Following the recipe?

About a year and a half ago, I was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. I never had the test done to see if it is full-blown celiacs, but I have been eating gluten-free since Thanksgiving of 2008. I had been struggling with gastrointestinal problems for about 10 years. The doctor had diagnosed me with IBS, and some of the diet changes I made helped, but I was still having a lot of problems and a lot of pain. The symptoms were getting worse, and I was having more severe attacks.

Jason started praying, and within days, we had our answer. I cut gluten out of my diet, and I started feeling immensely better-better than I had felt in years! I started learning how to eat without gluten. Cutting out bread was only the beginning. Gluten is hidden is so many other foods-it's crazy! I have experimented with alternative flours and have been successful in making some delicious bread alternatives!

During this time, I really didn't drink much milk until around the end of summer 2009. At this point, we started drinking smoothies almost every day. I started having gastrointestinal problems again. You can imagine my discouragement! God led me to cut out dairy, and within days, I was feeling better, but I was still having some problems. I did some more research and read that people with dairy problems can also react negatively to soy.

So, I have eliminated gluten, dairy and soy from my diet. There have been some challenges, but I feel so much better, so it is worth it. One of the biggest challenges is when I make food for my family or for BSU that contains gluten, dairy or soy. So much of what I cook is based on how it tastes. I don't like following recipes exactly how they are written, but I have found that more and more, I have to. I can't cook based on taste anymore. It makes me nervous to serve food that I have no idea how it tastes!

Much prayer goes into food that I serve to others-especially food that I don't have the pleasure of tasting. I depend on memory for a lot of things, but I wonder how long I can rely on memory. I wonder if I will forget what potato soup tastes like?

But please, don't feel sorry for me. I endured 10 years of embarrassing gastrointestinal problems. I feel great now! I have more energy, my thyroid is behaving, my stomach is calm, and my anxiety levels have plummeted! I thank God for all of these! I feel that eliminating gluten, dairy, and soy is totally worth it for how well I feel!

So, moral of the story? If I ask you to taste something for me...please be honest! You have to tell me if it tastes bad or good! I am depending on your honesty! You must be my taste buds!