Gourmandize Gluten- Free Guru's interview
Interview by RachelWe interviewed Gourmandize Gluten- Free Guru!
Visit the blog: Healthy Eating And Living.
Meet Mandy
The Official Gluten-Free Guru of Gourmandize.com
Mandy King, CNP, is a Holistic Nutritionist and the official Gluten-Free Guru of Gourmandize.com. Mandy is the founder of HEAL, a health and wellness company that strives to ‘make the world a healthier place, one delicious meal at a time.’
Mandy’s passion for nutrition, health and food, is more than just her career path, it is part of her own personal journey in health, her struggles and finally her successes. After two long years of suffering as an undiagnosed celiac, frequently experiencing unexplained fatigued, upset stomach, weakness and even depression, Mandy is now the picture of perfect health. She is happy, healthy and more energetic than ever before.
Hello Gourmandize Gluten- Free Guru, so tell us...
Tell us about yourself and your journey towards health.
My journey in health began when I started suffering from unexplained fatigue, weakness, upset stomachs, and even depression. After countless trips to the doctor, I was finally diagnosed with Celiac Disease - a gluten allergy. I immediately cut out gluten, but still my health still didn’t really improve.
After a couple more years of trips to the doctor and no answers, I finally decided to approach an alternative doctor. In basically five minutes of looking at my blood, he diagnosed me with a parasite. He made some improvements to my diet, and put me on a natural supplement plan, and within 3 months my health started to improve! This sparked a serious interest in nutrition and the impact it can have. I'd spent so much time in the traditional medical system, with no answers, that I believed there was something more to learn about the power of food. I enrolled at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition to get a certification in Nutrition.
At first, it was just a hobby and something to do in my spare time, but it quickly became my passion, and I ended up leaving my corporate job to work on HEAL full time.
How would you best describe your philosophy towards healthy eating and living?
I would say there are a few.
1) I want people to understand that feeling 'ok' is not acceptable. I think it's very common to experience symptoms and just accept that they are normal, or something that we can fix with medication. I want people to recognize the connection between the food they put in their body, and the resulting symptoms. Some common symptoms that people don't realize can be completely related to food include:
- dips in energy
- skin problems like acne
- sleep problems like waking up in the middle of the night
- headaches
I want to educate people that food can not only cause these symptoms, but that the proper foods can also help alleviate them.
2) My second philosophy is about continuous improvement. Healthy eating and living is about making small, simple improvements to continuously improve your health. I often talk about the smoothie, and how it was my 'first' simple change or improvement that I made to my diet. It's such a simple switch to go from eating cereal or toast in the morning to a smoothie, and yet it did wonders for me! Not only was it a gluten free option, but it also helped balance out my energy as it had a higher protein content.
3) Lastly, I practice the 80/20 rule. I occasionally indulge, whether it's a glass of wine or a delicious dessert, so I don't think it's reasonable to expect my clients to be 100% perfect. The beauty of healthy eating and living is that the healthier you are, the more you crave those healthy choices, and all of a sudden you're WANTING the kale salad instead of the pizza, or you're excited to make your morning smoothie with spinach in it.
We understand that healthy living is important to you, and that there is more to Celiac Disease than just being gluten-free. When did you first realize this and are there any other misconceptions that you would like to dispel?
Great question. When I was first diagnosed with Celiac disease, I was always SUPER excited to find a gluten free packaged food in the grocery store, or see a gluten free brownie at a coffee shop. I wanted to find the exact replacements for foods I used to eat (i.e. pizza crusts, or cookies, or even beer). However, as I was in nutrition school, I realized that the biggest issue with packaged or processed foods isn't that they contain gluten; rather it's that they don't contain whole foods or the nutrient quantity/quality that whole, unprocessed foods do.
What I see with my clients is that people make the switch to gluten free (Celiac or not), and replace their regular bread with gluten free bread. Really, that doesn't make a world of difference. What makes the difference is switching it out for nutrient dense foods like eggs, blueberries, spinach, nuts and seeds for example.
So I want people to realize that the healthy way to go gluten free isn't to simply cut out gluten and switch it for 'gluten-free' replacements. Instead, it's about removing the packaged/processed foods from your diet and replacing them with foods REAL food.
Looking back, what is the best piece of advice you have ever received on healthy living?
This is a pretty simple one so I like to pass it on: Add color to your plate! The more white you have on your plate, the higher the chance you're eating refined/processed foods, or foods that will spike your blood sugar. The more green, red, orange, & purple you add to your plate, the less space there is for the white potato, white pasta, or white bread. It's a simple way of eating more nutrient dense food.
What has been the greatest struggle that you have had to overcome since founding HEAL?
Starting a business is incredibly busy!! Something I am making sure I continue doing is taking my Sunday afternoon to meal plan, grocery shop, and cook! I make meal plans for my clients who are super busy, and find that it's the best way to keep on track! Once the food is in the fridge, it's super easy to just grab as soon as you're hungry.
What advice would you give to someone else who is suffering and is about to embark on the same Gluten-Free journey?
Don't go at it alone! When I first transitioned, it felt like I was the ONLY person in the world having to eat that way. These days, there are great resources available now for anyone wanting to become gluten free. There are websites, blogs, forums not to mention nutritionists that can help you through the transition.
One of the hardest parts about switching to be gluten free is a lack of understanding, but once you understand it, it's a pretty easy way of life!
Do you have any secret or unexpected ingredients that you use regularly?
Two ingredients I love using in recipes are almond flour and coconut flour! They work well to replace regular flour in certain recipes and also add a ton of protein and some healthy fat to the meal! In my raw brownie recipe, I use ground up almonds and walnuts as the base and they're absolutely delicious, and gluten free!
Another secret ingredient I love is nutritional yeast! The majority of us can't digest lactose (found in cow's milk dairy) easily, especially those who are newly diagnosed gluten free. Recipes with cheese and milk can be tough on the digestive system, and even result in other symptoms like acne or eczema.
We all love the taste of cheese though, right? Well, nutritional yeast is a product that you can put into your recipes, whether it's sauces or salad dressings, or just sprinkled on top of a recipe, and it gives it a great cheesy flavor! And - nutritional yeast is a great source of B Vitamins too!
Anything else you would like to share with the Gourmandize Community?
I would love to hear from you! Whether or not you're Celiac, gluten intolerant, or just looking to be a bit healthier, send me an email at info@healthyeatingandliving.ca to get in touch :)
Thank you Gourmandize Gluten- Free Guru for answering our questions and see you soon!
Published by Rachel - 07/25/2014
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