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First blog post!!!

Tami D.

I am lucky.  I know that sounds weird if I have to eat a gluten free diet, but I am!  More than lucky, I have been blessed by so many wonderful things throughout this change coming into my life.

Blessing 1-I got married!  As I grew up I had lots of funny “ailments” doctors couldn’t connect to each other-it was just odd.  It wasn’t until I got married and back from our honeymoon that things began to change.  Within 4 months I gained 40 pounds and was sick every day of those first 4 months.  Luckily I married my best friend of a long time, so he knew that wasn’t what I was normally like, but the only change was getting married and moving in with him.  That-and I became the head cook.  The head cook that decided to show off to her new husband that she could make: homemade bread, chicken strips, breakfast pastries galore, donuts-you name it.  Enter stomach aches and constant trips to the bathroom.  Everyone else thought I was pregnant-I knew it was something else.

Blessing 2-We were both working 2 part-time jobs each and my husband was finishing his Bachelor’s degree and none of that came with health insurance.  The blessing came in that when I went to a clinic to try to figure out what was wrong the doctor threw a lot of ideas at us.  We went home and researched them all and one made sense-Celiac Disease.

Blessing 3- Since we weren’t restricted by which doctors our non-existent insurance would cover, we got to pick who I would go see.  In our research we discovered that the closest Celiac Disease specialist at the time was 5 minutes from my house.  The next closest-2 days away.  This doctor was amazing!  Not only was I diagnosed within a few months when most people wait years to finally hear what has been making them sick for so long, but my doctor was great about helping me transition to the new lifestyle.

Blessing 4-  It’s taken a long time, but since being diagnosed in 2004 my family and I have learned so much about how to live a full and fun gluten free life.  One of my favorite things to do, is to share what I’ve learned with others.  So many of my friends or friends of friends have had to face a gluten free lifestyle for one reason or another and it has been a pleasure helping them navigate this new life.  I can’t wait to help you!

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My Unicorn

Tami D.

For many people who have made major lifestyle changes of one type or another there is that one thing they miss from their old way of life. If you give up an addiction usually it’s that object you gave up that you miss. If you are waking up early to work out or have a devotional time, while you may be feeling better due to the positive change you might miss sleeping in. Giving up gluten doesn’t seem to compare to the outside observer- I’m here to tell you different.

It may sound silly but giving up gluten is much like doing all of the above at one time. Giving up an addiction, trying to work out and get healthy, being expected to do it all cold turkey while still trying to figure out what a gluten really is. My heart goes out to those of you who may be going through this huge adjustment right now, I hope some of these posts can bring some humor and help to this time for you. Now no matter where you are in this transition I guarantee there is something that you are missing- maybe even dreaming about.

For me I dream about maple bars. Usually my dream is being handed a maple bar, devouring it and then thinking-wait is this gluten free?! Then I wake up. Now I dream about them but my unicorn is chocolate chip cookies. Let me explain.

Growing up the first thing I learned how to make entirely on my own was chocolate chip cookies- I’m sure I drove my parents and siblings crazy with how often I asked and eventually made them. I actually was pretty good if I do say so myself. I had a silly notion that to be a great mom and wife I had to have the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I also thought that one of the ways I would know when I met my future husband would be that he would love my cookies. As it turned out the one things my husband was known to love was chocolate chip cookies with several pictures of him trying to sneak cookies as a young kid. So when I got diagnosed with celiac disease this was something I immediately started trying to figure out how to make again- but gluten free. I have been working on this since 2004, and only within the last two weeks have I gotten close. One of the things I’m excited to share is the process I’ve been through trying to chase that unicorn and hopefully I can help someone else with theirs.