What the heck is gluten anyway?

It’s been over 10 years since I first started to understand how food can harm our bodies and it all started with a stomach ache.

My daughter was 12 and started having stomach aches after she ate. I knew it was food and I paid close attention but couldn’t figure out what was causing it. I felt guilty - like I was failing as a mom because every time I fed my child her stomach hurt.

I didn’t know what to do, so off to the doctor we went. 

We had an awesome pediatrician. After he examined her to rule out anything physical, he agreed it was something in her diet. His first suggestion was milk, but she’d never liked milk and in fact all of my children were ‘lactose intolerant’. (I use quotations because we’ve since learned about A2 milk and that’s a whole ‘nother story. lol) 

His next suggestion was gluten. When the doctor said no more bread or pasta my husband and I didn’t believe it. Bread?? Really?? We went home and tested the theory - no sandwiches or pasta for a week - and NO stomach aches. First sandwich and stomach ache! Yep - that confirmed it! 

I was starting to feel less guilty and more confident that I could help my daughter.

Now this was over ten years ago and my daughter was almost a teenager. You might remember the GF options then were limited and not very tasty. It may seem trivial now but this was truly traumatizing in my young teen’s mind.

I felt really sad for my daughter - could it be possible she wouldn’t be able to eat pizza with her friends ever again?

Knowing I had to get gluten out of our diet, my first suggestion to the family was a low carb diet. I’d found that limiting carbs like potatoes, bread, and pasta, worked for me to maintain or lose weight. Well, that suggestion went over like a lead balloon and was quickly vetoed by the husband and kids alike. Nice try, Mom! 

So I started researching and reading about gluten as well as other allergens in our diets. I discovered the Paleo diet. It’s focus on no gluten and grass-fed meat resonated with me. I made many changes in the next few months, and over the years, adjusting and learning to pay attention to what we ate and how it affected us. 

Fast forward 10 years and here we are raising cattle. 

I’m so proud that our cattle live as God intended; pasture raised, grass-fed, grass finished, with absolutely no growth hormones, and no antibiotics. 

I have truly turned my guilt and sadness and feeling like a failure as a mom into my life’s passion.

This is now my mission - providing the ultimate in clean healthy beef to you and our community.