This all started when my Husband discovered that he was Lactose Intolerant. This was a big culture shift in our house, after all he was married to a Dairy Farmers Daughter! Nearly everything I cooked had some form of dairy in it!
My Husband’s health improved dramatically after eliminating dairy from his diet, but availability or a steady supply of dairy free products was minimal, and shopping became frustrating as milk seemed to be used in so many products.
Whilst he continued to be well most of the time there was the occasional attack of sickness where we couldn’t trace or find the source of dairy that caused it. These attacks became more frequent. However, after investigation we discovered that he was also Gluten Intolerant. I truly felt this was my worst nightmare Dairy & Gluten! I can’t cook anything now and our days of eating anything we liked were over!
After a health scare myself and let’s just say I am now an advocate for regular personal health checks. I recognised that I needed to make some lifestyle changes too. Yes, life was busy, I was working full-time, we had a business, we were renovating our house, and I had 3 stepchildren in my life. Life was full, but I was so tired all the time, my skin was inflamed in areas, my menstrual cycles were all or nothing and whilst I may not have looked it to some, but I was overweight too.
After eliminating gluten out of our diet, I noticed a big difference in my energy levels and my skin improved. After having several consults with my GP, I became frustrated and I decided to further investigate my health issues with a Naturopath. After some in depth analysis I discovered that I was gluten intolerant also and gluten was having significant impact on my wellbeing every time I had it. So, the overhaul of my diet began, it was tough, there was so much gluten in my diet. Thankfully, what I learned is that we thrive when we consume a diet of wholefoods or foods that our body can process. But when I fuelled my body with pure ingredients the better I felt, I had more energy, better digestion, skin and sleep.
Initially, I went to various supermarkets and from shop their small token range. However, I soon discovered that many of the gluten free or dairy free products weren’t that easy to cook with or didn’t taste that great. But as our journey of Gluten Free or Dairy/Lactose Free continued, I also started to meet many people like us living with multiple Allergies and intolerances or on specialized diets such as low sugar, FODMAP, Vegan or Paleo diets. They shared my frustrations, where can we shop? Why do we need to go to multiple outlets, pay premium pricing, what’s new and will my favourite taste good or be easy to prepare?
I am just a working Mum with a blended family that is passionate about being able to help and provide information for people whom have food intolerances or sensitivities I want to ensure that just because we have intolerances or allergies we can have access to great products, to cook, create meals and enjoy food just like anyone else. But the journey has become bigger than that, as the years went on, I realised the importance of sustainable seasonal cooking, that a lot of gluten free products were highly processed and were imported from overseas.
Fortunately, my work at the time involved travel and I would often stop for lunch or coffee at Café’s in fantastic gourmet locations around Victoria. Each time I would find something for the pantry that was Gluten Free, Diary Free or both, that I hadn’t been able to find in the leading Supermarkets. Generally, they tasted great and were good to cook with, but best of all they were locally made.
I loved the story behind the brand, I loved cooking and supporting those local manufacturers or suppliers. They often had been on a similar journey as to mine, were passionate about local supply and sustainability.
Fast forward a few years and a couple of toxic workplaces later, I found myself stressed out and full of anxiety, passion and self - worth was at a all time low. My perfectionist trait compounded this, and I was a highly sensitive person an attribute that is not always favoured in corporate environments nor were my holistic ideals.
Work/life balance, mindfulness was in focus for workplaces but very often ideals, not practices within the workplace. The need to take charge of myself care was paramount, exercise, meditation, mindfulness and holistic well being allowed me to reduce the overwhelm, to reconnect with the meaningful things in life.
So the vision of the Sensitive Home begun, I wanted to create a community that is mindful how sensitive the world is, that has a holistic approach to everything we do family, home, food, lifestyle and sustainability that creates a sensitive home and life.
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#nogluten #dairyfree #lactosefree #sensitive #homeliving #hollisticliving #holistichealth #naturalliving #mindfulliving #sustainability #mindfuleating #worklifebalance #fodmap #localproduce