Candid Conversations about Celiac with Kayla King

Kayla King (@celiacwithkayla) joins us on Don't Feed the Fear this week for an open and candid conversation about the realities of living with celiac disease. Kayla is a young celiac influencer who speaks candidly about her experiences growing up with celiac disease. Together, we explore the challenges and triumphs of dating, traveling, and developing self-confidence while managing a chronic condition. She also opens up about her journey with binge eating disorder and the connection between celiac and mental health.

This conversation is full of honesty, courage, and resilience — and I’m deeply grateful for Kayla’s willingness to share her story so openly. Whether you’re a parent, a young adult with celiac, or someone who wants to better understand the emotional side of living gluten-free, this episode offers valuable insight and hope.

Trigger warning: This conversation may be a difficult listen for those whose lives have been impacted by eating disorders.

Follow Kayla @celiacwithkayla

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Gluten-Free Expos & Events - Wicked Gluten Free

Special thanks to Kyle Dine for permission to use his song The Doghouse for the podcast theme!
www.kyledine.com

Find Dr. Whitehouse:
-thefoodallergypsychologist.com
-Instagram: @thefoodallergypsychologist
-Facebook: Dr. Amanda Whitehouse, Food Allergy Anxiety Psychologist
-welcome@dramandawhitehouse.com

Transcript

Kayla King: 0:00

I started going to a psychologist and talking through food issues and why I felt the need to overeat, which led me to kinda discovering that I had a problem with binge eating. I never had labeled it that ever before. But some of the things that we discovered during that process was like, a lot of it was rooted. In the fact that like these foods, um, that I was discovering that were gluten-free, that I couldn't have before were being put on like a pedestal. So they were, um, a delicacy to me.

Speaker: 0:35

Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we dive into the complex world of food allergy anxiety. I'm your host, Dr. Amanda Whitehouse, food allergy anxiety psychologist and food allergy mom. Whether you're dealing with allergies yourself or supporting someone who is, join us for an empathetic and informative journey toward food allergy calm and confidence..

0:56

For this week's episode of Don't Feed The Fear, we are diving into something that I haven't talked about much here on the show yet. When I started the podcast, everything that you read says niche down, niche down. Get as specific as you can. So I got as specific as I know about, which is food allergy. But really in my work as a psychologist and in my therapy sessions, I work with the full range of chronic diseases, with an emphasis on all the food allergic diseases, including Celiac, later this month. I'll be speaking at the Wicked Gluten-Free Expo, and so I decided to dedicate this month's episodes to talking about Celiac too, since I haven't addressed it on the show too much yet. I'm really honored to have Kayla King with me as a guest on the show. She is a powerful voice in this celiac community, and she is someone who has built an incredible platform and audience by sharing her story with honesty and vulnerability. We'll be talking about what life with Celiac disease really looks like beyond just the gluten-free label, and specifically how Celiac lifestyle intersects with mental health. And the unique ways that living with Celiac can shape our relationship with food in that conversation. Kayla also opens up about her history with disordered eating and how her medical needs and lived experiences influence those patterns and the way that they developed. It's a conversation that really gets to the heart of how chronic conditions like Celiac don't just affect our bodies. They can impact our emotions, our identity, and our sense of safety. So my hope is that this episode helps you to feel seen, validated, and a little less alone.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 2:26

Kayla, I am so excited to meet you and have you here on the show to talk about all things related to your life and celiac and everything that everyone loves you sharing on social media. Thank you for being here.

Kayla King: 2:36

yeah, I'm very excited to be here. It's a topic that I'm very passionate about mental health and how it affects celiac disease,

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 2:43

Obviously you're connecting with people. You have a huge following. Is that something that you set out to do or did it happen accidentally?

Kayla King: 2:51

Yeah, I mean, I originally created my social media because I, at the time was creating a business to help people eat out more comfortably, and so a lot of that was very much focused in mental health because restaurants growing up was one of the. Biggest things that I personally struggled with and the thing that affected my mental health the most. So that was like a big portion why I started the business. And then naturally, through social media and just talking about my journey, it kind of came up a lot in conversation because I am definitely not alone in that. I think it's probably one of the hardest parts, um, of having celiac disease is that mental health piece.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 3:34

Yeah. Yeah. So you set out to grow the business, but people actually really just connected with you as a person it sounds like.

