Celiac Disease, Gut Health and the Foods That May Be Working Against You

Digestive problems can be surprisingly difficult to decipher.

Bloating. Constipation. Brain fog. Headaches. Fatigue. Foods that suddenly don’t seem to agree with you.

For holistic nutritionist and author Elissa Goodman, those symptoms eventually became part of a much bigger health picture that included Hodgkin’s lymphoma, hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s disease and celiac disease.

Her experience led her to focus heavily on inflammation, gut health, nutrition and stress. And while some of the approaches she discusses fall outside standard medical treatment, one of the most useful themes from the conversation is simple:

When your gut isn’t functioning well, paying attention to what you’re eating—and how your body responds to it—can provide important clues about your health.

What Is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease isn’t simply an upset stomach after eating bread.

It’s an autoimmune condition in which consuming gluten triggers an immune response that damages the lining of the small intestine.

That distinction matters.

Someone can experience digestive symptoms after eating gluten without having celiac disease. But with celiac disease, continued gluten exposure can damage the intestine and interfere with the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.

Goodman describes experiencing digestive problems, bloating, constipation, headaches and brain fog before eventually being diagnosed.

She also had Hashimoto’s disease, another autoimmune condition.

Her experience highlights an important point: persistent digestive symptoms deserve attention rather than simply being accepted as normal.

Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance Aren’t the Same Thing

The terms celiac disease, gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity are sometimes used interchangeably.

They shouldn’t be.

As discussed in the episode, celiac disease involves an autoimmune response and intestinal damage. Someone who experiences symptoms after eating gluten but doesn’t have celiac disease may be dealing with a different type of sensitivity or intolerance.

That difference is important because the appropriate response may be different.

If you suspect celiac disease, getting properly evaluated matters—especially before making major dietary changes that could affect testing.

Why Nutrient Deficiencies Can Be Part of the Picture

The small intestine plays a major role in absorbing nutrients from food.

When celiac disease damages its lining, nutrient absorption can be affected.

That’s why Goodman emphasizes looking beyond digestive symptoms and considering whether nutritional deficiencies may also be present.

She discusses checking levels of nutrients such as iron, zinc and selenium rather than simply taking a long list of supplements without knowing what the body actually needs.

It’s a useful broader lesson:

More supplements aren’t necessarily better.

Understanding what’s actually happening in your body can help guide more targeted decisions with your healthcare provider.

Rebuilding Gut Health Starts With Food

Goodman’s nutritional philosophy centers on reducing highly processed foods and emphasizing whole foods.

That doesn’t require a complicated diet.

Think vegetables.

Fruit.

Beans and legumes, if tolerated.

Seeds.

Herbs and spices.

Fish.

Whole-food sources of protein.

Goodman particularly emphasizes colorful plant foods because they provide fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Her basic philosophy is less about finding the perfect diet and more about shifting away from heavily processed foods and toward foods that are closer to their original form.

Fiber May Be the Nutrient You’re Forgetting

Protein gets enormous attention in wellness conversations.

Fiber doesn’t always get the same spotlight.

Goodman believes it should.

She discusses foods including chia seeds, raspberries, avocado, beans, lentils, broccoli and leafy vegetables as ways to increase fiber intake.

Fiber supports normal bowel function and also plays an important role in gut health.

Rather than obsessing over a single “superfood,” think about variety.

A salad with leafy greens, vegetables, avocado, seeds and beans, for example, delivers several different sources of fiber in one meal.

Goodman’s approach is to build those foods into everyday eating rather than treating fiber as an afterthought.

Your Microbiome Matters, Too

Goodman also focuses heavily on the gut microbiome—the community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract.

She discusses probiotic foods and probiotic supplements as part of her approach, along with other nutritional strategies she personally used while addressing her digestive health.

But there’s an important distinction between someone’s personal wellness protocol and established treatment for celiac disease.

For people with celiac disease, supplements and probiotics aren’t substitutes for medical care or avoiding gluten.

They may be part of a broader conversation about gut health, but celiac disease requires specific management.

The Problem With “Gluten-Free” Food

Removing gluten doesn’t automatically make a food healthy.

That’s one of Goodman’s strongest nutritional points.

A packaged cookie can be gluten-free and still contain plenty of refined ingredients and added sugar.

The same issue can occur with highly processed foods marketed as vegan, keto or otherwise “healthy.”

A label describes one characteristic of a food.

It doesn’t tell you everything about its nutritional quality.

So rather than building an entire diet around products carrying a particular health claim, Goodman encourages people to come back to whole foods whenever possible.

