Twenty-three. Twenty-three is how many cookbooks I have on my kitchen bookshelf that are specifically geared towards cooking for food intolerances and special diets. And yet, how many days does it get to be 4:00 in the afternoon and I still have no idea what to cook for dinner? Too many to admit to, I’ll tell you that much. Sigh.
 
Because cooking for food intolerances isn’t for the faint of heart. Whether you’re a mom trying to feed hungry kids, a friend trying to send a nice meal to someone in need, or a party host trying to accommodate All The Things, food intolerances are just plain hard.
 
I remember years ago, before I had kids (thank goodness!), my health forced me to do a food elimination and rotation diet. There were so many things I had to eliminate that I literally had to make a color-coded spreadsheet and four-week rotation schedule just to keep everything straight!
 
Good times. (sarcasm…maybe an eye roll…)
 
Fortunately, over the last 15 years, I have learned to adapt, make substitutions, and actually prepare real meals that get onto the table in a reasonable amount of time. But it hasn’t been easy. Between my own needs, my husband, and my kiddos, we have at various times been gluten free, dairy free, grain free (boy, that one’s a doozie), soy free, coconut free, tomato and nightshade free, black pepper free, onion free, egg free, chicken free (what??), thyme free….the list goes on.
 
It’s enough to make a girl crazy. It wasn’t too long ago that I told a friend, “when I’m 70 I’m just gonna eat anything I want and not care anymore.” Ha!
 
All jokes aside though, it does beg the question – is it worth it? Is good health worth the hassle of doing all the work? The sometimes complicated menu planning, the shopping for unusual ingredients, the extra money spent… Is the good health of our loved ones and friends, contributing to good lives spent being together, worth the extra stress when planning for that party, special occasion, or just a regular Friday night dinner? I would venture to guess that when the question is asked most of us would (eventually) say “Yes”.
 
Because doing those extra things – making the ingredient substitutions, trying new recipes, searching the stores for that one special thing that the Food Channel swears will change your life forever – is just one more way to love people.
 
The Bible says in 3 John 1:2, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”
 
Beloved. Isn’t that incredible. Our spouses are beloved. Our kids are beloved. Our parents, siblings and friends are beloved. And we have so many ways to show them that they are our Beloveds every single day. Making the effort to prepare meals that will nourish their health is one amazing way to do just that.
 
But what about Grumpy Coworker? What about Nosy Neighbor? What about Ms. Snooty from the PTA? It’s not always super easy to show love to them, is it?
 
But with food….ah…FOOD. The universal language. Something delicious. And not just delicious – something that they can actually eat without ending the night curled up in a corner rocking in pain. Something healthy that will nourish their body. Something that might just even somehow feed their soul.
 
That’s love.
 
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. – 1 Corinthians 10:31
 

May He bless you and keep you always,

Shannon

Shannon resides in the beautiful state of Colorado, with her husband and two sons. She serves as our resident graphic design artist for all of our products and publications and is the primary recipe developer for our home remedies. If you would like to connect with Shannon you can reach out to her at Shannon@sorelledesigns.com 

No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.