Hello everyone, I’m Julie.  My daughter Samantha was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2002 at the age of 7.

As soon as she started eating solid food I knew something wasn’t right.  She was sick all of the time.  It took 3 years and several doctors to find out what the problem was.  She had celiac disease.  Back then celiac disease and gluten free were not words you heard every day.  Up until then, I didn’t even know what gluten was.  You certainly couldn’t walk through your local grocery store and find the vast variety of gluten free products that you do now.

Going gluten free wasn’t easy.  Learning how to read labels to find all those hidden sources of gluten was definitely a challenge.   I learned that gluten can also be hidden in unexpected places such as beauty products, vitamins and supplements, even play-doh.  It’s so important to read labels.

We’ve tried many products.  Some good, some not so good.  I put this blog together to share with you what we’ve learned over the years as well as products and recipes we’ve come to love.

Samantha is now 22 years old and has been gluten free for 15 years. I also have a 17 year old son, Ethan. He doesn’t have Celiac Disease, but he does have an autoimmune disorder, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. It’s a disorder in which your immune system attacks your thyroid.  When you have one autoimmune disorder you are more susceptible to others.

It’s not always easy to determine if something is gluten free.  I always say:

When in doubt, go without!