Part Two: The There’s Gotta To Be More Stage

In my last post, I talked about the first phase of gluten-free eating: The Replacement Phase. Now, the story continues with Stage Two: The “There Gotta Be More” Stage—Okay, I think I have this gluten-free eating thing down, sort of. But is there another way to eat?

A few years after going gluten-free, my body was screaming at me again, and this time it was all about the dairy. I was starting to settle into the gluten-free lifestyle but was still a bit shaky, relying on processed gluten-free foods more than I wanted to and not being able to create the delicious meals I pictured in my head. Now dairy? WTF? This CANNOT be happening.

Well, I could have stayed in denial and kept feeling like crap, but I chose not to. I knew eliminating dairy would cause a tsunami-level disruption in my life, but I had to suck it up and side with my body’s needs. In retrospect, having to go dairy-free was what I needed to push me and my cooking journey forward.

Now faced with needing to make nearly everything I ate, I was lost, confused, and overwhelmed. Well, I can still eat salad, I thought. But then quickly realized I loved creamy dressings, and those were all dairy-based. I can still eat pizza, wait, no, no, not pizza!!! What is pizza without cheese? Oh, it was getting worse. Well, pasta, I can eat gluten-free pasta. Yes, that was true, but I really liked Alfredo more than Marinara. Oh, crap, this is going to suck.

My culinary skills at this stage were sorely lacking in light of the prospect of making my own dressings, finding a way to enjoy pizza without cheese, and learning to accept that I would never be able to enjoy butter, heavy cream, cream cheese, sour cream, or sherbet again. Ugh!!

Even if my body did not urge me to go dairy-free, I would still have been at a crossroads at this stage in my gluten-free journey. The process of making gluten-free foods was really not that good and left me craving the textures and flavors of the glutenful foods I left behind. My diet was not varied in ingredients; I just felt like there was more I needed, wanted, and desired in my daily eating.

The combination of wanting more options and having to eliminate dairy set me on the path of teaching myself how to cook. Not just make dinner, or breakfast that was edible and acceptable, but to REALLY cook and create delicious dishes my family and friends would love. And most importantly, create food that was so good I would stop longing for what was, before gluten-free arrived on the scene.

At the time, YouTube cooking videos were not really a thing. There were a few gluten-free cooking blogs, though, but they were mainly recipes and not very instructional. But there was the Food Network, Top Chef, and eventually The Cooking Channel, MasterChef, and so many more. I decided to visually devour as many cooking shows as I could, taking notes, learning new ingredients, and studying techniques. I must say, I became a bit obsessed with learning to cook.

As I tried new recipes, learned new techniques, and began experimenting with ingredients that were new to me, I slowly became a better cook. Was everything delicious and wonderful? No. I failed a lot but learned from my failures and never stopped cooking. I was on a mission, and nothing was going to stop me. I refused to eat “less than” anymore and certainly did not want to spend the rest of my life eating the way I was.

In Stage Two of gluten-free eating, you will begin to think “there’s gotta be more” and seek out new recipes, cooking techniques, and ingredients, as I did. You may even start doing this without consciously knowing, or you may have a plan, as I did. There is no right or wrong way. What is for sure is that as you start expanding your food options and cooking knowledge, you will find more peace in your life. By having more and tastier answers to the daily “what am I going to eat” question, you will reduce stress and have more time and energy to devote to other areas of your life.

After staying at Stage Two for a couple of years, my food life had improved a lot, but I still wasn’t making as much from scratch as I wanted to. I just was not confident enough, but I knew it was just a matter of time before I was. And that is where Stage Three began.

Now, go eat something amazing!