten and possibility to clear up confusion around ‘may contain gluten’ statements
* Defining an action level in a standard serve of food
* Jason’s advice on enzymes that claim to break down small amounts of gluten
* Importance of not using symptoms as a measure of being glutened or not
* Possible adjunct management drugs and other therapeutics other than a strict gluten free diet for people with coeliac disease
* Advice for oats as part of a gluten free diet for Australian adults and children living with coeliac disease
* ENDIA (Environmental Determinants of Islet Autoimmunity Study) updates
* Eotaxin and brain fog coeliac disease study
* Pros and cons around population screening of coeliac disease
* NSW school children being tested for coeliac disease and Type 1 diabetes
* International Celiac Disease Symposium 2026 in Melbourne

Links
Contact the nurses to be involved in WEHI studies - [email protected]
Professor Jason Tye-Din’s previous podcast appearance
Suitability of Oats as part of a gluten free diet for Australians living with coeliac disease
ENDIA study
https://www.icds2026.org/
Coeliac Disease Research Lab
Join A Gluten Free Podcast Facebook Group 

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📸 Photo credit: WEHI. 1G Royal Pde Parkville 3052 VIC Australia. https://www.wehi.edu.au/

This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 

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A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 243

On today's episode we have an inspiring story from the UK about a young girl named Harley. It’s told from the perspective of her father Glenn Hansen, detailing how his daughter’s personal struggles with coeliac disease led her to climb the mountain top to raise funds and awareness, figuratively and literally!

What we'll cover:
* How I found out about this news story within our gluten free community from a former podcast guest and a podcast listener connecting me with Glenn, the father of Harley
* Harley's coeliac disease symptoms leading up to her coeliac disease diagnosis
* Avoiding the gluten challenge and diagnosing off raised coeliac disease antibody levels
* How Harley, Glenn and the family have adjusted to gluten free life for Harley
* Struggles Harley and the family have
* How much Harley and the family have learned since her coeliac disease diagnosis
* Harley beginning to advocate and educate others about her coeliac disease and gluten free diet
* How the idea for the climb came about
* Preparing Harley for the climb
* Raising money and awareness through the climb
* Response from the coeliac disease and gluten free community within the UK and throughout the world

Links
Harley’s Just Giving page
Read Harley and Glenn's climb for Coeliac UK
Original news report leading up to the climb
News report after the climb
A report about the response from the post climb article
Facebook page on Harley’s training

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Email: [email protected] 

This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 

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A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 242

My guest on today’s episode is Gastroenterologist and Director of the Coeliac Disease and Immune Health Research Program at Wesley Research Institute, Dr James Daveson. We’ll talk about the Gluten Threshold Study results, how these results could inform international gluten free standards and the need for follow up larger scale studies.

What we’ll cover:
* Aim of the study and what prompted it
* Using Interleukin 2 to measure immune response in participants
* How the Interleukin 2 test was used as a biomarker in this specific trial
* Exploring the question of inadvertent gluten ingestion in causing damage to villi in people with coeliac disease
* Carlo Cattassi’s study in 2007 looking at the minimum amount of gluten causing an autoimmune response
* James and his team looking at what is happening for people with coeliac disease consuming 10 mgs of gluten and under
* The hawthorn effect
* Specifics of the trial and how the study was run
* Dropping the dose of gluten to see where the autoimmune response was occurring at lowering levels
* Findings from the study
* How the results could possibly change labelling and ‘gluten free’ standards and guidelines not only in Australia but worldwide
* Codex Alimentarius food labelling laws
* Shortcomings from this trial
* The potential heterogeneity of coeliac disease (various scales of severity of the disease)
* Eliciting dose of gluten for people with coeliac disease
* Varying symptoms of the participants throughout the Gluten Threshold study before and after the gluten challenge
* Mistakes and surprises in the Gluten Threshold Study
* Symptom scores
* Anticipatory nausea and priming
* The possibility of the immune system being primed before the ingestion of gluten for people with coeliac disease
* The trauma of living with an autoimmune disease or other IBD conditions
* Possible follow up studies from The Gluten Threshold Study
* How this study could be used to a more universal approach to the ppm of gluten
* Digestive Diseases Week in Chicago and how the response from the Gluten Threshold Study
* The interest in novel therapeutics for people with coeliac disease to help people’s guts alongside a gluten free diet
* Enzymes that claim to break down inadvertent gluten ingestion for people with coeliac disease
* Information on how to read the results of the Gluten Threshold Study, participate or help fund future studies and follow Wesley Research Institute on socials

Links
Gluten Threshold Study Results
Wesley Research Institute: Coeliac Disease and Immune Health
Follow Wesley Research Institute on Instagram and Facebook
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This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 

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A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 241

On today's episode I share 5 protocols I've added to my health routine since my coeliac disease diagnosis. When you're diagnosed with coeliac disease, it's not all just about going gluten free. There's so much more we can do to help our physical and mental health.

What we'll cover:
* Cold therapy and ice baths
* My episode with Benjamin Berry on the podcast
* The benefits of yoga, especially when I'm having a flare up
* Going to the gym or exercising in some capacity
* Importance of strength training for bone health
* Meditation and sound baths
* Recent collaboration of yoga, sound bath, Wim Hof breathing and ice baths

Links
Episode with Certified Wim Hof Instructor, Benjamin Berry
Wim Hof breathing video
Founder of The Bone Clinic, Belinda Beck episode
Boho Beautiful meditation
10 Minute guided meditation by Annie & Justin
Yoga, sound bath, Wim Hof breathing & Ice baths event

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This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 

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A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 240
 
My guests on today’s episode are my fellow gluten free podcasters from both Australia and the US. We’ll talk about the recent comments made by Robby Hoffman on the Call Her Daddy Podcast, how the gluten free community has responded and how we can improve coeliac disease and gluten free awareness moving forward together.

What we’ll cover:
* Gluten free podcasting hosts introducing themselves
* Giving context to the discussion between Robby Hoffman and Alex Cooper
* Initial thoughts and feelings from us
* Discussing Robby and Alex’s influence and level of awareness around coeliac disease
* Ignorance stemming from a lack of experience dealing with coeliac disease yourself or knowing a loved one who does
* Difference of laughing with versus laughing at the gluten free community
* Gluten Is A Joke Documentary coming out soon to talk about coeliac disease and the gluten free diet to help people be informed
* When humour doesn’t land from a comedian, using shock value
* How jokes, ignorance and misinformation is hurting our gluten free community
* The response from the coeliac and gluten free community following Robby and Alex’s comments on the podcast
* Reaching out to the podcasting hosting sites and sponsors to complain
* The importance of working together as a gluten free community
* How we can move forward together and combat the torment and misinformation within society around coeliac disease and the gluten free diet
* The positive side of living a gluten free life
* The importance of one-on-one conversations
* Closing thoughts and calls to action

Links
Robby Hoffman's Controversial Jokes on Call Her Daddy Spark Strong Internet Reaction
The Good Gluten Free Grub Podcast & follow Lorin on Instagram
You Had Me At Eat & follow Jules Shepard on Instagram & follow Erica of Celiac and the Beast on Instagram
The Gluten Free Advocate Podcast & follow Ashley on Instagram
Gluten Free News & follow Andrea on Instagram
The Healthy Celiac Podcast & follow Belinda on Instagram
The Celiac Project Podcast and follow Mike on Instagram 
Join A Gluten Free Podcast Facebook Group 

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This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 

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