Okay, real talk: living with celiac is a lot.
Not just the food part — but the thinking, planning, remembering, double-checking, and quiet mental gymnastics that happen before every meal. It’s like your brain is always running a background app you didn’t ask for.
For a long time, I tried to keep everything in my head. Safe restaurants, sketchy ingredients, what worked last time, what didn’t. And honestly? That was exhausting.
Things got easier when I stopped relying on memory and started using a few tech tools to take some of the mental load off. Nothing here makes celiac “easy” — but it does make everyday life feel way more manageable.
These are the tools I actually use.
ChatGPT (Mental Load Reducer)
I use ChatGPT the way you’d use a friend to think out loud with — not to decide what’s safe, but to help me plan.
- gluten free dinner ideas
- turning non-gluten free recipes into gluten free ones
- weekly meal planning
- grocery lists
- talking through food decisions before I commit
Especially on those nights when you’re standing in front of the fridge thinking, “I cannot deal with this again.”
Mental load reduced.
Helpful for planning — not for deciding what’s safe.
Notes App (Quick Reference Guide)
My Notes app is basically my celiac cheat sheet.
- restaurants I trust
- problem foods
- questions I ask at new restaurants
- sneaky gluten ingredients that love to surprise us
So I don’t have to rely on memory in the moment.
Find Me Gluten Free App (Confidence Booster)
Find Me Gluten Free is what I check when I’m somewhere new or trying to plan ahead.
- researching restaurants wherever I am
- mapping out food options before trips
- reading experiences from other people with celiac
Is it a guarantee? No.
Does it replace asking questions? Also no.
But it gives me context — which means I’m not walking in blind.
A confidence booster so I can go in informed.
Notion (My Second Brain)
Notion is where everything lives long-term. This is my second brain — the one that remembers things when my real brain is tired.
- planning trips and mapping safe food options
- rating how safe I felt at each restaurant
- marking places I’d return to vs. avoid
- logging dine-in vs. takeout experiences
Over time, this gives me a record I can actually trust. I’m not guessing or re-learning the same lessons over and over.
A second brain that helps me keep track of what keeps me safe.
The Big Picture
No app magically fixes celiac. But having the right tools means:
- less panic
- less overthinking
- fewer “why didn’t I write this down?” moments
And more confidence just living your life.
If celiac feels overwhelming sometimes, it’s not because you’re doing it wrong — it’s because you’re managing a lot. And you don’t have to carry all of it in your head.
What tech tools or systems do you use to make gluten free life easier? If you have a favourite app, tracker, or routine, tell me — I’m always looking for new ways to make this feel more manageable!