About Kristina

My Journey with Coeliac Disease

Coeliac disease has touched my life in many ways.....

Almost fifteen years ago, my mother received the first coeliac disease diagnosis of the family.

Although I had many unusual symptoms on and off throughout my life, my mother's diagnosis did not raise any alarm bells for me. I was in what I now call "total denial".

Five years and an intense series of investigations later, the penny finally dropped. I was diagnosed with coeliac disease at the age of 30.

Fast forward (a-hem) a few years later, and my beautiful daughter (aged only 6) developed coeliac disease as well. That’s three generations of women with coeliac disease!

I'll be honest, my diagnosis came as a complete shock. I was devastated. My favourite place in the world was a bakery! How on earth was I going to live? Questioning every food that was put in front of me... That wasn’t me! I had always been proud of the fact that I would eat anything. I couldn’t stand “fussy eaters”.

I was about to get the lesson of a lifetime!

Almost immediately upon being diagnosed, I decided I needed to find out as much as possible about coeliac disease.

I started volunteering at my local chapter of the then-known “Coeliac Society”. I made friends, and felt comforted (often astounded) by their stories. I had access to excellent information and met many experts in the field. I even took part in a coeliac disease drug trial!

But that alone did not satisfy my hunger for knowledge about coeliac disease, food and health.

I made the decision go to University to learn about nutrition. I was a very (some would say ridiculously) committed student. I spent most of my waking hours studying for the next four years, lapping up all the knowledge I could find.

In 2013, I graduated from my Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) degree with First Class Honours, having earned many Dean's commendations along the way...

Meanwhile, my volunteering at the Coeliac Society turned to employment. I ran label-reading workshops, wrote educational materials and magazine articles for the organisation, and gave educational presentations at interest group meetings, health seminars, hospitals and conferences. During my time there, I had the honour of helping so many people learn about this curious, and often sneaky, disease.

You would think my thirst for knowledge would have ended there, but.... no.

When I became pregnant with my first child, I decided that I would continue learning, and enrolled in a PhD program. I conceptualised and designed my study from scratch, and undertook original research to demonstrate what I already know - that diagnosing and treating coeliac disease in a timely manner is imperative! My publications from this research will be linked on this site when they become available.

Today, my passion is helping people navigate their diagnosis and treatment...

From denial, to suspicion, back to denial again, then to shock, relief, knowledge and acceptance. Finally, comes happiness.

Yes...... happiness!

You can love being gluten free too! It just takes time, knowledge, and support - and of course the right food!

I know there are nearly 300,000 Australians out there with undiagnosed coeliac disease, living with health issues that can be improved or even resolved with a gluten free diet.

My goal is to find and help as many of those people as possible!

I live on the Gold Coast, in Queensland, Australia, but I reach out to clients all over Australia and the world through my products and services.

I can't wait to be a part of your journey!