There have been quite a few changes around here lately. If you have been following my recipes, you may have noticed that most of them are not only gluten free, but also vegan. When I first started this blog earlier this year, I was still enjoying cheese and using eggs in my baked goods without too much concern. Over the past month, however, my diet has changed in a big way. I wanted to take a moment to share a more personal update with you: my journey toward better health.
For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with digestive issues. For years, I assumed I was simply lactose intolerant. Maybe some of you have been there too, thinking one ingredient was the problem, only to discover later that your body was reacting to much more. Looking back, I think I was in denial for a long time. I also did not feel like doctors were helping me find real answers. At times, I started to wonder if it was all in my head, but those terrible gas pains and stomach problems certainly did not feel imaginary.
About four years ago, things became even more overwhelming. I was scheduled for an MRI, a long list of blood tests, and I was scared about what the results might show. Along with my lifelong digestive problems, I had started experiencing nervous system symptoms, including tingling. In the end, everything came back clear. Every test was negative. I began seeing a chiropractor, which helped somewhat, but my joint pain, inflammation, and eczema were still there. The list of symptoms seemed to keep growing, and I felt completely defeated.
After far too long without the relief I desperately wanted, I decided it was time to meet with a naturopathic doctor. I first met with Dr. Weisswasser two years ago, and I immediately appreciated her approach. She looked at the whole picture instead of focusing on only one symptom. One of the first steps was to find out what foods my body was reacting to. I completed an extensive food allergy panel, and the major results came back extremely reactive for me: gluten, dairy, eggs, peanuts, and almonds. It was a lot to take in. What was I supposed to eat?
This news came about a month after my husband found out he has celiac disease, so gluten free living was already something our family had begun to process. But no dairy or eggs? As someone who loves baking, those ingredients were staples in my kitchen. I could not imagine baking without butter, milk, cheese, or eggs. More importantly, I could not imagine making gluten-free and allergy-friendly baked goods that actually tasted good.
For three months, my doctor had me remove every food that showed up as a problem on my test. Those were three very long months. I had never followed such a restricted elimination diet before. I was used to eating gluten, dairy, and eggs almost every day. Why wouldn’t I? No one chooses to give up butter because it sounds fun. Still, I stuck with the plan. I also tried to keep baking, even though many of my early attempts were not very tasty. I was not ready to put away my KitchenAid mixer and give up baking forever.
When the elimination diet ended, I still did not feel amazing. My digestive symptoms had improved, but the other issues were still bothering me. My doctor told me I could carefully test some of the foods I had removed to see how my body responded. I brought eggs back first and did not notice a major difference, so I began using them again. My baking improved quite a bit after that, and I slowly started to understand gluten-free baking better. The only dairy product that did not seem to bother me much was butter, so for more than a year, butter was the only dairy I ate. I stayed away from cheese and milk, but I missed yogurt the most. Frozen yogurt has always been one of my favorite desserts, and I really longed to have more dairy in my life.
Later, I met with my doctor again. Since many of my symptoms outside of digestion were still present, she wanted to rule out other issues, including parasites and candida. That led to another very strict diet. It was hard, and honestly, it felt almost impossible at times. I thought my first elimination diet had been challenging, but the candida diet was on another level. No sugar in any form was allowed. After I finished that difficult season, it became clear that I still was not improving the way we had hoped. I was discouraged because I had been hoping for relief, even just a little.
Last year, I did something I knew I probably should not have done: I brought dairy back into my diet. I even told my husband that if I started eating dairy again, I would have a hard time stopping. I was right. Once I began, it became very difficult to cut it out again. Dairy slowly became something I ate or baked with almost every day. I still was not drinking regular milk, and I mostly used organic soy milk and coconut milk, but my health was still not improving much. I did not know what else to do. I had started seeing a new chiropractor, which helped with some of my pain, but I was also being treated for hormonal imbalance. I always thought hormone issues happened much later in life, but my body seemed to be out of balance in more ways than I could count.
For months, I felt a strong nudge to make another appointment with my naturopathic doctor and get retested for food allergies. I needed to see what was still happening in my body. My hormone levels were being addressed, but my digestive system was struggling again in a big way. When the new test results came in, I was surprised and disappointed to see that I was still reacting to many of the same foods. Dairy, eggs, peanuts, and almonds were all extremely high. Gluten had gone down somewhat, but that was likely because I had been strictly avoiding it for more than two years. Rice had increased moderately, and so had soy and beef. My doctor said I did not need to remove soy and beef completely, but I should limit them to once a week. The rice reaction may have increased because I eat much more rice now as part of a gluten-free diet. When I looked at the results, I wanted to cry.
During my follow-up appointment, my doctor reviewed everything and immediately mentioned leaky gut. Deep down, I had expected it. There did not seem to be another explanation for my body reacting so strongly to so many foods, especially with new sensitivities showing up. For the next three months, I will be following a very strict diet while also taking supplements and probiotics to support gut healing. I am also cutting out GMOs, especially corn and soy. That was something I had planned to ask her about, but she brought it up before I had the chance. She explained that GMOs could be one of the factors contributing to my intestinal issues, along with everything else going on.
Over the past year, I have tried to educate myself more about GMOs and how they may affect our bodies. The more I learn, the more frustrated I become. Corn and soy seem to be in almost everything, and if a product is not labeled organic, it can be difficult to know what you are really getting. I am thankful for brands that clearly label their products as non-GMO because it makes shopping a little easier when you already have to read every ingredient carefully.
So this is where I am now. I am reading labels even more closely than before, buying organic as often as our budget allows, and doing my best to feed my family healthy meals from scratch. Eating well with food allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy sensitivity, and a restricted diet can feel expensive and overwhelming. My doctor reminds me to do the best I can, both for myself and for my family. That is all any of us can really do.
Even though these diet changes are difficult, I believe they are worth it. Some days I feel like giving up, but as a wife and mother, my health has to be a priority. I wanted to share this part of my story because I know some of you may be dealing with similar food sensitivities, digestive problems, or autoimmune-related health struggles. It is hard, and it can feel lonely, but you are not the only one trying to figure it out. I am hoping and praying that this next phase of my healing journey brings real progress. I will continue to share updates and let you know how I am doing. It has been a long road, but I am hopeful that one day I will feel healthy, strong, and fully alive again.