Kayla King: 3:39

Yeah. That is basically what happened. Yeah.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 3:42

you were diagnosed really young, it takes a lot of time for a lot of people to figure out what's going on with Celiac when kids' that young,

Kayla King: 3:49

so my diagnosis story, my brother has type one diabetes. He got diagnosed when he was six years old and we lived in Chicago at the time. That's where I grew up. So really thankful. Chicago was one of like the first. States in the entire country that actually had a celiac center. So I was working with, Dr. Guandalini. He's like a really famous celiac researcher. And so he was the one who diagnosed me. We basically just ran a panel for autoimmune conditions because we were trying to rule out diabetes. And then I got diagnosed really quickly, came back negative with diabetes positive for celiac. So.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 4:23

What kind of symptoms were you having? I mean, obviously your parents, were on guard because of your brother's health issues already.

Kayla King: 4:29

Yeah, I mostly manifested with my stomach pain, so I was like having sharp stomach pains all the time. That was my main symptom before diagnosis, and then as I cut it out, my symptoms did get more severe when Ihen I actually did have a reaction, so now I'm more so like vomit, nausea, brain fog, like definitely more involved. It's more severe. And I think that is natural and does happen that once you cut it out, when it gets introduced, it's just, um, a much more severe reaction'cause your body's not used to having it.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 5:09

What do you want people to know about The mental health impact of Celiac.

Kayla King: 5:15

Yeah. So I think I originally, when I was a kid, I always struggled with. Portions. That was like a big thing for me. And I actually remember my mom did bring me to a nutritionist at one point because I wasn't a overweight kid, I would say. But I definitely would eat myself past the point of being full. And I didn't really understand why, and I actually did not figure out why until my adulthood. So as I was a kid and went to the nutritionist, they. Basically just put me on this very structured meal plan and they were like, eat A, B, C. I was a kid so I didn't know any better. So I was like, okay. But it didn't really work for me and it wasn't sustainable long term. So then got older and could understand nutrition and my mental health a little bit better, that's when I started to like dive into what are other ways of eating? How do I count macros? Like how do I. Fix this portion control issue. In my whole life, that's what I had been told, that it's a portion control issue, like nobody had mentioned mental health at all. Um, and so as I began my own research into that journey, I was like, oh, maybe mental health is a big part of it. Um, so then I started going to a psychologist and talking through food issues and why I felt the need to overeat, which led me to kinda discovering that I had a problem with binge eating. I never had labeled it that ever before. Um, but not until I like started really looking into it, talking about it with my psychologist, was I like, oh, I probably, that's like a, that's a disorder, that's a binge eating disorder. Um, but it's, you have to like, recognize it first. And so I did end up going to like a binge eating disorder, dietician and working with her. And that like completely changed my life. But some of the things that we discovered during that process was like, a lot of it was rooted. In the fact that like these foods, um, that I was discovering that were gluten-free, that I couldn't have before were being put on like a pedestal. So they were, um, a delicacy to me. And so when I went to a restaurant and I got like a really good gluten-free pasta or pizza or something like that, I felt the need to eat the whole thing because I was like, when am I ever gonna get this in my life again? And now it's a little bit better because there's a lot more options. But imagine like 8-year-old me. Finding a pizza somewhere, like that's really uncommon. Um, and so it cycled into this thing where I just felt like I had to finish it all of the time. Um, and so a lot of my like eating recovery was around like. Introducing those foods into my diet more and honestly, like eating out more and kind of getting over that fear. And that's what really made a difference for me. And that's a big thing that I focus on, on my page is like confidence and how to eat out. Um, and how to enjoy all of these things in your life. Um, because I think when people get diagnosed with celiac disease, it's a big thing where they're like, oh, there's so much lack in my life now, and there really doesn't have to be. And so that's really. The big message that I try to push on my page.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 8:26

Thank you so much for sharing that it's. Something that hardly anybody talks about, especially with the perspective of, you being an adult now and having worked through this with some mental health support and looking back on that and seeing how, the puzzle unfolded and for those who are just listening that can't see my face, I'm cringing as I'm sitting here listening to you talk about this like, structured diet and you know, obviously all meaning well your parents meant well but we know is it can be so detrimental, to young people

Kayla King: 8:53

yeah. Yeah, it's definitely hard and I mean there's so many like nutrition professionals out there and I think now there's a lot more awareness about it, but at the time, like. We wouldn't have thought to go to like a specialist that like understands eating disorders.'cause we didn't really think it was, we didn't think it was an eating disorder. Like that's, it was never labeled as that until I like started really discovering what it was. So, um, it's like no fault of anybody's, it's just kind of how it unfolded. But I think it's a really message for other people to understand. Um, especially for kids that are diagnosed young because.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 9:29

Yeah,

Kayla King: 9:29

I feel like there's a lot of adults now that are diagnosed with celiac disease, but the mental health impact on young kids is like really, really important to talk about.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 9:38

absolutely. kids who were diagnosed with celiac before 18 are four and a half times more likely to develop an eating disorder, which is astounding.

