Celiac Project Podcast

General Mills recently put out feelers on a new line of products that they term "gluten friendly." These products start with gluten free ingredients, but would not necessarily be made on gluten free lines or made in gluten free facilities. We weigh in on this and also talk about the downside of the term "gluten friendly" as it is being used for restaurants and how we feel it negatively impacts our community.

New takeaways have been published pertaining to the 2018 Doggie Bag Study. This study was the first of its kind as it tested actual samples from the participant's food and then studied the reaction that the food had on each of the subjects (all with celiac disease). The major finding from this study is that it might, sadly, be impossible to live completely gluten free.

Mike and Cam welcome guest Vanessa Weisbrod, the Executive Director of the Celiac Disease Program at Children's National Hospital. Vanessa shares her personal celiac story, and talks about the work she is doing, including the groundbreaking cross-contact studies for home and school, which sent shockwaves throughout the celiac and gluten free communities.  Vanessa explains why these studies are so important moving forward.

Justin Bieber recently took to Instagram to announce he is gluten intolerant. This got Mike and Cam thinking about some of the gluten free celebrities who have already claimed gluten free status. They discuss what having a high profile spokesperson might do for the gluten free world. Also, the confusion around some of these celebs, in that one website might say that they are gluten intolerant and another will say they have celiac. We discuss whether it is something that should matter to our community.

Come along with Trey, Mike and Cam on one fantastic journey! Trey French, an avid long distance hiker, joins us to talk about what life is like on the trails having celiac disease. He has covered approximately 6,000 miles including the Vermont Long Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail to name a few. Hear the amazing story of the long distance celiac hiker who inspired Trey to take his first leap into the world of hiking.

In an interesting preliminary study, some Australian scientists may have found a link between gluten proteins and some proteins found in bacteria. Might these bacteria actually mimic gluten and lead to the development of celiac disease? Mike and Cam also look at a study that is attempting to set safe guidelines in schools for celiac children handling things like Play-Doh, dry pasta and paper mache.

Back from his European adventures, Mike's nephew Sam joins the guys in the studio to talk about the rest of his fantastic trip! Sam fills us in on the rest of his time in Spain, France and he is blown away by how celiac friendly Italy is. He also shares some of his top tips and take-aways from this type of travel.

Mike and Cam connect with Mike's nephew and fellow celiac, Sam, as he tours Europe. He shares his biggest challenges and triumphs during his first time traveling through Europe, and he is doing much of it solo. Sam's shares his biggest hurdles as well as helpful tips on being a gluten free traveler. Check out part 2 next week, when Sam is live in the studio to tell about the last leg of his adventures, sharing his take-aways about his entire trip.

We are ringing in the New Year by sitting down to reflect on the past year and make it extra fun by sampling some drinks for the first time. Wishing you a safe and happy Gluten Free 2020! 

We are serving up an extra large helping of The Celiac Project Podcast as our holiday gift to you. Hear our thoughts about reducing stress at this time of year plus a couple of holiday lists that will hopefully keep everyone happy and healthy.  We will be off on Christmas, but look forward to toasting the New Year with everyone on January 1st!

We all know how stressful gluten free travel can be! Mike took his family to San Francisco and somewhat to his surprise, they ended up eating only at 100% gluten free establishments. Find out about all the amazing places they visited as well as some fantastic friends in the celiac community who they "broke GF bread" with!

We have made it to episode 200--what a ride it has been! Mike and Cam take time to reflect on the journey so far, and how the podcast has grown and evolved from where it started 4 years ago. We also talk about the origin of how we met and what prompted us to embark on this adventure. Most importantly, we are happy that you have shared this experience with us!

In Part 2 of our Fall Mailbag we hear from a childhood friend of Priyanka Chugh, who now specializes in memes on Instagram. Plus, gluten detection dogs, Celiac Cruises and special "shout outs" to our TCP Inner Circle on Patreon. 

Our amazing listeners have opened up to tell us stories that are both touching and inspirational in Part 1 of our Fall Mailbag. We revisit our recent conversation on trauma, hear from a mother inspired by Jessica's celiac advocacy in school, and a gluten free home brewer who has a whole lot in common with Mike.

Erin Heidenreich, Registered Dietician, and founder of The Celiac Space joins us to talk about some of the unique issues that come up with working with clients who have celiac and other related conditions. As someone with celiac herself, Erin has a shared perspective and provides tools that she has used in her own life navigating living gluten free. She passes this knowledge to her clients to help them get through their own physical, emotional and mental hurdles.

Mike and Cam share an intriguing article about a woman who is encouraged to get tested for celiac disease based on an at-home genetic test. In addition, Mike shares his recent frustrations trying to get answers to confirm if a prescription drug is indeed gluten free.

In the last week or so the celiac world has been buzzing with the news of a potential groundbreaking new celiac disease treatment that could be available soon. In a small phase 2a study, this nanoparticle being called CNP-101/Tak-101, enters the body like a "Trojan Horse" that might be able to prevent the body from triggering an immune reaction in the body. While the study is small, this has so much potential to change not only the lives of those of us with celiac disease, but hopefully can lead to a breakthrough in treatment of other autoimmune diseases.

It has been a while since we read a published piece that has set us off. This week Mike and Cam take a dive into a New York Post article that completely trivializes any health benefits of the gluten free diet. They give a lot of weight to a new study that was done on a very small scale.

A new, controversial study, indicates that there might not be as large a risk of cross contamination for those of us with celiac disease. The study includes findings that cross contact including the use of a separate toaster to toast gluten free bread might not actually be needed. Mike and Cam are more than a little skeptical as they explore the findings.

Have you ever fantasized about taking a sabbatical and traveling the globe for 6 months? Our guest, Jennifer Fitzpatrick, whose blog is "The Nomadic Fitzpatricks," decided to do just that. She and her husband took what they called a "gap year" and grabbed their backpacks to see the world! Jen didn't let her celiac slow her down! She shares some of the greatest, as well as most challenging, locations from her amazing journey.