A Gluten Free Podcast

Send us Fan Mail
A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 248
My guest on today’s episode is substance abuse, eating disorder and trauma specialist psychotherapist, Alexis Fosler. We’ll explore the link between trauma, eating disorders, addiction and the gut/brain axis. We’ll also share how individuals living with coeliac disease can incorporate various tools to deal with these issues to manage the stresses in their lives.

What we’ll cover:
* How Alexis and I connected through a mutual friend
* The stresses of living with coeliac disease and being strictly gluten free
* Alexis’ personal background and role as a former corporate executive and what led Alexis into working in addiction, trauma and eating disorders
* Finding a mentor
* Insights Alexis gained from retraining as a psychotherapist being exposed to a broad spectrum of people living with addictions and mental health issues
* Currently studying obesity and  ultraprocessed foods and its impact on
* Acute versus chronic stress
* Complex trauma and modern stressors in our lives
* Homeostasis and allostasis
* How our nervous system adapts to stress over time
* Allostatic load and the cumulative load of stress and challenges over time on our mental and physical health
* How stress impacts our endocrine system
* Is there a healthy level of stress?
* Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
* Effects of stress on our appetite and food habits
* Cortisol, dopamine and other chemicals being activated during stress
* The complexities of our stressors and how we deal with stress in our brains and bodies
* Hypervigilance and avoidance when living with coeliac disease and adhering to a strict gluten free diet
* Eating disorders in people with coeliac disease
* The fear of food, restrictive eating and coeliac disease
* Link between eating disorders and disordered eating
* When to seek help when the stresses of living strictly gluten free
* The relationship between addiction, eating disorders and disordered eating
* Maladaptive behaviours in addiction
* Emotional regulation’s role in addiction, eating disorders and disordered eating
* Dopamine’s role in our habits and compulsions
* Chronic deficits in our dopamine system and alterations in our dopamine systems
* Complexities of dealing with recovery in addictions
* Approaching various addictions, eating disorders and disordered eating with various approaches
* Various approaches to recovery: pharmacological, talk therapy, cognitive flexibility, somatic interventions and changes of environment
* Importance of breath work
* How to create new neural pathways to retrain brain
* Alexis’ PHD and thesis

Links
Follow Living Free on Instagram
Living Free Today
Promises Healthcare
Trauma, Eating Disorders and Addiction Youtube video
ARFID and coeliac disease research
Connect with Alexis’ mentor, Reshie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshie-joseph-a770a358/
Join A Gluten Free Podcast Facebook Group 
📬 Stay connected:
Instagram: @a.gffamily
Sign up to our newsletter
Email: hello@aglutenfreefamily.com.au
This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 247
 
My guest on today’s episode is my brother Blake. We’ll talk about Matt Damon going gluten free for his role as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s new film The Odyssey, our takeaways from our appearance at SBS Insight discussing ultra processed foods and our Sydney Gluten Free Expo ticket giveaway.

What we’ll discuss:
* Matt Damon going gluten free for his role as leading character Odysseus in The Odyssey
* Going gluten free for sport
* How and why celebrities talk differently about their coeliac disease and gluten free diet on podcasts
* Jon Bernthal talking about coeliac disease and his gluten free journey
* Celebrity men talking about coeliac disease and the gluten free diet
* Matt Damon talking about his gluten free diet unprompted on Amy Pohler’s podcast
* The fad of gluten free in society versus more options for the coeliac and gluten free community
* Personal trainers and their potential influence of a gluten free diet in their preparation for physically demanding movie roles
* Our takeaways from our appearance at SBS Insight for the discussion around ultra processed foods as part of our diets as Australians
* Our family’s reflections on ultra processed foods as part of our overall diet
* Friends of ours sharing a food scanning app with us
* The complications of the health star ratings on food packaging in Australia
* Warning labels and other interventions for ultra processed foods in other countries 
* Future podcast guest chatting about gluten doses in various products, health star ratings, etc
* Sydney Gluten Free Expo giveaway  

Links
Matt Damon Goes Gluten Free for his role as Odssyseus in The Odyssey
Jon Bernthal’s coeliac and gluten free journey
Appearance on SBS Insight - Ultra Processed Food Fight 
Full Episode of SBS Insight - Ultra Processed Food Fight
Matt Damon on Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Philip Baker and colleagues’ research findings on Ultra Processed Foods
Sydney Gluten Free Expo
Join A Gluten Free Podcast Facebook Group 
📬 Stay connected:
Instagram: @a.gffamily
Sign up to our newsletter
Email: hello@aglutenfreefamily.com.au
This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 246

My guest on today’s episode is the creator of The Celiac In Italy and Celiacs In Europe, Catalin Varela. We’ll talk about her coeliac disease diagnosis, the differences between the US and her current home of Florence in Italy and the resources she’s created to help the gluten free community travel throughout Italy and Europe.