Kayla King: 9:45

That's

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 9:46

Yeah.

Kayla King: 9:46

mean, it doesn't surprise me, but

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 9:48

Well, well, and it makes sense. I think what you explained is one big piece of the puzzle, at least for a lot of people I work with, like this is special. When am I gonna get it again? I've also heard if you have this food and you know it's safe and you actually feel safe and your body and trust it, the way that you eat and approach and consume your food is so different than other times when you are careful or unsure. Do you feel that too?

Kayla King: 10:10

Yeah, it is different. I mean, when you feel safe in a food like you, again, like I could see it and for me it did lead to lead to over consumption just because when you're used to feeling anxious around certain foods, you have a tendency to like eat less of them or like I even see that. if my like body isn't doing it, sometimes my mind like makes me not hungry. So like if I'm at a restaurant and I felt nervous of how the server replied or whatever, and my food comes out and I like, am pretty sure it's safe, but I'm like not a hundred percent sure, I will naturally like eat less of my meal and be like, oh, I don't wanna finish. I'm not hungry.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 10:53

Mm-hmm.

Kayla King: 10:53

like, if I really, really enjoy a meal, I like don't wanna stop. And so I think there's that psychological component that. Um, normal people like don't always understand, but your bo your mind can really trick your body into like affecting its hunger signals. Um, and then I think the other thing that happened to me specifically when I was a kid was like, I felt a lot of guilt around food. So like if somebody brought me a whole thing of cookies. And like nobody else was sharing them with me because I was the only one expected to eat the whole thing of cookies. I felt this guilt where I'm like, oh, I need, they need to see me eating their cookies so they know that I'm grateful that they did that for me. Even if I don't want the cookies, even if like I'm not hungry for them. And so I think that was something that was really hard for me to get over as a kid as well, is that this like. Somebody else is doing something special for me and I need to show I'm grateful by eating when I sometimes don't want to. So it, it was like I was totally bypassing my hunger signals, um, from like an emotional place.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 12:06

That is such a big point to bring up because I don't think that most people who haven't lived it understand that guilt and shame are the two like biggest factors associated with eating disorders. And that's a good example of where it starts, like how nobody meant to make you feel that way. Obviously they were doing something nice for you, but you interpreted it like in terms of what I, I should do or how I should act.

Kayla King: 12:28

yeah. Absolutely. And I think it, a lot of it does come from this place of like being. Included in the same way that somebody else would. It's like always like if a manager comes to the table and they call you out, or if somebody brings something special for you, like these are such great and nice things to do, but especially for a child like that can feel really scary that somebody is like isolating you. Um, and so I think, again, like people have these really good intentions, but sometimes it can manifest differently if it's like happening over and over again. You don't have the capacity yet to like fully understand why you're feeling that way.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 13:08

One of the misconceptions is that if you have a binge eating disorder, it's always binge and purge, and that's not always the case.

Kayla King: 13:14

Yeah, I did not purge, I did not wanna throw up at all, so I mostly just binged. I think part of the reason was, like I throwing up, has always been very violent for me, there was one time when I was in college where I like drank a bunch, got really hungover and then threw up because of alcohol.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 13:34

Mm-hmm.

Kayla King: 13:34

And I remember like after that incident being like, oh, that, that's what throwing up is supposed to be like, that's not that bad.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 13:42

Because you had like a normal throwing up episode compared to.

Kayla King: 13:46

I had like a normal throwing up versus like when you throw up for celiac, it's like 10 times worse. Like it's, it's not like. normal circumstance, you feel it, like you throw up past the point there being like anything in your body. My binge eating was mostly just the bingeing. Um, but yeah, it definitely, like, I have a big fear of throwing up because the reaction to my celiac is like, so, so violent.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 14:16

Yeah. One of the other things that I think is important to mention, and maybe you'd be good at describing this. You talked about how your mind can take over your hunger signals, and then also there's a lot going on in your digestive system. Obviously, if there's been damage from the Celiac, and as far as like reading the signals coming from our bodies and our digestive system, that can get interfered with as well.

