Aloha everyone! My name is Amanda. I’m a 27 year old gluten free blogger and university student living on the island of Maui in beautiful Hawai‘i. I cut gluten out of my life five years ago after a decade long struggle with digestive distress.

When I was a preteen my body stopped digesting lactose. Puberty is not an easy time, but not being able to participate in some of the same rituals of eating with my peers made it even more difficult. For ten long years I fought with my body. It just didn’t seem to like anything I fed it. I was slowly deteriorating.

In the wake of much pressure from my partner, who implored me to try an elimination diet, I surrendered. Following months of dietary restriction, the phase of testing of individual foods began. When I reintroduced the category of foods containing gluten (wheat, barley, rye, and oats) I knew I had found the source of my troubles. Once I plugged my symptoms, and the foods, into a search engine I felt freedom. What I had been experiencing for so long finally had a name: Celiac Disease. I stopped eating gluten right then. I saw my doctor, and he agreed with my self-diagnosis.

Within a few weeks my digestive irritation, as well as some neurological (trembling hands) and psychological (anxiety) issues, were greatly improved. Yet, I still experienced a mourning period for the loss of gluten. One might even say I went through the five stages of grief. Eventually, I accepted that I had to be gluten free. Going out to parties, or dining in restaurants with friends were difficult for me. It was a whole new world to navigate. I was lost, scared, and confused. I stuck it out though, and I am so glad I did.

While it’s never easy to do something different, I find that the benefits have been absolutely worthwhile. I look and feel like a new person. I have embraced my Celiac Disease, and I have embraced myself in the process. I look forward to reading all of your posts, and sharing some of my own knowledge and experience with each of you.