At The Table

When Molly McMillan was diagnosed with food allergies and potential celiac disease as an 18-year-old Division I athlete, she had no idea that journey would eventually lead her to become a registered dietitian, gluten-free advocate, and world traveler.

In this episode, Channon and Molly talk about learning to advocate for yourself, navigating college and athletics with dietary restrictions, finding safe food while traveling, and overcoming the feeling that life has suddenly become smaller after diagnosis. Along the way, Molly shares lessons she's learned from years of helping others navigate food restrictions and explains why she sees the gluten-free journey as one giant treasure hunt.

Filled with practical tips, honest moments, and plenty of encouragement, this conversation is a reminder that a diagnosis can be the beginning of something bigger than you ever expected.

Onmollysplate.com

@onmollysplate

[email protected]

Special Encore Presentation from Season 1:

What does it really mean to grow up gluten-free? Not just medically, but socially, emotionally, and relationally?

In this episode, Channon is joined by writer and longtime gluten-free advocate Elyn Joy, her daughter Edyth, and Channon’s own daughter, Devyn, for an honest, multi-generational conversation about childhood, identity, and learning to advocate for yourself.

Together, they talk about the moments people don’t always see: navigating school events and birthday parties, dating and friendships, learning when to speak up (and when you didn’t), and how early food boundaries quietly shape confidence, self-trust, and adulthood.

Elyn reflects on the fear that comes with a diagnosis and the unexpected gifts that followed. Edyth and Devyn share what it was like to grow up gluten-free in different eras, how support (or lack of it) landed, and why being gluten-free is just one part of who they are, not the whole story.This is a conversation about parenting without panic, raising capable humans, and trusting kids sooner than we think we should.

Pull up a chair. This one matters.

Blog Posts:https://www.glutenfreeparent.com/post/the-unseen-but-profound-gifts-of-a-gluten-free-childhood

https://www.glutenfreeparent.com/post/it-s-all-about-the-stories-we-tell-rethinking-your-celiac-story-during-the-holidays-and-beyond

Books:https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B08WZL1WNL/ref=cm_cr_unknown?

ie=UTF8&filterByStar=five_star&reviewerType=all_reviews&pageNumber=1#reviews-filter-bar

Elyn Joy’s books, The Gluten-Free Parent’s Survival Guide and The Gluten-Free Teen’s Survival Guide, created in collaboration with a team of celiac physicians at Colorado Children's Hospital. Her articles and interviews have appeared in Gluten-Free Living, Whole Foods Magazine, Allergic Living, and many GF sites and publications. Elyn has been a featured presenter at national celiac awareness events and offers advice on lifestyle and dietary challenges for parents and children. For more information and contact details, visit https://www.glutenfreeparent.com.

Edyth is a medical student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, focusing on emergency medicine, global health, and medical education. She served as Clinical Research Coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Celiac Research and Treatment, where she supported studies and explored new research trials and findings. Edyth was heavily featured in The Gluten-Free Teen’s Survival Guide, offering her experiences and insights to teens facing a diagnosis with celiac disease.

This week, Chef Jason of Fuego and Salt joins at the table. His conversation with Channon ranges from his early aughts discovering a love of food, navigating his boundaries with the restaurant industry, and ultimately reclaiming his space in the kitchen and developing an allergen-friendly menu.

Jason breaks down the ease and simplicity of making a gluten-free menu, and prioritizing the needs of his clients.

This honest and compelling episode is sure to move and enlighten you on what happens behind the scenes in restaurants laying the groundwork for celiac safety. Pull up a chair and join us At the Table.

https://fuegoandsalt.com/

https://www.instagram.com/fuegoandsaltfl

https://www.facebook.com/fuegoandsaltfl

What does it take to earn the trust of a community that can't afford mistakes? This week, Channon sits down with Shawna LeMott of WOW Baking Company to talk about building a gluten-free brand that puts safety, quality, and community first. From the early days of dry, crumbly gluten-free products to creating cookies that everyone wants to eat, Shawna shares how WOW Baking has helped change expectations around gluten-free food. They discuss dedicated facilities, GFCO certification, customer trust, the power of community partnerships, and why no one should have to settle for a cookie that's merely "good for gluten-free."

