Gluten Free Me

 I'm not diagnosed Celiac (neither were my kids, they were all too young to test at the time) or allergic to wheat. So why gluten free? I chose to try a gluten free diet for myself because when I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 6 years ago medication alone wasn't effective. I cut gluten and dairy from my diet and have been so much better ever since. Not that this super fun disease doesn't still cause me a lot of issues but consuming gluten makes my colon bleed without hesitation. At the same time as my diagnosis, my oldest son (then 2) was waking monthly with a fever, pale, and vomiting half the day. Multiple test and months later the only things they can come up with is CVS (chronic vomiting syndrome)...in other words they had no clue why he was sick. Pulled gluten from his diet and VOILA no more monthly vomiting, fever, and looking like Casper. As a mom who watched her baby suffer for almost a year, I was easily convinced gluten was the source of evil in our diets.
  Now, lucky for my family I'm an awesome baker. Being in the kitchen is a comfort zone for me and it makes me so happy to see my loved ones enjoying food that is good for them and taste fantastic too. It's a challenge at times but I'm a determined mama who likes to figure it all out. Most of the time I also cook dairy free. I can't consume it but the kids were recently reintroduced to it and are digesting it well. I'm honestly just not a fan off all they shove into milk products these days and buying organic isn't cost effective. I also steer clear of dyes, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial anything. I like my family and self to eat real food.