For me, diet is a four letter word, I doubt you’ll find it very often on this website. I don’t spend a lot of time discussing gluten free around here either. That’s because I take it as a given that the food I eat will be Gluten Free, that’s just part of my life at this point, though it wasn’t always this way.
Lately, a number of people have asked me to share the story of my celiac diagnosis and personal transition to a gluten free eating plan and lifestyle. So here it is.
I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1998 during my pregnancy (not uncommon since pregnancy is considered an immune event and celiac is an auto-immune disorder) with my older son. I was 30 years old and sick as a dog –I could barely get out of bed –no exaggeration. Things were very, very bad. My father suggested that I get tested for celiac disease. My mother had been sick for most of her adult life with various odd symptoms and had been recently diagnosed. I was tested and low and behold, yes, I had celiac disease.
Unlike the usual process, where it can take people as many as 9 years and numerous doctors to get a diagnosis and find out what’s going on, my diagnosis came only a few months after the onset of acute symptoms. In that way, I was very lucky. However, when I look back, I had been having classic symptoms of celiac disease and malabsorption for most of my life.
What were these symptoms? I was chronically anemic and whenever I was under stress would get angular chelitis, which is when the corners of your mouth crack and get a little rash. This is also a symptom of nutritional deficiency. So, maybe my diagnosis wasn’t so quick after all. I had to get to the point of being severely ill and bedridden to finally get the diagnosis. Still, I think I was lucky to get it so quickly once that did happen.
As many of you know, celiac disease is a genetic disorder –it runs in families and it has hit my family quite hard. Not only do my mother and I have celiac, my sister and older son have it as well. Incidentally, my mother-in-law also has celiac. So, as you can imagine, the work that I do in creating gluten free recipes is very personal for me.
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Anyway, when I received my diagnosis I was tremendously relieved. I finally knew what was going on with my body. I had already had a 3 year training in Ayurveda which included yoga asana, herbs and food, so I was fairly comfortable in the kitchen. That doesn’t mean I could actually make tasty food –my husband disliked my Ayurvedic fare with a passion! He was not a big fan of kichidi, or kichari, as some refer to it.
Of course after the diagnosis I went completely gluten free. As I mentioned, the diagnosis wasn’t a big deal for me. I cooked very simple gluten free foods –vegetables, quite a lot of grains and some proteins. A few months later, I spent a lot of my time making baby food too, once my son finished nursing around a year old.
When that same son turned 3, I started to notice some digestive and behavioral issues in him. I fed him a gluten free diet during the week; however, during the weekends, he went to birthday parties, and the food served at those parties was pizza and cake (gluten galore). Let’s just say that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were full of tantrums and mal-digestion.
I asked my son’s fabulous pediatrician (Mark Nesselson, he’s still in practice in NYC), to test my son for celiac and the test came back positive.
This diagnosis had quite an impact on me.
I wanted my son to grow up with all of the delicious treats that I had had in my childhood. So, I made it my mission to turn all of my favorite recipes into gluten free classics. For myself, all I really cared about was getting healthy. For my son, this was a social issue and one that I did not want to color his childhood and experience of food. Of course it did, though hopefully not in a bad way.
This site and my book, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, are the result of my passion for providing my son with delicious gluten free food. It’s been quite a journey and one that has really had a positive impact on my family.
It took a long time though, to heal my gut and my son’s as well. Like some of you out there, the standard gluten free diet didn’t really do much for my son or myself. Probably a lot of you are here for that exact reason. Regular, plain old gluten free doesn’t always work. There can be other food allergies (such as dairy) and issues of chronic malabsorption.
My search for better health lead me to research, lots of research, and my son and I ended up on the introductory phase of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. We stayed on that (the intro phase) for about a year.
If you don’t know what that is, let’s just say that we didn’t eat sweets for quite some time, and when I say sweets, I’m talking about fruit, dessert, etc. This was a huge challenge, though it really worked for us. My son is now merely gluten free, which for him is fairly easy compared to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet introductory phase.
I personally am fairly Paleo, I find that works really well for my body since I cannot digest any grains whatsoever. I’ve been grain free for more than 9 years now.
Is there a one size fits all solution when it comes to diet and healing? I don’t think so. I believe we are all different, in fact, completely different bio-chemical individuals. Given that, what works for you? Do you have a specific eating plan that you follow? Do you eat things that you know will make you feel yucky? I do.
My biggest challenge these days is dairy. As you can see from my Month O’ Cupcakes, I like dairy, a lot! I know that cow dairy probably isn’t the best for me, as when I have some cheese or whipped cream, the next morning when I wake up, my right elbow hurts a bit. That’s an allergic/addiction that I’m dealing with right now. Nobody’s perfect! I also find it challenging to stay on my ideal eating plan when I’m baking tons of desserts for this website or my books. During those times (which seems like all the time) I knowingly take in more sweets than is best for my body.
So there you have it. My perfect fare is protein and greens with a little bit of fruit –make that low glycemic fruit such as berries. When I eat that way, I feel like a million bucks. Although I have great discipline, I’m also like everyone else. If it’s there, I’ll eat it –to a point, I still draw the line at many, many foods such as gluten, grains, etc.
What do you like to eat? How did you find out you had celiac or were gluten intolerant?