Kayla King: 14:36

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, if you are like bloated the night before, like maybe had, I see this mostly when I get gluten, like when I actually get sick. Um, but. When I eat something that has gluten in it by accident, it doesn't happen a lot, but obviously it's happened in my life. I've had it for 19 years, like the next week or two weeks. I like my hunger signals like would definitely go way down. And I like, don't wanna eat, I don't wanna go out, I don't wanna do anything. Um, because I'm terrified that it's gonna happen again, especially if it was like a violent reaction. What actually. Is happening in your body definitely affects the way that you have like a relationship with food as well.'cause you're like these constant up and downs, especially you have been, especially at first when you've been diagnosed and you like don't understand what to do. Like you may be getting sick more often or you may be learning. Um, and so. If you do get sick every time af like for weeks after, you may be like screwed up and not know how to, to manage your hunger.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 15:47

Right, right. It's so complicated and I think people don't understand how long and how real that physical response and discomfort is in the body, and, you know, the long-term damage that can accumulate too if you don't manage it., Where are we at in terms of people taking it seriously and getting it.

Kayla King: 16:02

Yeah, I think there's three different types of people. Um, I definitely see a little bit of over management at this point in some of the folks that I talk to on social media. Um, so much so where it like scares people into not doing anything. I don't think that is healthy either. So there is like definitely an amount of hyper vigilance that can cause. eating in a different way, um, and not allow you to like come from a point of like evidence and facts, but just from a point of like living with fear. And then there is people that of ignore their celiac and just eat whatever they want to eat and don't pay attention to cross contact. And that's not great either. Um, I kind of like to sit in the middle ground where it's like I assess. Risk on a case by case basis. I still will go to Chipotle and I still will go to, um, you know, travel to Germany and Asia and all of these places. Um, but I assess my risk based on. How comfortable I am. Um, and also from understanding like the education around like what is and is not safe. Um, so like for example, I did a post today around like shared equipment. There's a lot of people that would not touch an oven or touch a shared microwave or, you know, touch these types of equipment that are totally safe. And so like the hypervigilance side. I feel like the middle ground is understanding like. I can use a toaster, but I need a toaster bag or like can use an oven. I just don't wanna use it when it's on the convection setting.'cause you know, it circulates air. So that education piece is like so important.'cause if you don't have the education, it does lead to just like hyper vigilance and then that really impacts your quality of life and your mental health.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 18:06

With unnecessary restriction and avoidance. Yeah. For parents who now have kids who might be struggling with weight, portion control, or who might already be showing signs of some disordered eating. I wonder what you would tell them.'cause people I don't think know what to look for.

Kayla King: 18:23

Yeah, I think that one thing that probably would've made a big difference for me is just like, as much as possible trying to include your child rather than like isolate them. So, um, for example, if it's possible. To like cook a dinner altogether rather than having like two separate pastas or two separate breads. Um, I know that can be very hard with siblings, which is why my parents chose to do like two separate things because they wanted my siblings to be able to enjoy the regular versions. Um, I just think like balancing that and trying as much as possible to like include them in situations, um, definitely helps. And then also. Teaching them like about food and how it affects your body, I think is really helpful. Education in general, so like nutrition was never like a topic we talked about when I was a kid. It was kind of just like like here's food. Consume the food so you don't die. Um, but I never like understood how food works and how to like build a balanced plate. Um, and I never like talked about mental health around food. So like if you can get your child to kind of like open up about how they're feeling around food, if they are feeling guilty like me, maybe they let you know that because that conversation is like open and it's being talked about again.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 19:52

Okay.

Kayla King: 19:52

just things that never. Got brought up because I was never asked about them. Um, but if you like, make an effort to try and have those conversations with your kid where it's like they're eating something and they're like, how do you feel about that? Um, make an effort to try and have those conversations. I actually, I feel like that may be helpful and give them space to open up a little bit more I think it's hard sometimes for kids to like bring that up. So even if like they're not able to talk to you about it, maybe you can do something with them writing it down, or make it a fun activity. Or talk about like how you, you know, your Confident Celiac self is a superhero. What's your superhero name? Like there are other fun things you can do with kids to help them. Communicate their emotions that aren't, um, aren't just talking, if that's not working as well.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 20:42

Right, which usually doesn't, sitting down with a kid face to face, eye to eye and just asking them how they're feeling. Almost never are they able to express it. Right. But yeah, through activities and and fun conversations, it's important to listen.

