My Health Journey (Part 1)

I grew up in a small town in northern Ontario and I had a wonderful childhood with a loving family.

My older brother was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of two. So my parents were very conscious of what we ate as a family in order to keep my brother’s blood sugars stable.

We rarely had treats, and when we did, they were low sugar or sugar free. We also ate homemade meals the majority of the time.

This focus on diet, which I was accustomed to growing up, is what sparked my passion for healthy eating.

Although my family ate what was considered a heathy and balanced diet, I still had health issues. Rashes, eczema, headaches, belly aches, and very painful bms became a part of my normal. And it was never even a question that my health issues were from something I was eating.

By the time I went to university, I also developed a consistent urge to clear my throat. I felt like I always had mucous in my lungs that needed to come out, but no matter what I did, nothing ever came out.

So I saw an eyes, ears and throat doctor, who determined it would be best to remove my tonsils as they were enlarged and swollen. I was hopeful this would help the urge to clear my throat, but discouragingly, it did not.

Then, I started a work term placement at the university, where I met Sylvie. We clicked instantly since we both have a passion for healthy eating. We discussed our health issues with one another daily. Our friendship was a type of support I had never felt before. She got me, she understood!

But I eventually moved on to another work placement, away from the university and away from Sylvie. I worked downtown with other students, which made it all too easy to eat out at restaurants more frequently. And I started grabbing a coffee and muffin in the mornings out of convenience.

My belly aches and painful bus became even worse by this time. So I went to see a GI specialist who told me I needed more fiber, and suggested I eat more bran.

At the time, whole wheat was all the rage. You know when pizza places started offering whole wheat crusts and whole wheat pasta had hit the stores?

So I started replacing foods with the whole wheat versions and adding in bran muffins as my breakfast muffin.

My health took a turn for the worse.

I would wake in the middle of the night bent over with excruciating belly aches. Indigestion and bloating occured even more frequently and fainting spells caught me off guard.

Then, I returned back to the university for the rest of my work terms, which meant working alongside Sylvie again!

And at this point, Sylvie started seeing a naturopath. The ND suggested Sylvie was allergic to wheat. So knowing my health issues, Sylvie encouraged me to try going gluten free.

I committed to a week of eating completely gluten free. And by the end of the week, it was like a light beam shone down from the sky, because HALLELUJAH, I felt normal for the first time!

The painful bms, the bloating, the indigestion were gone. I was shocked and amazed that my health drastically improved simply by removing gluten from my diet!

It just blew my mind!

Sylvie and I began experimenting with gluten free baking and we often brought treats to work for each other. Looking back now, we laugh at some of the things we made AND ate!

Back then gluten free was not what it is today. Most people never even heard of gluten. Tasty recipes were not easily found so we made sure to stay positive with what we made!

My new gluten free life was suiting my digestion quite well. I was on the road to recovery, or what I thought was recovery.

But damage had already been done. Shortly after discovering my gluten sensitivity, I was diagnosed with Lichen Sclerosis.

Continued in part 2.

6 Comments

  1. Louise Gagne

    Hi Rebecca – OMG, it sounds a lot like me – only you are just starting out – I’m 68 years old and found out only a year and a half ago that I am gluten intolerant (never diagnosed Celiac as I had already begun the GF way of life!).
    I am pleased to know that at least you have “caught” it in your 20’s (wish I had as life would be quite different for me now).
    Thank you for posting one of my most favourite treats in the world for Christmas time – the butter tart. Here I’ve been thinking I’ll never be able to eat another one and I found you. Thank you so much Rebecca.
    Wishing you a very blessed Merry Christmas with much success for 2016.

  2. Thank you Louise! Your comment has got me smiling 😀 It’s always nice to hear from others with similar stories. I sure hope you enjoyed that butter tart and I wish you loads of healing in 2016!

  3. Hi Rebecca, you are my inspiration to keep going on this journey and thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes!!! I was also wondering where can I find Tigernut flour?

    • Thank you Sylvie! You know I get so much inspiration from you as well, you are my person ????
      As for the Tigernut flour you can sometimes find it at Winners in Canada and well.ca often carries it! Hope this helps!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *