Almost anything seems to get better if you gluten out of your life.  

– Anne Sarkisian

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk with Anne Sarkisian, a author, an artist, mom and grandmother. We met at a gluten-free expo and she has so much to share about gluten and dairy intolerance—and if you think this doesn’t affect you, listen in, because she talks about how she realized how much these things were affecting her family.

Anne’s grandson was pale and thin. He lacked energy and was irritable. He got tested and they changed his diet, and everything changed. Anne and her family made major changes too, and Anne talks about how cutting out gluten, and then dairy, has improved her own health.

Anne encourages people to get tested, because you can be affected for 10 years before you develop an obvious problem. And if you have a child who is hungry all the time or really irritable, you may want to get them tested.

We talk about:

• Surprising symptoms that you may have a gluten intolerance
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• Why you need to advocate for yourself as many doctors don’t know enough about gluten intolerance
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• Why dairy issues are related to gluten-intolerance
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• The long-term serious health issues related to gluten
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• The surprising places we find gluten
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• Family gatherings made gluten free
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BIO

Anne Sarkisian is the author of Toxic Staple and an advocate for gluten intolerance. Anne and much of her family were diagnosed with a gluten-intolerance, and since then she has been learning extensively about the problem with gluten. She is a mother and grandmother, and her experience with one of her grandsons got her started on this journey. In addition to her work on gluten intolerance, Anne is an artist and gardener.

LINKS

• http://toxicstaple.com/
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Doable Changes from this episode:

• GET TESTED. The idea of changing your lifestyle might feel daunting, but as Anne and I discussed, it’s not that hard to eat gluten-free, especially these days. The first step, before you start playing with your diet is to get tested. Anne recommends particularly the stool test. You may need to push for testing, but it’s worth knowing.
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• PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR KIDS. Anne knew something was off with her grandson even before they got tested. Things to watch out for: complaining of hunger frequently (even after eating), not wanting to eat, irritability, inability to focus, skin issues, frequent illnesses . . . the list goes on. Keep track of what’s happening and ask about gluten testing.
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• SLOW DOWN. Anne talks about getting caught up in the holiday rush and not taking care of herself. You need to slow down. Eat the things you know serve your body, drink enough water, move your body, sleep. If you have a really busy day or stretch of time, make a plan to work these basics into your day before you crash.
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REALLY getting healthy as a family can be a big lifestyle change. But no matter how insurmountable it may feel, focusing on one doable change at a time can help you take small steps toward your big goal.

A healthy lifestyle is really made of lots of little things that when repeated regularly and added together over time make a huge impact on your life.

Choose one Doable Change