Seven Sacred Pools

Who are you and where are you?
My name is Amanda. I’m a 27 year old university student living on the island of Maui in the Hawaiian islands.

Tell me about your relationship with gluten…
Puberty is a challenging time for anyone, but for me it became even more difficult as eating began to cause me great pain. My family doctor suggested I was lactose intolerant. I started eating lactose free dairy products, and began using lactase enzyme pills when I wanted to eat dairy. I’d even go completely dairy free for periods of time.

I lived this way for ten years, but it was never perfect. I’d still find myself in digestive distress. Finally having enough of this, I decided to give in and try an elimination diet. When the time came to add back in wheat, I knew I was onto something. Oats reacted too. I plugged these findings into the computer, and it basically spat out, “You have celiac disease!” So, I stopped eating gluten. My digestive symptoms disappeared. So did my neurological (shaking hands) and psychological (anxiety) issues. It’s been about five years now, and I look healthier. I feel healthier. I have never felt better.

When I first stopped eating gluten I was pretty upset about it. I definitely went through the stages of grief. I had support through celiac groups on Livejournal.com; and I found inspiration through websites like Shauna Ahern’s Glutenfreegirl and Karina Allrich’s Glutenfreegoddess.

Today, I have no problem seeing other people eat gluten. It doesn’t even occur to me to have a problem with it. As long as I am prepared, and not left hungry or left out of the social rituals around eating, then life is a peach, and peaches are gluten free.