I am so excited about today’s guest post. It comes from my favorite twins, Lori and Michelle who write Pure2Raw and run their own bakery! Today they are going to be discussing their journey to health and a gluten free lifestyle. Enjoy!
Hello Clean Eating Chelsey readers,
We are Lori and Michelle, twins who write for a blog called pure2raw. A little bit about us: we love food, wine, fitness, photography and being entrepreneurs.
Today we plan to share our story of going gluten-free. We promise to keep it short along with some yummy recipes ideas.
We are not medically diagnosed with Celiac we just chose to cut out gluten a few years ago. We did a process of elimination diet to figure out what allergens we were sensitive too.
We suffered from stomach issues our whole life. We always thought we were sensitive to foods like peanuts and dairy. And we tried to take those out of our diet growing up but we admit it was hard. We were not perfect.
By the time we reached college we started seeing more signs that our bodies were not happy with our food choices! Not only were we having stomach pain but other issues like foggy head, tiredness, skin issues, digestive issues, poor food absorption (nutrients were not being absorbed) plus a few other things. Our symptoms ranged as each person will suffer from different things.
We knew we needed to make some changes. And that is what we did.
Our journey of eating a gluten-free lifestyle did not happen over night. It happened over few years. We learned what foods our bodies like through trial and error. We started reading books, websites, blogs till we were fully aware what food allergies/ food intolerances are and how to handle them.
Nowadays we eat a gluten-free, peanut-free, dairy-free diet mixed with eating some raw vegan foods. It works for us! We like the mix.
We are not saying a gluten-free lifestyle is the answer for everyone. But it sure has helped us.
We are FOODIES! We love food. All types of food. Although not all foods agree with us! We love creating recipes made from true wholesome ingredients. And we also like to play around with new, exotic, and unique ingredients.
Eating gluten-free has been a blessing to us. We truly enjoy our food choices. We love how we feel mentally and physically. As time goes on, we continue to learn what foods makes us feel great and what makes us feel icky. It is all about finding the right balance and remembering change can be good.
How did we overcome changing to eating gluten-free?
- We kept a positive attitude.
- We started small. Made small changes to our diet and overtime were able to go 100% gluten-free.
- We grabbed a notebook to start a food journal to keep track of what we ate and how we felt.
- We wrote a list of foods that we could eat and started creating recipes using those ingredients.
- We started following and connecting with others who suffer from digestive issues and food allergies.
- Over time we felt better so that excitement of feeling good kept us going.
How can you start to incorporate more gluten-free foods into everyday life?
- Be willing to try new things. Have fun in the kitchen.
- Have an open mind (some gluten-free foods can have a different taste and texture, though we tend to prefer them to gluten filled foods).
- Follow gluten-free blogs that inspire you.
- Don’t feel it is all or nothing. Just by incorporating a few gluten-free things into your current diet we feel is beneficial.
- Keep things simple and use fresh ingredients when possible.
- Plan things out.
- Learn to love making things homemade.
- And fall in love with socca — a little addictive garbanzo bean based bread!
our beloved socca
Need recipe ideas- we create gluten-free recipes on our site among dairy-free, vegan, soy-free, low-sugar, and raw recipes. Here are some of our favorites:
zucchini lasagna with arugula pesto
Chelsey also has great recipe ideas to help get you started. Like her blueberry pancakes and her chickpea curry burgers! MMMM!
Gluten-free can taste great! So remember have fun when you are in the kitchen and try experimenting with gluten-free ingredients to see how you feel.
If you have any questions on our journey or need help with getting started please email us. We hope you come over and say hi to us over at pure2raw . Thanks again Chelsey for letting us share our story with your readers!
xoxo, Lori and Michelle
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
I love the twins’ blog!
I totally agree with no having to be a coeliac to benefit from being gluten-free or at least reducing your consumption of it.
I rarely eat wheat now and I feel so much better because of it. When I do eat it, I remember why I shouldn’t!
Yummy recipes!!! The chocolate socca stacks look incredible! Just wondering though….is there any way to make socca oil free?