Kayla King: 20:55

Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure you would know more than me, you are the professional. But those are some of the things that I've done with kids that, um, have come to me, like trying to open up. And that's the other thing is like sometimes they don't wanna talk to you and they might talk to somebody else. And so like putting them in circumstances, like there's celiac mentorship programs where like teens will talk to younger kids. Um, there's a lot of like celiac nonprofits, so potentially like getting them involved in those, so maybe they can open up to somebody else if they aren't feeling comfortable opening up to you as well.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 21:25

Absolutely, because like you described when you were a child, no one's trying to put them on you, but you have these expectations and I don't wanna hurt their feelings. I don't want them to be mad at me. And so the same goes with talking about your feelings. It's hard for kids to tell their parents, I feel sad when you guys all eat regular pasta, and I have my own bowl of. Gluten-free,

Kayla King: 21:42

yeah, absolutely. Which like, that's a great example of like maybe, you know, they're in a mentorship program and they talk to. teen that experienced that same emotion. And so I think there was of resources out there. Now, when I was a kid, there definitely wasn't. Um, but now we do live in a world where there are resources and programs and so I would say like definitely take advantage of them.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 22:06

Yeah. Well, and you are creating some of those yourself.. You talked about, your coaching program, and I know you're doing some stuff with travel, tell people about what you are putting out there and, and offering to the rest of the community?

Kayla King: 22:18

Yeah, absolutely. So I mean, my Instagram is obviously free resource, has lots of information on it. Um, always happy to like, answer quick questions in my dms. And then some of the other things that I'm doing is like, I'm really passionate about travel and restaurants, as you can probably tell. Um, so that's a big source of like where I started this journey from. And so I have been doing, like, I just launched a international group trip to Italy and then I'm trying to potentially do another one to Greece. Um, so I want to like. You know, do these more curated experiences. Um, and I also potentially do another one to Greece. Um, so with some people, you know, do kids coaching sometimes, um, I am also putting together there. And so, um, I wanna be able to like curate that as well.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 23:19

Tell everybody where they can find all of that stuff, please.

Kayla King: 23:23

Yeah, absolutely. So Celiac with Kayla is my Instagram and my TikTok. Um, on my Instagram, if you do go on the link in my bio, you can sign up for my newsletter just to like know when I'm doing events and things like that, especially if you live in the Denver area. Um, so that would be the best place to like stay in touch.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 23:39

Okay. So I know you love to talk about travel, so tell us about that. Tell us about what it's like when you're actually out there trying to, experience the world.

Kayla King: 23:48

Yeah,, on Instagram obviously i'm trying to find the best restaurants and like post about them, but the reality of travel, like before I started posting on Instagram is that it's not always like that. One of the most difficult celiac experiences that I've had. I lived in a suburb of Thailand and then I traveled all around. Um. If I was like planning one trip to one destination there, I think it would be easier and I could definitely make it more of a foodie trip. specifically the way that I was traveling was like I would go to a new country every single week. Um, and so I very much like didn't plan my food anywhere that I traveled to, and that would scare a lot of people with Celiac, but. I think that's where it comes in. Like just being really confident in yourself and your ability to find food. Like you can go to a grocery store, you can get fresh whole Foods. Um, you can bring a translation card. Like it's not impossible. You're not gonna starve. There's food everywhere you go in the world. Before my Instagram, I used to like just take off and go wherever. So

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 24:57

How did it shift? Was it becoming more educated along the way, or how did it change over time?

Kayla King: 25:03

I think it was just really what changed was like people wanted to know where I was eating, and so I now I do a little bit more of a combo of plan and find gluten-free places. But yeah, when I, before I started my Instagram, when I was just like traveling for studying, studying abroad, I would just like. Cook on a hot pot. Like I think my funniest travel story was were like at this one restaurant and I was like trying to communicate back and forth with this guy who spoke no English. And he was like so confused and I was like, I don't, I just need food. And he had me come back into the kitchen and like. with him and I was

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 25:42

Oh my gosh.

Kayla King: 25:43

Getting like a personal cooking experience because

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 25:46

Where was this at?

Kayla King: 25:47

understand me, so he just gave me the ingredients. He's like, right here, pan. And I'm like, awesome.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 25:53

This one's good. This one? No.

Kayla King: 25:54

Yeah,

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 25:55

were you at?

Kayla King: 25:56

we were like on an island somewhere in Thailand.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 26:00

Oh my gosh. What did you cook? Do you even know what you ended up making or weren't?

