My name is Brandi and I have been navigating the wonderfully complex world of being gluten free for roughly seven years. After years of being sick and having no idea why we (my loving and supportive family) discovered I was allergic to a number of things including: environmental (grasses, pollen, etc), animals, and most importantly food. So what were the culprits? Wheat, rice, pork, and pineapple. Stinks, right? Here I was eighteen years old and clueless. I had no idea what this meant for my life and how drastically things were about to change. Before that day, I had never read a food label. Why did I need to, there wasn't poison in my food....or was there?
In the beginning, I looked at this as a challenge and took it on with the same dogged tenacity I had shown in other aspects of my life. However, I was completely unaware of the number of foods that contained the allergens that had been plaguing me. I quickly discovered how difficult this new "lifestyle" was going to be. Coming from a small town in Southern Indiana, I had never met someone with a wheat allergy or any food allergy for that matter. Actually at this point, the only food allergy I had ever really heard of was nuts or fish, who would think a little grain would cause any kind of trouble?
To say the least, I felt alone. I often questioned why me? I felt isolated and clueless. I was afraid that I would never be able to enjoy food as I had to this point in my life. It was very depressing. All of these feelings are so very COMMON for people who are newly diagnosed with food allergies, intolerance's, Crohns disease, or Celiac disease. So, my dear GLUTEN FREE friend, if you are reading this, trust me you are NOT alone. There are millions of us worldwide and luckily through the magic of modern technology and blogs (like this one) we are able to come together.
In the beginning, I looked at this as a challenge and took it on with the same dogged tenacity I had shown in other aspects of my life. However, I was completely unaware of the number of foods that contained the allergens that had been plaguing me. I quickly discovered how difficult this new "lifestyle" was going to be. Coming from a small town in Southern Indiana, I had never met someone with a wheat allergy or any food allergy for that matter. Actually at this point, the only food allergy I had ever really heard of was nuts or fish, who would think a little grain would cause any kind of trouble?
To say the least, I felt alone. I often questioned why me? I felt isolated and clueless. I was afraid that I would never be able to enjoy food as I had to this point in my life. It was very depressing. All of these feelings are so very COMMON for people who are newly diagnosed with food allergies, intolerance's, Crohns disease, or Celiac disease. So, my dear GLUTEN FREE friend, if you are reading this, trust me you are NOT alone. There are millions of us worldwide and luckily through the magic of modern technology and blogs (like this one) we are able to come together.
You name it; I have probably tried it along my journey. I even tried being vegetarian for a while and succeeded in doing so for approximately 4 months. I will admit what vegetarians and vegans claim about "feeling great" was absolutely true. My body felt less "weighed down" and "lighter" but I also felt like I was starving 24/7. I felt like I was constantly eating something. I also quickly found out that many pre-made vegetarian dishes contained gluten, as wheat was a main grain nutrient used by those following the diet. Ultimately, I decided it was TOO hard for me to maintain this lifestyle with my already extremely limited food selection.
As you can imagine there is a LOT more to my story. I could probably write a short novella describing that portion alone. However, this is a quick rundown of my history and how I came to be gluten free. My goal for this blog is to not only help bring awareness to the gluten free lifestyle but to share healthy, fun, and enjoyable recipes that GF dieters and non-restricted dieters can both enjoy.
I hope all of us who are gluten free, or on specials diets, or just supporters can come together, share experiences, recipes, support, kind words, etc.
I hope all of us who are gluten free, or on specials diets, or just supporters can come together, share experiences, recipes, support, kind words, etc.
Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoy what I have to share and bless you!
Yours,/\..B../\