Kaila not really sure about making it oil free as that is what helps bake the bread and give flavor and texture. You can reduce the oil amount. Also, we have done it in a skillet and it is easier to use less oil that way. Let us know if you have any more questions.
pure2raw twins
that zucchini lasagna looks so delicious and unique. it’s unlike anything i’ve tried before, but it looks great!
thank you sweetie for allowing us to share our gluten free story here
we love your blog and love you, look forward in sharing this health journey together!!
xoxo
lori and michelle
How long to you have to cut something out before you re-introduce? That is alwyas my hang up…. No one says how long I need to cut it out. I try but never know how long to wait before reintroducing it back in…..
Mission accomplished, your food looks VERY yummy!
Julie yes how long is one of things that no one can agree on, but I would say at least 5-7 days. Some say wait till your symptoms clear up before reintroducing a food back in. Hope this helps. Really just have to listen to your body, but I know it can be hard.
Michelle
pure2raw twin
This Is a great post! I Can Definitely relate. I need to try food journaling… and some of those recipes!
Awesome post about your journey!!! I love reading your blog and checking our your recipes! I think I might have to try to socca
I’m the same way- I’ve never been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, but instead chose to cut wheat from my diet- I’ve never felt better! You all accurately conveyed exactly what I went through in deciding to cut it out!
Kristin, thank you! yes try socca, you will love it
Michelle
Great guest post! I loved all of these cool recipe ideas. I am heading over to the twins blog now
Great post!!! I love all the gluten free options…..they make my heart sing!!
xxoo
I’ve considered trying gluten free since I also have a lot of stomach issues, but my biggest issue is the social aspect of it! I know a lot of restaurants are gluten-free now, but I’m afraid about being a burden when eating at other people’s houses, or even at my parents house! I don’t want to make it an issue for other people, how do you deal with that part of a restricted diet?
Katie yes eating with others is very hard, we sometimes still struggle with being “gluten free girls” and we hate being a burden on others. We try to bring our own food, or eat before going out and just get a salad at restaurants. Sometimes we talk a digestive enzyme to help with digesting food when we might eat not we normally would, and it seems to help. I hope this helps answer concern, but remember do what is best for you!!
Michelle
yummy looking GF food! And socca sounds yummy too - a flatbread kinda?
Lindsay yes it is like a flatbread, real dense and a mix of a crepe/pancake/flatbread texture.
Ohhhh that chocolate socca sounds de-lish! Gluten-Freedom!
I love the socca recipe - so great for a go-to last minute pizza crust!
Love this post! You girls are two little geniuses in the kitchen!
I love Lori and Michelle. What a great tag team Chelsey + L + M!
I am mostly GF now, after about 7 yrs of being STRICTLY Gf. I find that I have healed my gut and can tolerate small amts every now and then but I believe that overall refined gluten grains dont do anyone any favors.
Love all you ladies and have a fab weekend!
I totally agree that if you aren’t diagnosed celiac that your gut can be healed. Obviously it’s not great to eat gluten in large quantities is you are sensitive, but every now and again like you do wouldn’t hurt!
Awesome post! I’ve been wanting to try eliminating certain foods because I often feel bloated and uncomfortable, but it has always intimidated me because it seems like so much work! But it sounds like it was worth all the effort for you guys so that makes me want to give it a shot.
Cool post! I’ve been trying out the elimination thing because I’m pretty sure I’m sensitive to gluten. I hardly ever eat it at home, but out and about is another story! Thanks for all the great tips and recipe ideas
I noticed gluten was not getting along with my body either, so I decided to follow a GF diet. Just like Lori and Michelle, it was not easy. When the twins said socca makes going GF more fun, they’re totally right. I don’t know what I’d do without it! I still miss sprouted bread, but that’s about it. My increased energy and happy stomach is worth it!
I love that you kept food journals! Journaling can be such a helpful tool when changing the way you eat.
The type of software that an online casino uses determines its
level of fairness and security. They must offer a safe and a secure
gaming environment to all the players. You can either play for
fun, or play for real money. A wait of several days is normal,
since it allows the reputable casinos to make
sure that the money is being deposited correctly.
{ 2 trackbacks }