Hi! I’m Lauren. I’m not only the painter of adorable donkeys, but I like to cook. My sister and I have to continue to learn to cook because we’re gluten intolerant. Gluten is the protein in certain grains such as wheat and barley. Some people can’t digest that protein and it makes them sick. There are different degrees of gluten intolerance. Some people will just get a little sick often, while others are affected far more.

Seven years ago, my Mom found out that my younger sister had this allergy because she was hyperactive, could not pay attention, and doubled over with stomach pain. Her gluten free diet changed all of that for the better. Three years ago, Mom suspected that my getting colds and other illnesses constantly might be related to this allergy. My younger sister had it. Why not me? We changed my diet and I‘ve experienced much better health. When my aunt finally tried this diet, she no longer had irritable bowel syndrome. Plus, to her surprise, other health issues cleared up as well.

When you’re gluten intolerant, you have to read labels constantly. You must also be very careful when you eat out. Gluten can be as obvious as wheat listed on a label, or as hidden as contaminated oats (oats are gluten-free), or French fries in a restaurant dusted with flour to crisp them. Most gluten free diets include rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, sorghum flour, millet flour, and buckwheat.

When our Mom first started baking this way, we all wished we could have wheat again, but soon she improved. Now she’s teaching us. That’s why we have a food blog. We want to teach others how to make delicious baked goods. We’d like people to be able to have a diet that really helps them. It would be sad to give up because the first gluten free baking attempts taste like sawdust. We also don’t want people to have to eat store-bought gluten free bread that they can hardly get their teeth into.

There are many good recipe books and sites for this way of cooking. It’s really not hard once you get used to it. Enjoy baked goods and better health too!

Gluten free cookbook recommendations:

*Anything by Bette Hagman, the queen mother of gluten free cooking. She was doing it before it was widely known. (Some favorite Bette Hagman titles include The Gluten Free Gourmet Makes Dessert and The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread)
*The Best Ever Wheat and Gluten Free Baking Book by Mary Ann Wenniger
*The Incredible Edible Gluten Free Foods for Kids by Sheri L. Sanderson

You can also find Lauren at Gluten Go Bye Bye.

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