I originally started Fridge Foragers a number of years ago as a place to include quick, inexpensive family friendly recipes and tips for grocery shopping on a budget but due to some life changes I stopped blogging for a while then launched it again as a Paleo food blog… and some more life changes, with a heavy sprinkling of procrastination… this blog hasn’t been updated for a few years and what posts were here were no longer relevant to what Fridge Foragers will be about in the future.
I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease after having some suspicions followed by a great deal of denial for the last few years. I knew, from jumping onto the Paleo/Primal bandwagon a few years ago that eliminating gluten from my diet made me feel better but the restrictions of Paleo dieting became tiresome and I went back to my old “eat all the things” ways for a few years. And of course got sicker and sicker.
December, 2016 while in Austria, staying at my boss’s Mom’s house for a work retreat I got suddenly and violently ill. The kind of sudden and violent illness that while unpleasant at any time is horrific and embarrassing when you’re thousands of kilometres from your home in Canada and your coworkers are trying to clean up and look after you.
So upon returning to Canada and a visit to my doctor to discuss not just the horrible few days of illness in Austria but some of the persistent and ongoing issues I’ve had for years, some for decades, she started investigating Celiac Disease. This same doctor, several years before had scoffed at the suggestion of Celiac Disease when I brought it up to her and despite my knowing deep down that I had CD, I lived in denial. If the doctor didn’t think it was worth testing for then I must not have it… now pass me the pasta and garlic bread!
Anyway, assorted tests and several months later the Celiac diagnoses has been made. It’s linked to just about every medical issue I’ve had since childhood. I was a pale, thin, low energy child and Mom had me to our family doctor many times to figure out what was wrong but Celiac was never tested for or likely even considered by our small town doctor in the 1970s. Likely doctors since I was a teen didn’t consider Celiac because it’s something that would have been diagnosed when I was a child, or so was assumed. Now research shows that there are a great number of people living with Celiac Disease who have gone undiagnosed or whose symptoms are different from what was believed to be the main symptoms in the past.
So here I am. Forty-mumble years old, sick with assorted things over the years that are all linked to CD and I’m looking at a life time of no gluten. Possibly no dairy as well – the jury is out on dairy so far.
I’m having to change from a life of dining out, ordering take out, and eating packaged convenience foods regularly (I know… none of these are healthy choices… I am aware of that) to avoiding most restaurants and packaged food for fear of gluten and cross contamination.
I’ve been “glutened” (accidentally eaten gluten) recently and spent 10 days with stabbing stomach pain and assorted digestive horrors and do not want to risk that nightmare again.
So I’m re-launching Fridge Foragers as a sort of journal and recipe base for my new gluten free (and possibly dairy free – still waiting to hear from that jury) life. I’ll admit right now, I’m pretty lazy about cooking. This won’t be a gourmet recipe resource. I don’t love taking photos (and I’m not particularly good at it) so photos will be amateur if at all.
As the name suggests, Fridge Foragers will be focused on mostly inexpensive food options that I can forage out of my fridge or pantry. I may also have a few rants about adjusting to gluten free eating and things I’ve learned about Celiac Disease. Please note I’m not an expert on Celiac Disease, nor will I try to be. I’m also not a nutritionist, a doctor, a grower of vegetables or an expert on anything related to these things. This site is about my own journey and the food I make. Please consult a doctor or a nutritionist for information about Celiac Disease and diet.