I’m certainly going to go into more detail in future posts and provide specific information about how I like to eat and other tools that I have used to help heal myself. And some of that information might work for you, and some, you might just want to toss out the window! Take what works and leave the rest behind. For me, all of life is simply the process of self-discovery and continual refining and adjustment.
Annie R. G. says
I bought your Almond Flour book early on in my discovery of probably being plagued with Celiac Disease or at least gluten intolerance at the age of 63 years. It was a Natural Health Doctor that suggested it as a possibility when she saw how I was affected by a slice of bread that I had for lunch just short of seeing her. I graduated to being completely grain free as a result of having reactions to what is called the Gluten Free products that I was purchasing and consuming. I was also spurred on by reading the book Wheat Belly and the subsequent one, Wheat Belly Total Health which came out around the time I first investigated a deeper dive into food resistance. My WOE (Way Of Eating) is mainly comprised of fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats, some dairy, and almost completely all natural foods. I am healthier now at almost 79 than I was for many years before my diagnosis. Recently I had a complete endoscopy done and was checked to see if I have any Celiac and they could not find it, but they also know how restrictive I am being in my diet. For anyone who has issues, I tell them to think of food that is not good for them as poison. That’s what I have been doing since early in 2008.
Elana says
Annie, sad, but true, food that is not good for folks like you and me, is poison. Thanks for your wise words.
Psyletta Gilroy says
Hello,
I have suffered for a very long time with “tummy issues” and skin rashes. The lifestyle that is promoted here helps me. I have only been diagnosed with “irritable bowel” and interstitial cystitis, but even those are primarily managed through proper nutrition. Thanks for posting all of your healthful recipes.
Eve says
Hi Elena,
What a great website and tasty recipes, thanks so much for doing this! Your story about how you came to do this and follow a Paleo lifestyle is very inspiring.
Although I have not been diagnosed with any digestive issues as serious as yours or your son’s, I have been mostly gluten-free for the last 2 years and have noticed a significant difference in my energy levels as well as less skin hives (I’ve had what doctors call “chronic hives” for about 7 years, no known cause could be detected apart from stress… which I dont think was accurate at all). I have recently tried the more strict Paleo lifestyle and I have to say, my skin is looking even better; hives are practically almost gone. After many, many years of allergy testing, nowhere did grains or dairy ever come up as the possible source of my chronic hives… But there it is – Paleo is working quite well for me. Now, I just have to work on my discipline!!
It is not always easy for me to follow Paleo though as I am allergic to tree nuts, and as you know, many Paleo or gluten free recipes contain either nuts or nut flour. So here is my request/comment for you… When you publish recipes containing nuts or nut flours, could you also list out “alternatives” on how to modify the recipe to make it nut-free?
Thank you very much :) And keep up the great work!!
Eve
Y. Arthur says
Thank you for all that you have done. I was diagnosed last year with Colitis and other issues and was just recently put on a very strict diet. They suggested the Paleo diet. I was told no wheat, no citrus fruits, no white potatoes, no legumes including peanuts, limited dairy products, no/limited raw vegetables. This leaves me having to learn to cook all over again. Although I have to say that by following this diet I feel so much better. I have not been able to eat several things basically done without, so therefore, I do so greatly appreciate all the work you do to make it easier for me to find recipes so I can try to eat more normal.
I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet have just begun purchases all the new supplies for the new lifestyle change. Diet suggests short term, this is something I have to do the rest of my life if I want to be pain free & not sick all the time.
Again, thank you.
Julie says
Hi Elana,
I just want to thank you for your amazing blog. I don’t know how I found it, but it’s awesome! I have just switched to a gluten free diet in college because I can’t eat it without getting very sick. I noticed I also get stomach pain when I eat dairy and other symptoms, I probably shouldn’t eat it but I really love dairy too! I am making my own meals this semester in college cause I can’t really eat in the cafeteria, so this is a great resource for me. It’s hard when people don’t really understand that you can’t eat gluten (I fainted due to a fever and had to go to the ER this week, and the nurse at the ER still gave me a sandwich with bread even though i told her). You end up not being able to depend on anyone for food, so it’s more prep work.
Anyways, I was so happy when I found this blog. :D
Thanks !
Laura K says
Elana – I just want to thank you so much for all of your recipes. I have multiple food intolerances on top of being a very picky eater. I was also not blessed with the cooking gene. I don’t know what I would do without your quick, easy and delicious recipes. Your work has made a huge difference in my life and my family’s life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Vicki Iverson Helms says
Elana,
I’m so grateful for the work you have put into your website/blog. I’ve only recently (not by tests, but food elimination) discovered my sensitivity to gluten after a 30 days body detox. Because of your labors of love and determination, you have been a God send to me in that I want to try all of your recipes as time allows in my life. I just got your almond flour cookbook and am enjoying it a lot. You have been an wonderful inspiration through your story and your cooking works. Again, I just have to say “Thank You”, Elana :D God bless!
Sue says
I’m just wondering if you’ve ever considered raw milk and raw milk products. My understanding is that many people who have a problem with milk are fine with raw milk. Just like with all other foods, the more we tamper with it the less nutritious and healthy it becomes. My family and I have been drinking raw milk and eating raw milk cheese for a while and we love it. I am fortunate to have found a farmer that delivers to my city every two weeks. Raw milk must pass 3 test in order to be sold, they do 10 test on theirs.