About Me
I am Amy Ward, the face behind Gluten Free Grandparents.
I help people who are learning the gluten free lifestyle later in life learn quickly and skip lots of the trial and error that comes with a new eating plan.
I am a wife, mom, and Nana to two terrific grandchildren. (Really – just ask me how great my grandkids are!) When I’m not blogging, teaching people how to go gluten free or writing for clients, I enjoy reading, listening to music, and spending time with my family.
I grew up in a small town in the southern United States
where faith, family and food were important.
Church potlucks, Sunday dinners and special holiday meals with family were all part of the fabric of my childhood.
My siblings and I grew up picking vegetables from the family garden and learned how to cook from our mother and grandmother. I can vividly remember
- the smell of cornbread baking in a cast iron skillet,
- the taste of freshly battered and fried yellow squash,
- the way Mama’s carrot cake looked right after she finished the icing, and
- the sound of people gathered in the church fellowship hall, sampling all the delightful food on the folding tables set up for the occasion.
Mmmm…. Don’t eat my carrot cake. I’m just going to the kitchen for a glass of milk. Oh, sorry, I was daydreaming for a minute.
Fast forward a couple of decades… Due to some ongoing health issues, my doctor advised me to go gluten free and refined sugar free.
I went to a nutrition training at my doctor’s office to learn about this new diet plan. Leaving that day, I had a head full of questions, but my belly was empty.
I remember thinking…
- What can I eat? I had the list from the doctor, but that food wasn’t in my pantry.
- How much extra time will it take to cook this new food?
- How long will it take me to shop for this new food?
- Where can I shop for this new food?
- Will my family eat the new food or am I going to have to prepare separate meals for them?
- How much will my new food cost?
The good news is… I’ve now been gluten free and refined sugar free for more than 10 years.
- My energy level returned, my pain went away, and I was able to stop taking prescription medication for my medical problems.
- I now have regular recipes that I prepare using ten or fewer ingredients.
- I’m able to shop and prepare meals that my whole family eats, even holiday meals!
- I shop mostly at stores in my hometown – even though I don’t live in a metropolitan area.
- My weight is stable.
- I am able to navigate eating at restaurants, church functions and friends’ homes now with a small amount of planning.
Sharing this lifestyle and the health benefits with others just
makes my heart happy! So come on in and sit a while – we’re just getting
started.
Sharing this lifestyle and the health benefits with others just
makes my heart happy! So come on in and sit a while – we’re just getting
started.
Easy steps to follow
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Delicious recipes
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