New year, new gluten-free me — but let’s pause for a moment.

“I think I should go gluten-free. New year, new me — I can do this challenge.”

It never occurred to me, at any stage before my diagnosis, that this was something I should do. I always wondered why so many people start cutting out gluten—was it because of bloating, stomach pain, or that feeling of “parang I’m a bit off” after eating? Or was it simply because it felt like something worth trying?

As someone now diagnosed with Celiac Disease, here’s something I learned that’s very important to consider.

For most people, gluten is harmless and part of a nutritious diet. But for those with Celiac Disease, like me, or with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, it can trigger immune or inflammatory reactions that make a gluten-free diet truly necessary.

If you stop eating gluten before getting tested, you might miss a Celiac Disease diagnosis entirely. Celiac Disease testing only works when gluten is still in your system. I’m grateful that cutting out gluten was never something I considered before testing—because if I had, I may have been asked to do a gluten challenge, which I’ve since learned can be physically and emotionally exhausting.

And here’s something we don’t consider often enough:
Celiac Disease is genetic, and gluten isn’t always the problem for everyone.

For those of you who don’t have Celiac Disease, there may be other reasons behind how you are feeling. Sometimes it’s not gluten itself, but other components in our food or different digestive triggers altogether.

Living gluten-free with Celiac Disease isn’t easy. It can be expensive, nutritionally challenging, and socially isolating—especially when food is such a big part of family, celebration, and connection.
Sometimes going gluten-free is medically necessary—for me, it is.
Sometimes it isn’t.

That’s why starting the right way matters.

If you’re thinking about going gluten-free this year, I gently encourage you to pause first. Talk to a doctor. Get tested if you can. Ask a lot of questions. You deserve clarity, not confusion—and you deserve support on whatever path your health takes.

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

~Marge