November is Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month 🌾✨

Did you know November is Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month? For my family, this month is more than just awareness; it’s a reminder of how far we’ve come on our gluten-free journey.

My children and I were diagnosed with gluten allergies back in August 2013, and we’ve been living gluten-free ever since. At first, it felt overwhelming, reading every label, asking endless questions at restaurants, and trying to recreate all our favorite meals without gluten. But over time, it became second nature. We discovered new foods, learned how to cook differently, and realized that a gluten-free lifestyle can still be full of flavor and joy.

Living gluten-free isn’t a trend for us; it’s a necessity. It’s how we stay healthy, energized, and balanced. However, I also know how challenging it can be, especially for families just starting out. That’s why Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month is so important – to spread education, understanding, and support for those who are navigating this lifestyle for the first time.

Here are a few ways you can get involved this month:
🍞 Try a new gluten-free recipe via my blog — you might be surprised how good gluten-free recipes can be!
🍕 Support restaurants that offer safe, gluten-free options.
🛒 Read ingredient labels carefully — gluten can hide in sauces, snacks, and even vitamins.
💬 Share your story — your experience might help someone else who’s struggling.

Being gluten-free isn’t about what we’ve had to give up, it’s about what we’ve gained: better health, awareness, and the appreciation for the foods that truly nourish us. 🌿

Uprooted, Adjusting, and Now Learning to Heal

I feel like my whole life’s been flipped upside down lately. I packed up everything and moved 2,700 miles away from the place I called home for the last 27 years, all because I wanted a better future for me and the kids. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t expect the small things to get to me the way they have.

Take the water, for example. Not only does it taste off, but I don’t like all the stuff in it — the chemicals, the fluoride, the PFAS. It just doesn’t sit right with me. So I started filtering the water in the kitchen and even went as far as buying distilled water jugs for the bathrooms so we could brush our teeth with something cleaner. I even bought filters for the shower heads. It might sound over the top, but honestly, it gives me peace of mind.

Even with all that, I probably drink less water than I should. And now I’m realizing how much that might have been catching up with me. Yesterday I ended up in the ER for seven hours. They ran everything — bloodwork, urine sample, CT scan — and finally told me what was going on: diverticulitis.

So here I am on a three-day broth diet, on top of 10 days of antibiotics, and after that, I’ll have to completely change the way I eat. No corn. No popcorn. A whole list of things I’ll have to avoid forever. Which feels overwhelming, because I was already so limited with food. I’m gluten intolerant, allergic to chicken, and my body just rejects a bunch of other things. Now it feels like I’ve got to become a full-on food cop with myself just to stay healthy.

It’s exhausting. I already gave up so much by moving, and now my body is asking me to give up even more. But at the same time, I don’t really have a choice. If I want to be here for my kids and actually thrive in this new chapter, I have to figure out how to work with it.

I never imagined my “fresh start” would look like this — standing in my kitchen sipping broth, keeping mental tabs on everything I can’t eat, popping antibiotics, while giant jugs of distilled water sit in the bathroom. But here I am. And honestly? All I can do is take it day by day, and try to see it as part of the journey I was meant to be on.


☕ Support the Journey

If this post resonated with you or made you feel a little less alone on your own path, you’re always welcome to support my writing with a cup of coffee. Your kindness helps me keep sharing real stories and new chapters, one step at a time: 👉 coff.ee/smalltownmichele