I’ve been dealing with dietary restrictions for over 40 years.

Starting with a hypoglycemia diagnosis at age 13. I was told I couldn’t eat sugar anymore, which was traumatic and a huge adjustment at that age — but I was able to eat anything else I wanted, so no big deal.

It kept me thin.

Then fast forward to my thirties: I had a couple really rough years dealing with chronic illness that couldn’t be explained. I’d been to every specialist, had every test, and the results kept coming back ‘within range’.

It was beyond frustrating and I was getting desperate for answers. So when my GP suggested I do an elimination diet to see if maybe my symptoms were food related — I happily complied.

I was handed a sheet of paper and sent on my way.

The handout contained instructions for an elimination diet. If I wasn’t out of options, I would’ve taken one look at that photocopy and tossed it aside.

But I was tired of feeling like shit all the time. I was a stay-at-home mom with a flexible schedule and internet access, so no excuses.

Turns out, there’s more to an elimination diet than what the outline from the doctor suggested.

The amount of research involved to simply prepare for the elimination diet was overwhelming — and I hadn’t even started the actual diet yet.

Understanding the testing method, gathering supplies, finding recipes my family and I could eat during the program (and all of it through the filter of brain fog) turned into a full time job. I couldn’t find anyone for support beyond the clinical aspects of the diet itself.

And I was having all kinds of feelings about this experiment, to say the least. But I got through it.

And it was totally worth it.

I learned gluten, dairy, soy and eggs are not my friends. Four major ingredients that were prominent in my diet for my entire life were now causing me issues.

But I didn’t even care — I was so thrilled to finally have answers.

Since my health had been so unpredictable for years, it was empowering to know I had control over how I felt on a daily basis. I didn’t mind cutting out those foods in exchange for feeling good again. Plus, avoiding those foods calmed everything down for me.

I felt like a functioning human again.

My food sensitivities weren’t the whole answer, but my body wasn’t so reactive anymore — which then made it easier to diagnosis my underlying issues.

Which is a story for another day.

But the unexpected and in some ways the most valuable thing I gained from the experience?

I learned how my body communicates with me when something is off.

Sounds weird, I know, but for years I had dissociated with my body because I felt like it was failing me. Despite willing myself (with my mind) to feel healthy — my physical self had its own agenda. I felt like my brain and my body were operating under different systems, and I had been living in my head in order to cope.

The elimination diet reconnected me to my body.

I’m not sure how to explain it exactly, but the methodical process slowed me down and really forced me to connect the dots. To experience first hand the cause and effect certain foods had on my body. To see, on paper, the data that supported my observations and the conclusions I’d drawn for myself.

I learned I could trust myself.

Which, honestly? Made me a little pissed off.

Because I realized that up until that point, I had handed over my own agency to anyone in a white lab coat. I assumed they knew my body better than I did. Rather than fighting for what I knew was true in my lived experience — I was backing down when a doctor dismissed my symptoms.

Not anymore.

Not after my experience going through an elimination diet.

It has given me the confidence to advocate for myself — from a place of deep understanding — which has led to better communication with my medical team, some concrete answers, and the diagnosis of underlying issues whose symptoms were muddled alongside my reactivity to certain foods.

And I want the same for you. Only better.

I’ll give you more than a pdf printout.

I’ve built out a program that breaks down the entire process into manageable steps.

Week by week, I’ll walk you through it and offer support and guidance where needed. Plus, I’ve curated an arsenal of gluten & top allergen free recipes for you at Without Options (our sister site) so you can prepare and eat meals that everyone will enjoy (not your typical diet recipes).

I’ll work hard to help you feel better in your body, have more control over your symptoms, and have the clarity to advocate for yourself and what you’re experiencing.

Because I’ve been in your shoes and know what’s possible.