My Path To Sensitivity

It is true, I am sensitive by nature, but this blog addresses sensitivities of the body rather than those of the spirit. I have been aware of an extreme gluten sensitivity for three years and had adjusted quite well to a gluten-free lifestyle, blissfully eating brown rice pastas smothered with velvety parmesan cream sauce, infused with roasted garlic, smoky pancetta and earthy wild mushrooms. Golden, crispy brown rice tortilla quesadillas with smoked chicken, pepper jack cheese, bacon, jalapeño peppers and fresh tomatillo salsa were a regular addition to my new gluten-free diet. My husband and children didn’t even know the gluten was gone while they were eating GF pancakes smothered with creamy, banana-caramel syrup or spicy, chorizo and roasted green chile quiches for breakfast. I could take nearly any favorite gluten-containing recipe and convert it to a new GF fave!

I was in heaven; cooking with a new challenge, devouring new cookbooks, and scouring the internet for more information regarding my new culinary endeavor. . . Then the crash came. Returning like a stalker in the shadows were the familiar symptoms of the past: debilitating joint pain, brain-numbing headaches, exasperating brain fog (which had nothing to do with my hair color!), annoying tummy cramps, constant fatigue, neck pain that does not subside with massage, and roller-coaster like mood swings (although that might be the result of being a nearly 40 year old mother of three).

Back to the doctor I went. The diagnosis was multiple food sensitivities, as often occurs in those with Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity. I was crushed! I had been so diligent, had created such a repertoire of delightful recipes. Eliminating foods such as garlic, olives (oil included), tomato, avocado, rice, soy, almonds, cinnamon, orange and so many more was a blow to the spirit. Many of these items are the cornerstone of a GF diet. What is left? All pre-made time savers are out the door. No longer can I open a box of Tinkyada brown-rice pasta, boil and smother with savory Puttanesca. Creamy polenta is history. Arborio and Jasmine rice have received notice of termination. Olive oil has been banished. By far, the most debilitating is the loss of garlic. Please tell me, what novice foodie or renowned chef can survive in the kitchen without garlic? And if the food loss wasn’t enough, even my job didn’t make the cut. Because of the severity of my sensitivities, I had to say good-bye to the gluten-filled Italian restaurant with which I had been so fondly affiliated for nearly 20 years. Sadness.

It has been nearly three months since the multiple food sensitivity diagnosis and I still struggle daily with my limited diet, which has to be divided by food families and rotated on a 4 day basis. Yet I am trekking my way through the denial and mourning, finally ready to embrace the current challenge, realizing it is the only way back to optimum health and culinary satisfaction. Renewed is my resolve to scour cookbooks and the internet for inspiration, finding people with whom to share experiences, ideas, and perhaps some delish recipes. I am back at my drawing board, attempting to create airy breads, meals my entire family can love, desserts that thrill the sweet tooth, and soups to warm the heart. I am ready to create foods that speak to my body and soul: I am One Sensitive Foodie.