My Story

Hey All! I thought that this would be a fun project to help those of you lovely people out there that have a wheat intolerance, wheat allergy or a gluten allergy or intolerance and to be used as an educational tool for those of you who are a stranger to this way of living.

Just after I finished high school I started getting sick. Really sick. I had crippling stomach aches, cramps, diarrhea, gas, I was tired all the time and sometimes my stomach aches would get SO bad that I was in bed for hours at a time, just waiting it out with my knees pulled up to my chest. I just didn't feel well. Over a space of about four or five months, and after numerous futile tests and blood work, I decided to look up my symptoms on, yes you guessed it, google. I clicked on a page that talked about wheat allergies and intolerances and I was horrified by what I found. My symptoms matched every single thing they talked about!

"Wheat intolerance is basically a catch-all term for any negative reaction to wheat which is not celiac (also spelled coeliac) disease or wheat allergy. Those two conditions are diagnosed through blood tests or biopsies which show positive results for antibodies to gluten or other wheat proteins. However, someone can test negative for antibodies and still have a miserable reaction after eating wheat– that’s wheat intolerance.
To make things even more interesting, wheat intolerance symptoms can show up as long as 48 hours after eating wheat… which makes connecting the cause and the effect a real nightmare for an uneducated sufferer. As with wheat allergy, symptoms can be limited to digestive discomfort such as diarrhea, constipation, gas, and cramps, or can extend to skin rashes, itching, eczema, and hay fever-like symptoms including sneezing, cough, runny nose, and itchy, watery eyes."

FINALLY, I had an answer and from Google, no less! SO, my next step was to try what they suggested. An elimination diet. This my friends, as many of you may know, is NOT as easy as it sounds. I had no idea that would lurked in so many random places! It was in my drink mixes, my trail mix and canned soup! And after further experimentation, I learned that even things that are processed on the same equipment or made in the same factory as wheat make me sick! Those first few months were an absolute nightmare.

But now, almost three years later I am armed with an arsenal of not only knowledge, but practical experience. Even before I found out about my intolerance I loved cooking from scratch and making up my own recipes whenever possible, but after I found out, I discovered that it became a necessity. So, my friends, if you are new to the world of wheat/gluten intolerance or wheat/gluten allergy or if you are a seasoned expert like myself, have no fear! Here you will find what you have been searching for! Delicious and nutritious practical recipes that are tailored to ingredients you have on hand in your cupboards or pantries! No fuss here!

Good luck and happy cooking!