The other day, I received this lovely note from one of my favorite readers, CoconutGal:I wanted to send you an email to let you know how thankful I am for your generosity in sharing your wholesome, creative, and super delicious recipes.I would like to tell you a little bit about my story;
I have been diagnosed with Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis, an autoimmune disorder where my white blood cells recognize food as a virus and attack my body when I eat, causing extreme pain, malabsorption, frail body, etc.
This diagnosis is still relatively new to me. I am 22 years old and went most of my life complaining of bellyaches and knew that greasy foods made me sick. I went to doctors and was simply told I was a picky eater or I had IBS. So I continued on with the belly aches but had no major problems until about 2 ½ years ago.
Two months before my wedding I became extremely ill. Food wasn’t staying inside of me. No one could figure out what was wrong. After 1 month and a 10-pound weight loss I was in the ER. After several tests, including an upper endoscopy and a colonoscopy they diagnosed me with Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis.
Since that day, my eating has drastically changed, I have been to countless doctors and no one knew what to do. Only 300 Americans have been diagnosed with EG and all the doctors I have seen have never met anyone before myself with the illness. It’s very rare and very scary.I went days and months trying all sorts of elimination diets, not knowing what to do. I felt very helpless and alone. One day I could eat something and feel fine but the next day my body would attack me for eating the same food and I would be held up in bed for a week in excruciating intestinal pain.Life went on like this until this past August. I finally found an amazing naturopath who has helped me so much!Through some great tests, (normal doctors tested me for food allergies and I came back all clear, supposedly allergic to nothing!) we found my body attacks itself when I eat: gluten, dairy, cane sugar, eggs, soy, yeast, sesame, and peanuts. I have been free of all those foods since October and am finally starting to gain some strength and feel a little like my old self again.
I first stumbled upon your great website in the summer when I was on a feeding tube formula (full of icky things like soy and BHT) but needed it to stay alive. I loved looking at your site but sort of took a hiatus from anything food as it was just too hard to think about it since I could only drink my nutrition. Anyway, when I was able to slowly wean myself off the formula and go back to cook purred foods, I remembered your blog as it was about the same time I found out the real foods that made me sick and your diet is quite similar to mine.I already ate low gluten and had been dairy free for half a year and was mainly living on protein and veggies before I cut out the for-sure offenders.Your site has been one of my inspirations that I don’t have to suffer eating this way. It’s fun and unbelievably healthy! I would’ve never known I could have a cookie or apple pie! I just thought if I cant eat flour, butter, sugar- than there obviously aren’t any treats I can eat!I had not had a cookie in 2 ½ years. I’ve made raw food desserts with lots of nuts and dates but never knew I could have an ACTUAL cookie until I found your recipes. Thank you so much.
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I just wanted to share this with you because I am sure you spend a lot of time creating these recipes and responding to people on your website and all this work you do is out of the goodness of your heart. Your site is a great place to find community as well which has been something I have craved for so long because eating this “restricted” is just so rare.I’ve included a couple of photos from my “first cookie since I’ve been ill experiment.” My husband helped me make your dairy free version of chocolate chip cookies on Valentine’s Day! We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day, but this was our special treat. They turned out wonderfully. I couldn’t wait for them to cool and ate 3 piping hot cookies! Oh my gosh! So yummy!! We used raw cocoa nibs as I cannot find cane sugar free chocolate chips. I think my dough turned out a lot greasier than yours looks in the photo. You don’t pack down the almond flour when you measure it do you? I was thinking maybe I should have done that because it seemed rather moist. I used Honeyville. The cookies were gone in 3 days and my “normal eating” husband enjoyed them just as much as me! I brought them to my parents house and it made them so happy that I should share a treat with them.I know to most people, a cookie is just a cookie, but this provides me with so many more opportunities to feel included in social events and I get to actually enjoy my food, rather than eating out of necessity. Thanks Elana for all your yummy recipes!Blessings, CoconutGal
Thank you so much CoconutGal for your heartwarming message. It is so sweet and inspiring! And yes, I do pack the almond flour in the measuring cup when I cook –good detective work on your part that will be of help to others too.
Gluten Free and Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2½ cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup agave nectar or honey
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
- Stir together wet ingredients in a small bowl
- Mix wet ingredients into dry
- Form ½-inch 1-inch balls and press onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Bake at 350°F for 7-10 minutes
- Cool and serve
In case you haven’t seen it already, here is my video tutorial on how to make chocolate chip cookies. Stay tuned for more video tutorials.
Lori says
Glad to hear your story. I was diagnosed with something similar and also rare… eosinophilic colitis. I have been gluten free, sugar free and dairy free (except plain yogurt) for a while now and have seen improvement. I’m heading for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet soon, which should help even more. I’m so thankful for this website and the chocolate chip cookies are the first thing I’ve made also (and hope to make today). I’m anxious to start trying the other recipes soon also. I’m not allowed agave, so will be experimenting with only honey as a sweetener… wish me luck!
