Meet Aanya Gupta: Our November Trailblazer Bringing Gluten-Free Advocacy and Research to Australia 🇦🇺

From navigating a celiac disease diagnosis in sixth grade to presenting important research on the international stage, Aanya Gupta is turning her personal experiences into meaningful advocacy for the gluten-free community.

We're excited to introduce Aanya Gupta, the creator behind LivingTheGFVibes, as our November Equal Eats Trailblazer!

This month, Aanya is taking us along on an exciting adventure to Melbourne, Australia, where she'll be presenting her research at the International Celiac Disease Symposium, exploring gluten-free food, and sharing what it's really like to travel internationally with celiac disease.

Equal Eats founder Kyle Dine sat down with Aanya to learn more about her journey, her passion for celiac advocacy, and what she's most looking forward to during her travels.

Watch the full interview below to get to know Aanya!

Finding Her Voice After a Celiac Diagnosis

Aanya's gluten-free journey began in sixth grade when she was diagnosed with celiac disease.

Like many young people navigating a new diagnosis, she initially struggled with the social side of living gluten-free. Feeling different from her peers and facing the stigma surrounding dietary restrictions, she chose to keep her diagnosis relatively private.

But as she grew older, something changed.

Through social media, Aanya discovered other people openly sharing their experiences with celiac disease. Seeing creators confidently embrace their gluten-free lifestyles helped her realize she wasn't alone.

Inspired by this community, she launched LivingTheGFVibes, a platform where she could share her experiences, connect with others, and help make gluten-free living feel less isolating.

Today, her content includes gluten-free lifestyle tips, personal stories, and delicious gluten-free Indian recipes that celebrate her cultural background.

For Aanya, sharing her journey is about more than food. It's about helping others feel understood, building confidence, and creating a supportive space where people with celiac disease can learn from one another.

Taking Celiac Advocacy Into the World of Research

Beyond her work as a content creator, Aanya is passionate about advancing our understanding of celiac disease through research.

This November, she'll travel to Melbourne, Australia, to present her research at the International Celiac Disease Symposium.

Her work explores an important and often overlooked topic: the relationship between celiac disease and eating disorders, particularly among children and adolescents.

Living with celiac disease requires constant attention to food ingredients, preparation methods, and the risk of gluten exposure. While these precautions are medically necessary, they can also make a person's relationship with food more complicated.

During her interview, Aanya explained that although researchers have studied the prevalence of eating disorders among people with celiac disease, important questions remain about treatment approaches and how to distinguish medically necessary food avoidance from conditions such as Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).

Her research aims to contribute to a better understanding of these challenges, with the hope of improving how young people with celiac disease are supported.

It's an important conversation, and we're excited to see Aanya bringing this topic to an international audience.

Next Stop: Gluten-Free Adventures in Australia! ✈️

Of course, traveling halfway around the world with celiac disease comes with its own set of challenges.

From navigating airplane meals to communicating dietary needs in unfamiliar restaurants, international travel requires extra planning when you need to eat strictly gluten-free.

As our November Trailblazer, Aanya will be sharing her experiences exploring Melbourne while attending the symposium.

She plans to document everything from gluten-free dining discoveries to travel tips and cultural differences in how restaurants accommodate celiac disease.

She'll also be bringing along Equal Eats Gluten-Free Cards to help communicate her dietary requirements while dining out.

These cards are designed to make conversations about food allergies and dietary restrictions easier, especially when traveling to new destinations.

We're looking forward to seeing which gluten-free spots Aanya discovers and what she learns along the way!

Getting to Know Aanya: A Few Fun Facts

We wrapped up our interview with a lightning round to learn a little more about Aanya beyond her advocacy and research.

Here are a few of her favourites:

• 🍕 Favourite food: Detroit-style pizza
• 🍵 Go-to drink: Matcha
• 🎒 Must-have travel accessory: A fanny pack
• 🌴 Favourite country she's visited: St. Lucia
• 🌳 Favourite travel adventure: Zip-lining

Between her love of travel, enthusiasm for great food, and passion for helping others, Aanya brings a wonderful energy to the Equal Eats Trailblazer community.

Follow Aanya's November Trailblazer Journey

Our Equal Eats Trailblazer Program celebrates people who are making a difference in the food allergy and dietary restriction communities through advocacy, education, storytelling, and everyday adventures.

Aanya's journey is a great example of how personal experiences can inspire meaningful change.

From a young girl who once felt hesitant to share her celiac diagnosis to a confident advocate presenting research on the world stage, her story is a reminder of the power of community and finding your voice.

Throughout November, follow along as Aanya shares her gluten-free adventures in Australia, highlights from the International Celiac Disease Symposium, and tips for traveling confidently with celiac disease.

Be sure to follow @LivingTheGFVibes on Instagram and keep an eye on Equal Eats for updates from her journey.

And if you're planning your own gluten-free adventure, explore our Equal Eats Gluten-Free Travel Cards to help communicate your dietary needs wherever your travels take you.

Welcome to the Trailblazer family, Aanya! 💚