Pay Attention to Your Own Food Patterns

Goodman describes discovering that certain foods bothered her when she consumed them frequently.

Eggplant was one example.

Cashews were another.

Her response wasn’t to declare those foods unhealthy for everyone.

Instead, she backed off and paid attention to what happened.

That’s an important distinction in an era when foods can quickly become labeled either “good” or “bad.”

Your body may respond differently from someone else’s.

Goodman’s advice is to notice patterns.

How do you feel after eating something?

Does a particular food repeatedly correspond with digestive discomfort?

Are you eating enormous amounts of one food simply because you’ve been told it’s healthy?

Sometimes the useful information isn’t found in another diet book.

It’s found by paying attention.

Stress Is Part of the Gut Conversation

Goodman doesn’t view digestive health purely through the lens of food.

She also talks extensively about chronic stress, anxiety, sleep, trauma and living in a persistent fight-or-flight state.

Her own experience eventually led her to focus more seriously on what she describes as self-love and self-care.

For Goodman, that meant recognizing that caring for herself wasn’t selfish.

It was necessary.

She began journaling, practicing gratitude and intentionally acknowledging things she valued about herself. She also describes using the phrase:

“I’m okay. I’m safe. I’m loved.”

as a way to settle herself during stressful moments.

Whatever language works for you, the principle is useful: health isn’t only about what you remove from your diet.

Sleep, stress and emotional well-being matter too.

Don’t Let Wellness Become Another Source of Stress

Once you start paying attention to nutrition, it’s easy to go too far in the other direction.

Is this oil bad?

Does that contain gluten?

Should I eat dairy?

Are nightshades inflammatory?

Do I need more protein?

Am I getting enough fiber?

Suddenly, trying to become healthier creates its own form of anxiety.

Goodman acknowledges how overwhelming modern nutrition advice has become, particularly because different health experts promote different approaches.

Her answer is to focus on what works for the individual rather than trying to follow every wellness philosophy simultaneously.

That’s especially important when eating outside the home.

You won’t always control every ingredient.

Goodman’s advice is to make the choices you can control without turning every imperfect meal into a crisis.

Small Changes Can Make Healthy Eating Feel More Manageable

A health diagnosis can make people feel as though their entire lives have changed overnight.

Suddenly the foods you’ve always eaten are questioned.

Restaurants become harder.

Grocery shopping becomes more complicated.

Cooking feels mandatory.

Instead of viewing better nutrition as one enormous lifestyle overhaul, Goodman recommends starting with basic meals built around whole foods.

Lunch might be vegetables with a protein source.

Dinner might include vegetables, a protein and a whole-food carbohydrate such as sweet potato or brown rice.

The goal isn’t culinary perfection.

It’s creating meals you can actually continue eating.

A Critical Note About Celiac “Remission”

One claim in the conversation deserves particular care.

Goodman describes her celiac disease as being in “remission” and says she is now able to occasionally eat foods containing gluten.

That should not be interpreted as general medical guidance for people with celiac disease.

Celiac disease is generally considered a lifelong autoimmune condition, and the standard treatment is a strict gluten-free diet. Feeling better or having improved test results doesn’t necessarily mean gluten can safely be reintroduced.

So if you’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease, don’t begin eating gluten again based on another person’s experience. That decision should be discussed with a gastroenterologist or other qualified healthcare professional.

It’s an important distinction because intestinal damage can occur even when symptoms aren’t obvious.

Don’t Self-Diagnose Based on Symptoms Alone

Bloating doesn’t automatically mean celiac disease.

Neither does brain fog.

Neither does feeling better when you stop eating bread.

Digestive symptoms can have many causes.

And because celiac disease is an autoimmune condition with established diagnostic testing, it’s worth getting properly evaluated rather than trying to diagnose yourself through elimination diets alone.

That becomes especially important if you have persistent symptoms or another autoimmune condition.

Start by Listening to Your Body

Perhaps the most practical takeaway from Goodman’s experience isn’t a supplement, probiotic or specific diet.

It’s awareness.

Notice what you’re eating.

Notice how you’re sleeping.

Notice your digestion.

Notice your stress.

Notice whether you’re actually feeling better as you make changes.

And don’t assume you need to follow someone else’s perfect wellness routine.

As Goodman puts it, we’re often better at looking outward for answers than listening to what’s happening inside ourselves.

Your body may be giving you information long before you understand what it’s trying to say.

The goal isn’t to become afraid of food.

It’s to become more informed about your own health—and to know when the signals you’re noticing deserve a conversation with a healthcare professional.