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Small, practical things that helped real people living with psoriasis and celiac disease. Narrow it down to the part of life you're dealing with right now.

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  • Ontario gluten free beers that taste like beer

    I completely switched over to Ancestral quinoa beer - it's got a fruity finish that I can't now live without. Doesn't give a hangover and they just released a session IPA thats …

    Celiac diseasePsoriasisFood & product findsDigestiveIncludes a product

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by RJJ

  • Pocketful editors

    Make the gluten-free food first

    In a mixed household, prepare the gluten-free sandwich, meal or baking before anything with gluten, then cover it. Counters and utensils stay crumb-free without doubling every t…

    Celiac diseaseTriggers & lifestyleDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • Pocketful editors

    Toaster bags if you share a toaster

    Use reusable toaster bags to toast gluten-free bread in a shared toaster without it touching the crumbs. They work just as well in the office kitchen as at home.

    Celiac diseaseGear & toolsDigestiveIncludes a product

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • Pocketful editors

    Keep your own labelled butter and jam jars

    Keep your own labelled spreads so a knife that's touched regular bread never goes in them. Squeeze bottles for condiments work too, since nobody dips a knife in.

    Celiac diseaseTriggers & lifestyleDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    Never reuse pasta water for gluten-free pasta

    In a hospital study of common kitchen shortcuts, gluten-free pasta cooked in water that had already boiled wheat pasta tested over the 20 ppm gluten-free limit every time. Alway…

    Source: Weisbrod VM et al., Gastroenterology (2020)

    Celiac diseaseTriggers & lifestyleDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • Pocketful editors

    Ask if the fryer is dedicated before ordering fries

    Fries are often gluten-free on paper but cooked in the same oil as breaded food. Ask whether there's a dedicated gluten-free fryer before ordering anything fried.

    Celiac diseaseTriggers & lifestyleDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • Pocketful editors

    Carry a gluten-free restaurant card in the local language

    When travelling, show a translated restaurant card, printed or on your phone, instead of explaining in a language you don't speak. The best ones cover cross-contact, shared frye…

    Celiac diseaseTriggers & lifestyleDigestiveIncludes a product

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    One pot is fine if you rinse it first

    In the same study, simply rinsing the pot with water after cooking wheat pasta was as effective as scrubbing with soap at preventing detectable gluten transfer. Rinse, refill wi…

    Source: Weisbrod VM et al., Gastroenterology (2020)

    Celiac diseaseTriggers & lifestyleDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    Shared toasters tested lower-risk than expected

    Researchers toasted gluten-free bread straight after wheat bread in uncleaned shared toasters, with crumbs visible. No sample went over 20 ppm; the highest was about 8 ppm. It w…

    Source: Weisbrod VM et al., Gastroenterology (2020)

    Celiac diseaseTriggers & lifestyleDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    A quick wipe makes a shared knife safer still

    Cutting a gluten-free cupcake with a knife just used on a regular one showed no measurable gluten transfer in testing, and washing the knife or wiping it with a hand wipe reduce…

    Source: Weisbrod VM et al., Gastroenterology (2020)

    Celiac diseaseTriggers & lifestyleDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    Be most careful with gluten-free pizza and pasta when eating out

    An analysis of 5,624 tests from a portable gluten sensor found detectable gluten in about a third of restaurant dishes labelled gluten-free, and in roughly half of gluten-free p…

    Source: Lerner BA et al., American Journal of Gastroenterology (2019)

    Celiac diseaseTriggers & lifestyleDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    Use the GoHere app to find a washroom fast

    Crohn's and Colitis Canada's free GoHere app maps washrooms at participating businesses and government buildings along your route, and includes a virtual Access Card you can sho…

    Source: Crohn's and Colitis Canada

    Crohn's & colitisGear & toolsDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    Add fibre a little at a time

    Adding a lot of fibre at once can cause gas, which can set off IBS symptoms. The NIH suggests building up slowly, by about 2 to 3 grams a day, to give your body time to adjust.

    Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

    IBSTriggers & lifestyleDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    Log what you eat and when symptoms start

    A timed food-and-symptom diary can reveal patterns you'd miss from memory. A 2019 study found that this kind of diary reliably tracked IBS symptoms as they happened and linked t…

    Source: Wright-McNaughton M et al., Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology (2019)

    IBSHabits & routinesDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • Find Me Gluten Free for finding places to eat

    Restaurant owner friends of mine recommended the Find Me Gluten Free app, and it's become my go-to for finding gluten-free places to eat. You can filter for dedicated gluten-fre…

    Celiac diseaseGear & toolsDigestiveIncludes a product

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by RJJ

  • From the research

    US restroom rights: Ally's Law and the "I Can't Wait" card

    Versions of the Restroom Access Act (Ally's Law) have passed in 20 US states, giving people with IBD access to employee-only restrooms when no public one is available. Some stat…

    Source: Wingate LD, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (2025)

    Crohn's & colitisNavigating flaresDigestiveSocial situations

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    Flying: book an aisle seat near the washroom and tell the airline ahead

    Book an aisle seat or the one closest to the washroom, and tell the airline about seating or dietary needs in advance. Ask about accommodations such as early boarding, and bring…

    Source: Crohn's and Colitis Canada

    Crohn's & colitisNavigating flaresDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    Abroad: keep coins for pay toilets and load a washroom-finder app

    Some countries charge for public toilets, and some only have squat toilets. Carry coins, use the washroom before leaving the hotel or restaurant, and learn how to ask "where is …

    Source: Crohn's and Colitis Canada

    Crohn's & colitisGear & toolsDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    Road trips: pick the highway with rest stops over the scenic route

    Plan your route around reliable rest stops. Choose the highway with frequent pit stops over a remote scenic road, even if it's longer, and stop as you pass them. If you take a b…

    Source: Crohn's and Colitis Canada

    Crohn's & colitisNavigating flaresDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors

  • From the research

    Eat at regular times, slowly, and chew well

    Canada's GI Society lists regular mealtimes, chewing well and eating slowly among its general IBS strategies. Some people also find smaller portions easier to tolerate than larg…

    Source: Stelluti AM, Gastrointestinal Society (badgut.org) (2023)

    IBSHabits & routinesDigestive

    Personal experience, not medical advice.

    Shared by Pocketful editors