Who is Katie?
I not only teach people how to live gf, but I practice it as well. I had been having stomach and other issues since I was 16, and never knew what the cause was. At 19, my doctor diagnosed me as having IBS. I was fine with that until I did some research on IBS, and I didn’t believe that my body randomly decided to react to a food one time, and not another; I decided to do more research, this was when I was 21. By this time, I was not only having issues with extreme bloating every time I ate, but I was having problems in the bathroom, depression, extreme fatigue, rashes on my face, migraines, and joint pain. My mother gave me a book called The False Fat Diet by Elson Haas, I believe. This really opened my eyes. After reading this, I decided I’d try a cleanse and reintroduce foods slowly into my diet. I had basically narrowed down bread and dairy as triggers before, but after this experiment I knew these were definitely a problem. I then decided to cut bread from my diet, still knowing nothing about something called “gluten.” I felt so much better, but still not as good as I knew I should feel, so I did more research, and came across CD, mainly cookbooks. After reading the forewards of several of these, I knew what I had to do.
After about 3 months I felt wonderful, like the old me when I was a teenager (I was 22 by this time). My energy had returned, no more migraines, my outlook on life was MUCH improved, and I no longer looked like I was 6 months pregnant after eating! When I went for my annual checkup with my Dr, there was some information in the waiting room about a blood test for CD. I asked my Dr. if I could take the test, she said there was no such thing (I should’ve known then I was going to the wrong doctor! I’m telling you, people, the right doctor makes all of the difference!). After consulting with another dr in the office, she said I could take the test. It came back negative for CD. Of course, I knew how good I felt being off gluten, so it didn’t matter to me, and I decided whether I had CD or not, I was going to remain on this diet. I contacted a nurse in Indy who had CD and helped people get diagnosed, and she said that my test results were inaccurate due to me being off of gluten for 3 months, and I would have to go back on it again for 8 weeks in order to get a proper test result. My first thoughts “Pizza and beer why have I forsaken you!! Here I come!” That lasted about a week. All of my symptoms returned and I felt sooooo aweful that I had to go off gluten again. I don’t really care if I ever get a proper diagnosis, I know what’s wrong with me and what my cure is, and that’s all that matters. Because of my ordeal, I have helped 3 others be officially diagnosed, two of them family members, and many others realize the benefits of a gf lifestyle! They feel great, and so can you!
I offer group “classes,” or one on one sessions in your home. I can help you clear your pantry and refrigerator of gluten, teach you how to avoid cross contamination, how to dine out, how to adjust your favorite recipes, and how to shop! Check in on my blog for great gf recipes, my thoughts on different gf products, or just my thoughts on living a gf lifestyle! If you’d like to contact me about a consultation, e-mail me at gfreeconsultant@gmail.com
4 Responses to "Who is Katie?"
September 22, 2013 at 5:12 pm
This is probably way too late but, we are NOT all intolerant of gluten. The villi don’t “not work” with wheat (“hybrid” or not) in CD. I think you may not be too clear on how CD works. Antibodies attack the lining of the intestine, not the wheat.
I don’t know why being a massage therapist gives you an expertise in gastroenterology but those of us with specialty degrees are supposed to only use the initials when we are expressing an opinion in our field.
Sorry if that is a little rough but there is so much talk about gluten and so little of it scientifically based.
September 22, 2013 at 6:31 pm
I appreciate your response, but I don’t know where you’re getting that I’m a massage therapist? I am not one and have never been one, or ever said I was one. I am trying to find the post that you’re referring to so I can address whatever changes that I need to make (I am terrible at going back to proofread to make sure I make sense). I also don’t remember saying that everyone is gluten intolerant, but I wrote whatever post you are referring to at least 3 years ago so that could be why I don’t remember. As far as saying the villi “don’t work”, I was just trying to explain it in as simple terms as possible, apparently it didn’t come out right. Please let me know the exact post you’re referring to and what wording you think I should use and I’ll gladly change it! I don’t post on this page anymore unless a company requests something because of a sale or an event, I basically just leave it up so I can still get to the recipes I have posted! I am sure not everything is as up-to-date as it should be!
Katie Cook
GF Living 
July 3, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Great post. We have been GF for a while now. We have witnessed the turmoil in many people’s lives as a result of gluten. Sometimes I hear people talking about their relative who has gluten intolerance or celiac disease and I may or may not step in to highlight that we all have a intolerance to gluten … just some tolerate it better than others. Those little villi and micro villi sure don’t work that well with our hybrid wheat these days.
I did want to comment and thank you for what you are doing. The more education is available, perhaps the more people who will become educated.
Warmest regards,
David
David Harrison LMT, CNHP
http://www.obvita.com?KatieCookPost