Kayla King: 26:05

Yeah, they gave me like a wok and like some rice noodles and

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 26:09

Oh my gosh.

Kayla King: 26:10

I just like did it without soy sauce and yeah, it was good. It was fine, but

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 26:14

That's great.

Kayla King: 26:15

be creative when you have celiac disease. And I think like a lot of people, are scared to do that. But it's like once you do it and you do it over and over again, it becomes less scary. And then, you know, so much freedom opens up in your life.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 26:29

Yeah. Well, and it sounds like what you're saying is like if you wanna go there and you want the experiences, you can plan. Right. But if you end up like, maybe I can't. Have a great meal tonight, but I can go to a grocery store, I can get some fresh fruit, you might not always end up with the best meal, but if you're willing to take that trade off, is that kind of how you view it?

Kayla King: 26:46

Yeah. I mean, if you wanna go to that place and you want to have a little bit more of a spontaneous life like I do, then those are kind of just the things. That you have to do. And I think that there is fun in that like, my problem solving abilities have become better because of my celiac disease. Because I'm, you know, constantly put in these situations where I have to be really creative and figure out like where my next meal is coming from. I just, I think it's an adventure, so,

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 27:15

Challenge each time.

Kayla King: 27:17

yeah.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 27:17

You're engaged, and now you have a travel buddy, I hope. Does he get to go with you?

Kayla King: 27:21

Yes, I do have a travel buddy. Um, yes, my fiance is wonderful. We have a dedicated gluten-free home now, but we definitely didn't always. and we do talk about this sometimes'cause we do hear from other people that they struggle with dating when they have celiac. was really never something I ever struggled with. And I think a reason for that was because I always like owned my celiac. Like even before I started posting about it online, like if somebody met me, like a, if I was dating somebody, I would just be like, yeah, this is just who I am. I have it. that's that. And like I managed it, right? Like I didn't push it on other people. Like I self-managed it. I would go out to restaurants, I would talk, but like I was never somebody that was embarrassed about my celiac disease. Um, and I think a lot of that like came from my parents. Like my parents were just very like. Confident people like my mom's, like corporate America, like don't mess with her. She like, got the best communication skills on the planet. And so I think from a young age I saw that like behavior being modeled. And so it was never a big deal. It was always just like, oh, this is part of who I am, this is what I have. And so going into that, when you're dating somebody, it's like immediately from the moment that you meet them, like they know that about you. And so it's not like a barrier. Like if somebody, if I were to ever enter into a dating situation and like I brought up my celiac and then they had any like bad reaction to it, I would be like, Like, your problem?

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 28:59

Mm-hmm.

Kayla King: 29:00

We, we cannot be friends then, you know, like if you're gonna have a problem with me. So I just, I think like setting your boundaries really early kind of helps with those things. Um, where I see it go haywire as if like, you're embarrassed about your celiac disease, you don't wanna talk about it, you don't set those boundaries, then obviously people will, you know, it opens up the door for them to walk all over you. So, um. think that's like where that confidence piece comes in. But yeah, when I met Josh it was kind of just like, oh, this is a thing. And also at the time when I met Josh, like I was bodybuilding and so because I was bodybuilding the psycho ness of my diet around bodybuilding, like overweighed anything related to my celiac

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 29:42

It was more about that than celiac.

Kayla King: 29:44

Oh yeah. Like I went to a family holiday with like his entire family the second week that we were dating, like all extended family. And I had to like bring my own food in like a container. And they were, they were so nice about it, but it was like I wasn't bringing my own food because of my celiac. I was bringing it because of my bodybuilding. So then like anything after that related to Celiac, his family was like, oh yeah, no problem. So, um.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 30:09

That seems way less extreme

Kayla King: 30:10

Yeah, bodybuilding was definitely more extreme. Yeah, so I think like just from the beginning. was always like very understanding of it. And then obviously it became a big part of my life as I started posting about it online and being a content creator. And so then like all of my friends just kind of started knowing me as the gluten-free chick and everybody respected it. And anytime they had questions or a friend with Celiac, they would ask me about it. Um, so I definitely feel lucky to like have a lot of support and people who understand celiac disease in my life. Um, but I feel like, again, it stems from like that don't be ashamed of your disease. There's nothing to be ashamed of.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 30:45

Right. For people who are struggling with that, what do you think is helpful for people to work through it especially like those teenage years I feel like are rough for a lot of people.

