Hey gluten free fam,

Mariah Carey is playing in every shop. Everyone is rushing to buy last minute prezzies. We’re cramming our calendar with social events. You guessed it - it’s nearly Christmas time!

For the majority once the preparations and plans are organised they can sit back, relax and indulge in all the food and drink they desire at any Christmas event without a worry. However, for those of us with coeliac disease or who are strictly gluten free for other health reasons, the stress and planning can often continue right up until, and even on the day of, Christmas.

Having coeliac disease and navigating Christmas and the holidays is tricky. I’m only four years into it myself and I feel like I’ve got a good handle on it. With this being said, when I was newly diagnosed, I was anxious and rightly so. It’s bloody confusing, challenging and can feel overwhelming.

On the one hand we of course want to be involved in all the holiday celebrations with family, friends and work colleagues, but there’s always that one crucial element for us which needs careful consideration: the food. Christmas Day is one day out of the entire year we do not want to be glutened!

There’s so much fun to be had and heaps of people to catch up with, many of which we haven’t seen for ages. In short, we want to be feeling at our best. So how do we stay safe, happy and healthy during this time.

5 Gluten Free Christmas Tips

*Follow our 5 key steps for planning your very own gluten free Christmas*

1) Communication is Key

Speak to those hosting the event to double-check what you are able to eat. Talk to them about what gluten free food can be prepared easily (plain meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, etc). Make them well aware of gluten cross-contamination, may contain gluten statements and hidden gluten in various products.

Do this well in advance of Christmas so the caterers or hosts have a decent amount of time to know if they are able to prepare food safely for you. Coeliac Australia has a great checklist for dining out which you can read here.

2) Serve Yourself First

Try to serve yourself first if there is a help-yourself/ buffet situation. This avoids others touching your food with other gluten-containing foods or utensils.

3) Bring Your Own Plate

If you’re comfortable and it’s encouraged at the event, bring a plate of something yourself. Make sure it’s labelled, wrapped and let the caterers or hosts know it must be kept separate from other gluten-containing food, serving utensils, etc. This way you at least know you have something which is 100% safe. If possible, make it a filling dish (a nice big salad or bulky main) so you don’t go without if there’s not many options.

4) Gluten Free Snacks are Your Friend!

If you’ve sussed out the food situation and you’re getting a bad vibe that you’ll be glutened, even after you’ve discussed coeliac-safe preparation with the hosts, have some gluten free snacks packed, eat beforehand, or both! This will fight off those hangry feelings and give you the energy to explain to old Aunt Betty why you can’t “Just have one bite”.

5) Take the Focus Away from the Food

It’s not all about the food. Remember, no matter if you’re able to eat all the food, a few things or hardly anything, it’s only one day and you’ll be able to eat all the gluten free food you desire later. Soak up the day itself: socialise, have fun and focus on the food you can eat rather than paying attention to what you cannot.

We do our best to seek out food where and when we can, educating others in the process about how to keep us safe but sometimes human error occurs and people do make mistakes. We do get glutened at times and that’s all part of the journey unfortunately when living with coeliac disease.

To give ourselves the best chance of having a safe and happy Christmas we need to go through the above checklists and have those awkward conversations (yes, with Aunt Betty too!) I promise, from my experience at least, all that preparation is worth it when those events roll around.

You can relax knowing you’ve done your absolute best.

3 Psychologist Insights for Navigating Mental Health During Christmas with Coeliac Disease

Mental Health Christmas — *Juliette Thomson offers insights into navigating mental health hurdles over Christmas*

It can be a super awkward time to talk about the measures needed to keep our food safely prepared and served, yet doing so will help ensure we don’t get sick. But how do we communicate our gluten free needs in a calm way, prioritising our own physical and mental health?

Last year I sat down with eating disorder and body image expert psychologist, Juliette Thomson for A Gluten Free Podcast. We chatted about managing our mental health during Christmas and the holiday season when living with coeliac disease, the importance of planning and preparation during this time and how using self-care is pivotal.

Offer Solutions, Not Problems

Juliette explained “some people may not be able to meet your food needs.” Christmas is a time for connection with the people we love. Coeliac disease can certainly complicate the day, especially if you’re around people who don’t fully understand your gluten free diet.

Juliette gives some great advice here: “Offer solutions, not problems”. If you’re heading to a Christmas event it’s up to you to communicate your own dietary needs. Think ahead in these scenarios. Ring the host and check what can be made safe for you. Could you offer to bring a plate and keep it separate from the gluten-containing meals?

Focus on Self Compassion

Accepting difficult situations can be hard, especially when we’re newly diagnosed with coeliac disease. Juliette expressed the importance of self compassion, acceptance and going easy on yourself during this time. “This is hard. This is challenging.

And it’s okay if you’re finding it worrisome or stressful. Don’t try and reject your feelings on this. Have some compassion as you would with your best friend going through this”. Remember to take some time for yourself during this time.

If you need to do some exercise - do it. If you need to take yourself away and do some breath work - do it. If you need to take some time away from engaging socially - remove yourself until you’re comfortable to return.

If there are easy options or offers of help during this time - take them. Go easy on yourself and remember if you’re not in a good place physically or mentally, you can’t show up the way you want to for others.

Reframe the Discussion

Misinformation and ignorant conversations can rear their ugly head at this time of year. We don’t choose to be gluten free when we have coeliac disease but many hurtful jokes or comments can often be made from others, especially when they don’t fully understand our condition and dietary needs.

Juliette offers some great advice in these situations: “When people lack awareness or they won’t take what you need seriously, it is not a reflection of your self worth.”

To combat the ignorant comments of ‘one bite won’t hurt’, ‘ that’s not a real disease’ or ‘you’re just being a fussy eater’ consider Juliette’s suggestion of framing the responses “How fascinating”, “How curious” and “How interesting”. Although ignorant comments can be hurtful, engaging in them in an aggressive manner will only throw fuel on an already unwanted fire.

If you don’t feel like engaging simply walk away or find an excuse to remove yourself from the conversation. However, if you’re in the right headspace to do so, use these moments instead as a way to help share information and awareness. You never know what planting that seed will do for that person. One chat at a time.

Ben’s Gluten Free Rocky Road Recipe

Ingredients

1) 2-3 blocks gluten free chocolate of your choosing cut into small pieces or use Choc baking melts (like I did because I’m a tired gluten free dad)

2) 1 packet diced gluten free lollies of your choosing. Make sure they have some colour for when you cut into them.

3) 1 packet gluten free Coles supermarket Bake & Create Marshmallows (these little ones save time cutting up large marshmallows - which I’ve realised is a bloody mission!)

4) 1 cup gluten free Woolworths Macro Dessicated Coconut

Method

Prepare a few cake or square tins lined with baking paper
Heat a small saucepan with around 2 cups of water
Place a heat-proof bowl on top and melt all the chocolate
Throw in gluten free lollies, marshmallows, coconut and stir
Pour into prepared tins and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight before bringing them out and cutting them up

Note: make sure all your ingredients are gluten free, either by ingredient or with a gluten free label. If you need any help selecting which chocolate and lollies to use feel free to reach out to me on Instagram here.

For complete rocky road instructions: watch the full video here.

Have a happy and safe Christmas gluten free fam. Thank you so much for your support this year. See you back here in 2025!

Ben

5 Gluten Free Christmas Tips, Mental Health Support & Rocky Road Recipe