As anyone who has been diagnosed with celiac disease or a gluten allergy knows, there is a lot of mixed information out there about how to handle your diet. Most of us received a hefty information packet or two from our doctors, naturopaths and nutritionists after our diagnosis. I know for me it was an overwhelming amount of information to take in.
And even more frustrating than the diagnosis was discovering how few things in those packets are agreed upon by healthcare practitioners. While there are many issues I’d like to investigate further, such as cross sensitivities, there is one thing I feel I can definitely advocate for: Vitamins and “healthy gut” habits.
At the GIG meeting this month, Lisa Shaver mentioned how important it is to take vitamins every single day for a full year after your celiac diagnosis. I felt myself slink down in my seat when she said this, ashamed of the fact that I’ve had a bottle of CeliAct since July. I should have finished with it within a month…
But I’ll note here that I wasn’t able to get my vitamin and mineral levels tested until September due to a lack of health insurance. I didn’t want to do more damage than good by taking too much vitamin D or another fat soluble vitamin that my body didn’t need.
The other thing that has prevented me from keeping on top of my “healthy gut” routine of drinking kefir in the morning? I wasn’t able to give up coffee, and taking vitamins or digestive enzymes an hour before or after drinking coffee is pointless. The coffee cancels the good stuff out. So, I have committed myself to drinking Earl Grey in the mornings after I’ve had my kiefer and a mixture of the vitamins and minerals my doctor recommended to me. I’ll let you know what difference it makes!
And I am curious to know what everyone else is taking! I know in this part of the world most all of us are deficient in vitamin D. But do you like taking a specified multi vitamin like CeliAct, or do you supplement with yogurt or kefir for you gut health?
GlutenFreePDX 