Kayla King: 30:54

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think that like as a parent, if you have a child with celiac disease, like modeling that behavior is really important. I always say like if you make it a big deal, your child is going to think it's a big deal. So like. I see all of the times, like, I know it comes from a good place of like parents being really worried, where they like go into a restaurant and they're really terrified that the, their child's gonna get sick or like. They find a product in the grocery store and they're not sure if it's safe. And so they're really nervous, but it's like kids pick up on that energy. so now that's gonna be their perception where they're gonna be like, oh, when I go into a restaurant, I get nervous. Um, because they kids like, see, and they model off of their parents so similarly, like my mom would go into a restaurant that I couldn't really eat at, and she would like pull the manager out. Be like, okay, here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna take a pan, you are gonna put the chicken in the pan, you are gonna put salt and pepper on it, you're gonna bake a baked potato in the oven on a clean thing. And the manager was like, okay, ma'am, I got you. I'll go do it. I'll do it myself right now. And so I saw that behavior being modeled and I was like, okay, mom. Like go off. And then that was now the behavior that I modeled because I saw her do it. I saw how confident she was. She wasn't caring about how the person thought of her. And so I was like, okay, like that's the behavior that I'm going to model now for the rest of my life. So,

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 32:24

Yeah. She wasn't apologetic about it. She was confident. She knew what needed to be done and she was willing to communicate it to them.

Kayla King: 32:30

yeah, so I

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 32:31

Awesome.

Kayla King: 32:31

the, for a child at least, like modeling behavior is like. One of the most important things you can do as a parent, which I know is like really hard if you're a people pleaser or like you're nervous yourself. Um, so I know that can definitely be like a really big challenge if that's like not a part of your personality, but you know, it does make a big difference.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 32:53

What you just described as a great reason. Like get yourself some support or some therapy if you know that that's something that you struggle with for your child.

Kayla King: 33:00

Yeah, absolutely. And I think, like I went to therapy for binge eating disorder, but I really think it helped with my celiac as well. Like I'm a big proponent of like, if you can afford therapy, definitely do it. I think it's so unbelievably helpful. Um, it helps you like discover things about yourself and really just like build that confidence back up. Um. Especially if you like find a psychologist that like is a little bit more action oriented, like that's the type of psychologist that I to work with. Um, and I think can be helpful for celiac disease. And I mean that's like the whole reason we're here in what you do and um, like finding somebody that does specialize in celiac and understands it, I think is like really rare to find and super helpful. But, um, yeah, I definitely recommend therapy. And then I also think like strategies of just like. Looking at yourself in the mirror and like practicing can help. Like if you are more of a timid person and you don't like conflict, like literally role play with yourself in the mirror. Like, it's the same thing for like practicing the skill of like how to talk on camera. Like people who are scared to talk on camera and like sit at home and talk to your camera and then you don't have to post it, you don't have to do anything with it. But it's like it's a skill that you have to learn. Not everybody is just like born naturally with it. I learned it by my, my parents modeling it. But if you don't have your parent to model it, then you have to, you know, flex that skill yourself and practice it in the mirror.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 34:31

Yeah, absolutely. Just a, just a muscle that needs to be exercised and, and practiced over and over until it becomes more automatic.

Kayla King: 34:38

Yeah, it's not supposed to feel comfortable at first, so.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 34:43

So what else do you do now? I mean, you're, you're in such a good spot, obviously not, not struggling with those issues anymore. How do you maintain good mental health?

