Thriving During the Gluten Free Holidays

by Ann Hutyra, Certified Gluten Practitioner and Lead Biological Health Coach

I remember dreading my first gluten free holiday season. I was newly diagnosed as a Celiac, and had realized just how sensitive I was to gluten, and how unwell it made me feel. I don’t think I ate much that holiday season, as I went in with the mentality of “I can’t get sick if I don’t eat.” That approach worked, but it was no fun. If you grew up anything like me, then Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year celebrations all tended to blend together every year into a two-month-long smorgasbord of culinary delights.

I grew up in a Czech-American family, so I had a classic Thanksgiving dinner like every other American – turkey and all the sides, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with baked mini marshmallows on top. The stuffing was always made from homemade bread that my grandma would leave sitting out for days ahead of time, loosely covered in dish towels so it could get a stale crust. But my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner was by far the dessert table (Yes, table.) My mother would always make multiple desserts, including pecan pies using pecans we grew ourselves. (She went on to teach me and my brothers how to make the famous Hutyra Family Pecan Pie which I would later healthify!) She would also make pumpkin bread, peanut butter balls, and a few other sweets, all of which would get added to the countless other desserts that the other women in my family brought to show off.

For Christmas, we always had a classic Czech Christmas Eve celebration with homemade chicken noodle soup, my grandma’s glazed ham, and again an entire table of sweets including Czech pastries like kolaches and poppy seed strudel. My mom was always in charge of the sugar cookies she made from scratch, and would make at least 10 dozen to take to the various holiday parties we attended. (My aunts were known to fight over the last few, or sneak away a plate to hide and take home later!) For New Year’s Eve, it was always black-eyed pea soup and these delicious crackers my mom called “firecrackers,” which were saltines drizzled in oil with red pepper flakes and ranch seasoning.

As you’re reading this, perhaps you are fondly thinking of your own family’s traditions when it comes to holiday foods and celebrations. Food, afterall, is a way we connect with each other, and a way to experience nostalgia – it takes us back to the simpler times when we were kids, when we believed in Santa, and when we didn’t have the worries that many of us now face as adults. (Or the health concerns!)

Back to that first gluten free holiday season for me – while I survived unscathed, I did not enjoy it. In fact, I felt really sad about it, like I was missing out on the celebration, now that I had to undertake this lifestyle change of being gluten free. As I adjusted to living gluten free, and learning how to use gluten free ingredients in my cooking and baking – I slowly started transforming my family’s holiday recipes into versions that were not only gluten free, but used healthier ingredients. Today, my family’s holiday season is almost entirely gluten free – and when I say family, I don’t just mean my husband and daughter, but my parents, siblings, their spouses, cousins, and many aunts and uncles. It’s really turned into a collective shift in how we all care for our health.

Eleven years after my diagnosis, I am the healthiest I have ever been, and I’ve learned how to transform my holiday meals into healthier versions without missing out on all my childhood favorites. I admit, it was rough going in those first few years. Going gluten free is HARD. There were countless times I accidentally “glutened” myself with foods I didn’t realize had hidden gluten. I even glutened myself with some non-food items! It took me a lot of mistakes, a lot of trial and error, and a lot of learning the hard way – to eventually accomplish being successfully gluten free. 

It has become my passion to help other people have an easier transition into a gluten free lifestyle – in fact, I am so passionate about it – I have taken all the tips and tricks I have learned over the past 10 years and compiled that into an easy 8 week course for you!

This holiday season, I’m inviting you to give yourself (or a family member) the gift of health! Earlier this year, I created “Gluten Freedom: An 8-Week Journey to Eliminating Gluten and Reclaiming Your Health.”

This 8-week program will take you through all you need to know to be successful at a gluten free lifestyle, including:

  • What to eat and not eat
  • What products are safe to eat
  • Why some gluten free labeled products are NOT safe
  • How to label read for gluten (you’ll never see the word gluten in an ingredient list!)
  • Why your body care needs to be gluten free
  • What symptoms can be associated with gluten sensitivity
  • What testing is my favorite
  • Why prebiotics are crucial, and how to get them through food
  • Why pathogenic infection is so common with gluten sensitivity and how to address it
  • How to ultimately heal your gut
  • And so much more!!!

 

“Gluten Freedom: An 8-Week Journey to Eliminating Gluten and Reclaiming Your Health” is on sale this holiday season for only $97! 

Learn more and sign up for this course here.

You too can enjoy the holidays without feeling like you’re alone at the dinner table, or like you’re missing out. It starts with you taking action and changing your mindset around food and the holiday season. I know you can do it, and we are here if you need help!

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