In this episode, Channon talks with Kelly, a pediatric nurse who still knew nothing about celiac disease until it hit her own house, twice. In this episode she shares her family's 2015 diagnosis journey (mystery leg pain, a trick-or-treat night that changed everything, a celiac panel added almost as an afterthought), plus eleven years of lunch-packing, team sports, road trips, and mentoring another family through their own daughter's diagnosis. Her advice: you can't know what you don't know, perfection was never the goal, and you take it one day at a time.

Reach out to Kelly [email protected]

Got a question or a story of your own? Reach us at [email protected], we'd love to hear from you.

In this episode, Channon sits down with Laura Allred, a PhD immunologist from the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), to chat about what it really takes to keep our food safe. Laura pulls back the curtain on the behind-the-scenes world of gluten testing, sharing how factories manage shared spaces and use strict cleaning protocols to keep cross-contact at bay. This massive effort pays off, as GFCO's strict testing programs stop more than 50 potential product recalls every year before the food ever hits store shelves.

They also break down how gluten test kits actually work, explaining the difference between a basic yes-or-no qualitative test and a quantitative test that measures the exact amount of gluten present. Laura offers a great reality check on why these kits can be so finicky, noting that everyday things like heavy spices, high fat, or highly acidic ingredients can totally throw off a test strip's accuracy. Because of these quirks, bringing home test kits to a restaurant doesn't really work, swirling a mix of different foods together on a plate usually just gives you false or confusing results rather than real peace of mind.

gfco.org

This week on At the Table, we are joined by Kelly Okun: the founder of Fairway to Green, a retired pro-golfer, and a woman with celiac disease.

Kelly breaks down her unconventional celiac diagnosis, how she advocates for celiacs and women in sports, and how she started her women-focused social media company.

Pull up a seat, because you’re always welcome At the Table

IG @kellyokungolf

https://fairwaytogreen.com/

The Gluten-Free Open

https://gluten.org/gluten-free-open/

Have you ever wondered why packaged foods are required to label known allergens, but prescription drugs and medicines aren’t?

In this episode of At the Table, Channon sits down with the Togal family as they share their story, insights, and glimmers of hope for the future of medical safety.

Meet Adina, the 15-year-old behind The ADINA Act: a bill that will require the FDA to label allergens on prescription drugs. After a deeply frightening experience with their teen, parents Jen and Seth sought out answers and found themselves with only more questions. The Minnesota-based family decided to take action and seek congressional help to ensure what happened to Adina wouldn’t happen to any other person in the country.

Follow and support The ADINA Act:

https://www.adinaact.com/

https://www.instagram.com/the_adina_act_effort

https://www.facebook.com/people/The-ADINA-Act-Effort/61570634556837

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3821/text

Trust your gut. Butterflies in your stomach. That felt like a gut-punch.

You’ve probably heard one or maybe all of these expressions before. But did you know there is a science behind these phrases? This week on At the Table, Channon sits down with Dr. Alyse Bedell, a Gastro-Psych specialist, to discuss the research and nuance of the brain-gut connection for gluten-free people from gastro-presenting symptoms to neurological.

So pull up a chair and listen to this week’s informative episode.

https://gluten.org/dr-alyse-bedell-bio/

(Content Warning for eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Listener’s discretion advised)

On this special Teen Takeover episode of At the Table, Megan and Madeline sit down to talk with Lauren Murawski from Eat Gluten Free With Me. Since her celiac disease diagnosis at age 17, Lauren has had to be her own best advocate. From navigating multiple autoimmune disorders, to developing and overcoming her eating disorder, Lauren opens up about how she has trudged her own path and made a career for herself through content creation, community building, and advocacy.

Follow Lauren:

@eat.glutenfreewithme

https://laurenmurawski.substack.com/

https://www.tiktok.com/@eatglutenfreewithme