🫶🏾 Support & Understanding

Adapting to a gluten free lifestyle is a significant change - not just for the person diagnosed with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance, but for everyone around them. Whether you're going gluten free yourself or supporting someone who is, creating a safe, supportive home environment makes all the difference.

This guide is packed with practical tips on how families and friends can work together to manage everything from communication and cross-contamination to shopping, cooking, and mental wellbeing.

🧬 Genetics & Testing

Coeliac disease is a genetic autoimmune condition, so it often runs in families. If a relative is diagnosed - especially if you experience symptoms like digestive issues, fatigue, or nutrient deficiencies - it's worth speaking to your GP about testing. Catching it early can prevent long-term complications.

👉🏻 Learn more about testing for coeliac disease

🗣️ Communication is Key

It's hard to support what you don't understand. Having honest, two-way conversations can help build understanding and trust. Here's what helps:

• Clearly explain what coeliac disease or gluten intolerance is
• Talk about the health risks of gluten exposure (both short-term symptoms and long-term complications)
• Reinforce the importance of a 100% gluten free diet - not a 'sometimes' one
• Encourage curiosity - answer questions together and share resources - we've got plenty of free guides, why not share with them!

⚠️ Cross-Contamination Awareness

In a shared kitchen, avoiding cross-contamination is one of the biggest challenges. Even tiny crumbs of gluten can be harmful to someone with coeliac disease. Luckily, with a few simple adjustments, it's easy to manage.

Top tips:

• Use dedicated kitchen tools (toasters, chopping boards, wooden utensils)
• Store gluten and gluten free food separately
• Have your own butter/spreads or ban 'double dipping' to avoid cross-contamination from shared knives
• Wipe down surfaces and clean appliances regularly

👉🏽 For a more detailed guide of the risks and solutions to cross-contamination at home, check out our full guide here

🛒 Shopping Gluten Free

Gluten free shopping doesn't have to be stressful. Learning to read labels together can make it easier, and sometimes cheaper!

• Stock up on naturally gluten free foods (fruit, veg, rice, meat, pulses, etc.)
• Consider making a switch to gluten free alternatives for household staples such as stock cubes, gravies, pasta, flour

Need help on shopping gluten free? 👉🏻 Check out our guides on label reading

🧑🏽‍🍳 Cooking Gluten Free at Home

Making shared meals gluten free is one of the simplest ways to avoid cross-contamination and keep life easy. You don’t have to cook two versions of everything- and honestly, most people won’t notice the difference.

• Try doing one gluten free dinner a day that everyone eats
• If only one person in the home needs to avoid gluten, others can still have it outside the home or during solo meals
• Choose recipes where gluten free swaps are simple (pasta, flour, soy sauce, etc.)

🍽️ Eating Out & Planning Ahead

Restaurants are getting better at catering to gluten free needs - but it can still be stressful and a lot of time, the gluten free person harbours guilt or embarrassment when eating out. Don't let the planning always fall on the gluten free person

• Encourage friends and family to use the Gluten Free Map to help find gluten free or coeliac safe restaurants
• Look ahead at menus, call ahead, or message venues to check out their allergen policies
• Share out restaurant guides and eating out tips so everyone's in the loop

👧🏼 Explaining Gluten Free to Children

Kids are naturally curious - use that to your advantage! Whether you're supporting a gluten free child or helping siblings/friends understand, keep it light, fun, and age-appropriate. Try not to scare them with this unknown disease that makes people poorly, instead try:

• Storybooks about coeliac disease or allergies
• Toys and role play to teach safe food choices
• Encourage questions and involve them in cooking/shopping

Got a gluten free child? Don't miss our guides for navigating nursery, school and university - coming soon!

👉🏽 In the meantime, here's a great guide on self-advocacy

💗 Mental Health & Emotional Support

Living gluten free - especially when newly diagnosed - can feel isolating and overwhelming. Mental wellbeing is just as important as physical health. Ways to support:

• Talk about how you're feeling and don't bottle things up
• Join gluten free communities online or locally
• Celebrate gluten free wins, like discovering a new safe restaurant or product
• Get yourself to one of the UK's gluten free food festivals - they are great places to discover new gluten free products and meet people just like you

🌟 Remember, it's okay to have tough days, but you're not alone.