Kayla King: 34:52

I definitely like try to prioritize good nutrition. I mean, I am at the end of the day, like I did. Go to school for nutrition. I'm a nutrition coach, so like I really value like whole foods and making sure that you have food to nourish your body. I think a lot of, um, people when they get diagnosed, they have a tendency to go towards certified gluten-free products. Um. Which really doesn't help with, uh, just like general nutrition because a lot of Whole Foods are not gonna be certified gluten-free. They're not out of a box. Um, and so I think there's this. Fear that like, oh, is chicken gluten-free or is apple's gluten-free? and I hear that all the time, but it's like, yes, like most whole foods are gonna be gluten-free. It doesn't matter if the cow was like fed wheat. It doesn't, doesn't work like that. It doesn't go that far back. Um, and so definitely like prioritizing those whole foods and really educating yourself to understand like. That those foods are safe, um, and you can feel comfortable eating them, I think is important. So, um, that's one thing I do. I also like prioritize working out. Um, I'm a big, like move in whatever way you can kind of gal. Um, I think all fitness is great fitness, walking, hiking, biking, sitting on the floor and doing leg lifts. Like there are so many ways to do movement that aren't. Intense. Um, and I think especially if you have an autoimmune disease or you're still recovering, it can be hard to include movement. And so understanding that like you don't have to go be a bodybuilder. Like you don't have to go like lift intense weights. Like if you're bloated, you don't feel good. Like you could do an, at like a really easy at home work workout. Um, you could go on a walk, you can um, you know, do a casual bike ride with a friend. Like there are other ways to get movement in besides just like. Doing something really like intense. Um, and then other things I do is like if I'm having really hard time with mental health, I'll like journal when I can. I'd like to journal more than I do. I think like getting words out on paper at least for me can be really helpful. Um, and then, yeah, like getting as much sun as possible, like getting outside. I think there are like ramifications that I put on myself with social media where like. I have an app that like blocks me from social media. My screen time used to be like ridiculous, like 12 hours a day. Now I've gotten it down to like five hours a day, which I'm really proud of. Um,

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 37:26

Especially when that's your job, that's impressive that you can.

Kayla King: 37:29

yeah, so I mean, I'm constantly trying to like help my, help myself, but I think like mental health again is like, it's a practice. Like I put so much energy into my mental health. Almost more energy than like anything else I do. Um,'cause I think it's really important, but it's not something I'm, I'm just like, wake up happy. Like,

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 37:53

Right,

Kayla King: 37:53

to like, put in work and you have to like build habits and routines, um, in order to like get to that point where you feel comfortable. And then even then you're gonna have up and downs and, you know, that's normal. So.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 38:05

right, right. Oh, that's really helpful. Thank you so much for sharing all that so clearly.

Kayla King: 38:10

The most important thing is it's like a constant, like you have to like have habits

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 38:15

Yeah,

Kayla King: 38:15

takes time to build and it's never like, it gets easier, but it's never just like, you don't just like exist in a, you know, good mental health state. I think for most people it's very normal to. Have to like, you know, continually have it be something that you work on.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 38:32

absolutely. So what else do you want everybody to know before we wrap up? This was such a good chat.

Kayla King: 38:37

Yeah. If you wanna stay tuned with all the stuff that I'm doing, my Instagram page will kind of stay the true source of everything that I do. And, um, yeah, would love if you followed there and became a part of my community. So.

Amanda Whitehouse, PhD: 38:51

Awesome. Well thanks for all you share there. I think you're spreading a lot of really good information and positivity and we all appreciate it.

Kayla King: 38:57

Yeah. Thank you so much.

38:59

As always, I wanna leave you with three action steps that you can take away from today's conversation. Number one. Find Kayla if you don't already follow her. Celiac with Kayla is her handle everywhere. It's so powerful and validating to see someone living with the same things and talking about the same challenges that you're managing in your own life. It helps us to develop a sense of community and find connection and support. Number two, if it's a possibility for you, you could consider coming to meet Kayla and me. We will both be at the FAACT conference in Oakbrook, Illinois, October 2nd through fifth. I'm not being paid, it's not an advertisement. It's just a great organization where you can really find support in community. And their website is food allergy awareness.org, and you'll find the information about the summit there. Kayla will be speaking there and for those of you who are professionals in related fields, there are continuing education credits available. And then I will be speaking at the Wicked Gluten-Free Expo in Fitchburg, Massachusetts on September 20th. Their website is wicked gluten-free dot com and this is in 2025. So if you missed this and those events are over, follow both of those organizations to find out about whatever events they have coming up at the time that you catch the episode. And last if you are. Experiencing your own difficulties with eating, or if you're a parent raising a child with Celiac and you're noticing concerns or complicated feelings about food, remember that they are not personal failings. They are a response to living with invisible or stigmatized medical needs And to having to so closely and carefully monitor what we consume and whether it's safe. If you have any concern whatsoever, please talk to your provider. Seek support and resources in your area. The sooner you do that, the better chance of keeping things healthier, both mentally and in your diet. Thanks again to Kayla King for her openness and sharing her life experiences with us today. And thank you for listening. If this episode resonated with you or you find the podcast helpful, please consider giving me a rating or leaving a review and sharing it with somebody who might also need to hear it. the content of this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions about your own medical experience or mental health needs, please consult a professional. I'm Dr. Amanda Whitehouse. Thanks for joining me. And until we chat again, remember don't feed the fear.