Gluten-Free, Hassle Free: A Simple, Sane, Dietitian-Approved Program For Eating Your Way Back to Hea

A licensed social worker since 2000, I established my food allergy coaching practice, Allergic Girl Resources, Inc., in 2007 to work one-on-one with clients with dietary restrictions who want to overcome fear and anxiety and find a way back to loving and enjoying food. And in 2008, I launched my Worry-Free Dinners program to bridge the gap between restaurants that want to serve the food-restricted community and food-restricted diners who want to reclaim positive and enjoyable dining-out experiences.
But how do you regain the intoxicating mix of food and joy after the doctor tells you that you can no longer eat certain foods lest you suffer dire consequences?
You may feel waves of sadness, frustration, confusion, denial, anxiety, depression, and anger. Yet you may feel some relief that symptoms that have gone unchecked or unexplained now have a name, a diagnosis. Whether it is a food allergy, food intolerance, celiac disease, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, a diagnosis will help you regain some sense of control over your health. However, one of the hallmarks of a diagnosis of a dietary restriction is that you can’t eat certain things— ever.
But what can you eat? And where do you find reliable information about how to create quick, easy daily meals and snacks that will make you feel better, not worse? A crucial path back to loving food again after you’re diagnosed is to see a registered dietitian, especially one who is knowledgeable about your dietary restriction diagnosis and needs. I met Marlisa Brown—a compassionate registered dietitian with thirty years of experience and a chef with her own set of dietary restrictions— in 2007 at the International Foodservice and Restaurant Show. She was giving a talk about food allergies and foodservice, using her mango allergy as an example. She had yet to discover what she now knows: that she had an undiagnosed lifelong non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Marlisa has written a book to help herself, her mother (who had celiac disease), and you get back on that path to loving food again. With easy-to-create menu ideas and suggestions, tons of gluten-free recipes, smart grain substitutions, safe gluten-free resources, and a massive list of naturally gluten-free foods, you’ll be surprised how much food there is to choose from.