Hi! My name is Avery and I love to travel and I am a huge foodie. I grew up in Southern California and have always loved trying new food and love to travel! When I was younger, I was really into baking. Now that I am away at college, I have learned to love cooking as well. I am a Communications major so creative writing and social media have always been a passion of mine.
Why Did I Decide to Create A Gluten Free Blog?
I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in September of 2018, which forced me to abandon my old habits of eating gluten out the window. Something I struggled with was adapting to the new diet, especially being around my friends and roommates who eat gluten everyday around me. I wanted to create this blog to allow people a better insight to restaurants all over the world that have gluten free options as well as sharing some of my favorite gluten free recipes that I use. I love finding new places to eat when I travel, so I thought why not share them with everybody!
My Experience Trying To Find Gluten Free Options
From personal experience, Yelp and other restaurant review websites have not always been beneficial, especially when trying to figure out what restaurants have gluten free options. I found myself looking up the menus of the restaurants online, which a lot of the time, do not state what their gluten free options are. I began making a list of restaurants and adding notes next to them like “gluten free” “gluten free options” or even “gluten free soy sauce”, so I would remember what to ask for at the restaurants.
Family History of Autoimmune Diseases
Although Celiacs and those with allergies and sensitivities are mainly who avoid gluten, I also know those with autoimmune diseases often avoid gluten because of how it affects their inflammation. I know this because my mom was diagnosed with Lupus, Sjogrens, and Vitiligo. Coincidentally, my twin brother also has Type 1 Diabetes, which is an autoimmune as well. My mom’s doctor told her that a paleo diet would help her feel a lot better everyday. This inspired my mom, who also loves to bake, to start her paleo baking business called Lavender Lane Baking Company. Luckily, the paleo diet does not include gluten so I can eat her baked goods.
Blogging Became My Escape
Not only did blogging become an escape, it became a way to overcome the anxiety that came with the shock of suddenly being diagnosed with Celiac Disease and adjusting my lifestyle. People who do not have Celiac might not understand the overwhelmingness that those with the disease have experienced and so it was hard to talk to people about it. I never wanted to be that girl that obsesses over her diet or even be on a specific diet to begin with. It became annoying to have to ask every waiter if what I was ordering was gluten free, especially since my reaction to gluten was nothing like most peoples. Starting this blog and Instagram has already allowed me to connect with so many people with similar experiences and it has enabled me to see that there are so many more people than I even thought that have Celiac or some kind of gluten sensitivity or allergy.
I Have Always Loved To Travel
Ever since I was young, I have loved travelling. Over my 20 years of living, I have visited 15 states, several islands and a few countries.
I often find myself thinking about places I have not yet visited. I often think about where I would want to travel next, and begin making lists of exciting new food places I wanted to try there. I started bookmarking places on my Instagram feed and soon enough, I had 12 bookmarks created just for restaurants and food I wanted to try from different places all over the world.
My Best Friend and I Travel Together Now
My freshman year of high school, I transferred to a new school and there was a girl in my history class that was just as shy as me when it came to public speaking. We were always the last two people in the class that had not chimed in to the class discussion. Our teacher would always say, “Avery and Lily is there anything you would like to add?” Of course our answer would be no or we would bounce off of what someone else had already said. Sharing this common fear of public speaking allowed us an instant connection, and we became friends after working on a group project together.
Ever since we became friends, we began traveling together. I would bring her on trips with my family, and she would bring me on trips with hers. It was just mutual. We both shared the love for food and travelling as well, so it made for a perfect companion.
To this day, we still travel together. We make sure to visit all the trendy coffee shops and cafes wherever we travel. We always love to post our food on our Snapchat stories and share with our friends all the good food were eating.