What we’ll cover:
* Catalin’s coeliac disease diagnosis and her symptoms pre-diagnosis
* Neurological symptoms of coeliac disease
* Catalin’s misdiagnosis of cancer
* Catalin’s family friend prompting to test for coeliac disease
* Cutting out more things other than gluten from the diet to help improve Catalin’s health
* Catalin’s training in integrative nutrition
* How Catalin’s 6 month travels around the world changed her perspective and approach to coeliac disease and the gluten free diet
* Catalin’s degree in medical anthropology and writing her thesis on how people living with coeliac disease approach their disease and the gluten free diet differently depending on where they live in the world
* What Catalin found from her thesis
* Why Florence is a great place for people living with coeliac disease
* Biggest differences in approaches to coeliac disease and the gluten free diet within the US compared to Italy
* Catalin’s experience of eating out and making her own food in Florence
* How Italy compares to neighbouring countries in Europe in terms of gluten free options and coeliac disease awareness
* Navigating buying gluten free food in supermarkets in Italy
* The use of gluten free wheat starch in Italy in gluten free products
* The misconception of being able to eat gluten when you have coeliac disease in Italy and Europe
* Wheat being imported into Italy from Canada
* Gluten free food subsidy for people living with coeliac disease in Italy
* The nuances of the gluten free subsidy for italian residents with coeliac disease
* The cost of gluten free food in Italy
* Catalin’s thoughts on the population screening for the study of coeliac disease and Type 1 diabetes
* Catalin’s work with the Italian Celiac Association (AIC)
* Celiacs and Europe and the consulting services offered
* Clients sharing their gluten free travel stories after their consultations
* Tips for travelling to Italy with coeliac disease

Links
Use our code GFFAM for 10% off booking a consultation with Celiacs In Europe
Follow Celiac In Italy on Instagram 
https://celiacinitaly.com/
https://celiacsineurope.com/
Follow Celiacs In Europe on Instagram
https://www.aglutenfreefamily.com.au/blog/how-to-travel-gluten-free-in-europe-and-the-one-resource-that-makes-it-easier

Join A Gluten Free Podcast Facebook Group 
📬 Stay connected:
Instagram: @a.gffamily
Sign up to our newsletter
Email: hello@aglutenfreefamily.com.au

📸 Photo credit: WEHI. 1G Royal Pde Parkville 3052 VIC Australia. https://www.wehi.edu.au/
This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 245

On today's episode we share the story of Isla's coeliac disease diagnosis told by her mother Isla and how they made the goal to run a marathon for coeliac disease awareness.

What we'll cover:
* Reflecting on Glenn and Harley's story a few weeks ago
* How I found the story of Isla and her mum, Kirsty
* Isla's coeliac disease symptoms
* The pizza that changed everything
* Trying to find the problem behind Isla's health issues
* Isla being dismissed by health professionals
* Isla's consistent sicknesses
* Daycare employee suggesting to keep a food journal for Isla
* Doctor testing for coeliac disease and confirming via repeated blood test
* Relief after Isla's coeliac disease diagnosis
* The worry and alertness still lingering
* The transition to gluten free life for Isla
* How Isla and Kirsty found the Edinburgh Marathon
* The support around Isla's fundraiser for Coeliac UK
* The amount of awareness needed around coeliac disease in the UK and throughout the world
* My closing thoughts

Links
Follow @coeliacmamma on Instagram
Read our blog post on Isla's fundraiser
Original article: Musselburgh girl 'smashes' junior marathon for Coeliac UK
Join A Gluten Free Podcast Facebook Group 
📬 Stay connected:
Instagram: @a.gffamily
Sign up to our newsletter
Email: hello@aglutenfreefamily.com.au
This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
A Gluten Free Podcast
Episode 244
 
My guest on today’s episode is Associate Professor, gastroenterologist and world-leading coeliac disease researcher, Jason Tye-Din. We’ll talk about the latest updates on the Interleukin 2 blood test, updated advice around oats as part of a gluten free diet and all the other incredible research he and his team at WEHI are currently undertaking.

What we’ll cover:
* Introducing Jason and our previous episode together
* How coeliac disease is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects all parts and organs of the body
* How the Interleukin 2 diagnostic tool works
* Interleukin 2 blood test being used in various other coeliac disease research trials
* Interleukin 2 blood test used in the Gluten Threshold Study to determine if T cells are being activated when participants are ingesting very low levels of gluten
* Interleukin 2 (IL-2) blood test soon to be used in a trial involving children
* Updates around this blood test and implementation plans
* Non-biospy approach in diagnosing coeliac disease and how IL-2 could play a part in this
* Working on a salivary coeliac disease test
* How the IL-2 test might work in people with potential coeliac disease
* Gluten Threshold Study and how IL-2 was used in the study
* The response from the Gluten Threshold Study
* World Health Organisation reference threshold for gluten and possibility to clear up confusion around ‘may contain gluten’ statements
* Defining an action level in a standard serve of food
* Jason’s advice on enzymes that claim to break down small amounts of gluten
* Importance of not using symptoms as a measure of being glutened or not
* Possible adjunct management drugs and other therapeutics other than a strict gluten free diet for people with coeliac disease
* Advice for oats as part of a gluten free diet for Australian adults and children living with coeliac disease
* ENDIA (Environmental Determinants of Islet Autoimmunity Study) updates
* Eotaxin and brain fog coeliac disease study
* Pros and cons around population screening of coeliac disease
* NSW school children being tested for coeliac disease and Type 1 diabetes
* International Celiac Disease Symposium 2026 in Melbourne

Links
Contact the nurses to be involved in WEHI studies - coeliac@wehi.edu.au
Professor Jason Tye-Din’s previous podcast appearance
Suitability of Oats as part of a gluten free diet for Australians living with coeliac disease
ENDIA study
https://www.icds2026.org/
Coeliac Disease Research Lab
Join A Gluten Free Podcast Facebook Group 
📬 Stay connected:
Instagram: @a.gffamily
Sign up to our newsletter
Email: hello@aglutenfreefamily.com.au

📸 Photo credit: WEHI. 1G Royal Pde Parkville 3052 VIC Australia. https://www.wehi.edu.au/
This podcast reflects personal experiences and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for individual guidance. 
Support the show