Rebecca says
Dear Elana,
I have been reading your blog for the 3 years since I stopped eating gluten. You have served as a wonderful basis for me to re-learn how to bake since my diagnosis. I often think about commenting, but I get side-tracked, busy, you know the drill.
Although this letter is from 3 years ago, I just read it and felt compelled to actually sit and write thank you. CoconutGal’s story made me well up (and I don’t cry easily), the same way that I get teary-eyed when I think of my 30 years feeling like my pains were in my head, the same way I get teary-eyed when I walk into a cidery, a gluten free bakery , or taste an amazing brownie that doesn’t attempt to kill me- the smiles I give and get remind me: it’s about the community.
As CoconutGal said to you, it feels lonely and awful. And for the last 3 years, I look at your site not only for the recipes, but to remind me I’m not alone and this is so much easier with this support group behind us.
I know you receive comments and letters like this everyday, but I wanted you to know how important this has been for me.
In great appreciation,
Rebecca
June Gillam says
Not dealing with most of these challenges but needed a recipe for chocolate chip cookies using palm shortening for my granddaughter. She has to have no eggs and the test cookies I made with applesauce instead of eggs turned out badly as I’d used real butter, which she can have, but the cookies were way too flat and not good. So I want to use the Spectrum which I know she can have as it should hold the shape better. I love all these posts from people you help!!!! Blessings to you all and yes, the community is key–you are not alone *:)
Elana says
Thanks June! I hope you love these egg-free cookies as much as we do! Here’s a link to my Egg-Free Dessert Recipes page for you and your granddaughter:
https://elanaspantry.com/special-diets/egg-free-dessert/
She is so lucky to have you!
Elana
Janice Cundiff says
Elana,
I love to bake and so was glad to find your site and great alternative recipes! I hope some of them will work for me! My daughter sent me your post about Coconut gal. I am having some similar problems and four doctors have recommended surgery with no alternativies suggested. (I have gallstones and inflamed pancreas but don’t want gallbladder surgery if it is possible to avoid it.) Found out thru extensive internet research that my problems might have been caused by estrogens in birth control pills and now HRT (which I have stopped)! Allergies and pollutants may be involved, too. So right now, I just eat some organic veggies and occasional fish and rice cakes to control symptoms and some supplements. Feeling very much alone in exploring all this and figuring out what to do that doesn’t involve surgery. So would love to talk to Coconut Gal and get the name of her naturopath. I can travel and would make an appointment to see him or her. If it is OK with Coconut Gal, could you please send me her email address so I am may contact her or perhaps she could email me with name and phone number and email address of naturopath or give it to you to email to me. Thank you very much for your kindness in helping me!
Janice Cundiff in Texas
Jenn Mendyk says
I am not sure what I did wrong but my cookies turned out very oily and soft. I have to eat them with a fork!
Misty says
Just made these and used molasses to sub for about an ounce of the agave. They are so yummy! The only issue I ran into was the bottoms of the cookies getting dark before the cookie was completely done (was likely my fault, due to the molasses). I also think I made the cookies a tad bit too big, so I will make them smaller next time. Other than that, they are SOOOO yummy and I don’t feel guilty at all for eating them. Thanks for this fabulous recipe!
Jmurphy says
Usha,
My name is Justin, I was diagnosed with EG in June of 2010. I see a doctor here in California, who has given me a diet that I live by, I have not felt healthier. My gastro doc was astounded at my recovery and my health after 2 months. I gained 20lbs back, and feel 10 times better.
My email is mjurphy@gmail.com. I will send you his contact info if you would like.
The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.
-Thomas Edison
Ushasree says
Hi
My name is Usha and I have been diagnosed with Eosinophilic gastroenteritis only yesterday, and whatever I am reading is really scaring the hell out of me. Can you please give me some information about the Naturapath that visited ? Please I will be very thankfull if you can pass the Naturapth info. I live in a suburb of Chicago but am willing to travel if it helps me. Please send me the info
Thanks
Usha
lily says
These cookies are GREAT, I love making them and eating them and giving them to people!!
I just made them into snickerdoodles by combining 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 3 tablespoons sugar and rolling the dough through the mixture.
SO GOOD!
Donna S says
I was in Vail, CO last week and had a chocolate chip cookies with your label. YUM!! Is the recipe here in your blog?
elana says
You’re lookin’ at it :-)
Kay Lewis says
ChocoPerfection is sweetened with Agave nectar. Their Dark Chocolate bars are the BEST!
http://www.lowcarbspecialties.com/facts/facts.html