An Inspirational Story!

For years I was constantly ill. I had digestive problems, was always constipated and felt tired most of the day. Finally, a neighbour suggested I go for food allergy testing, something  I had never thought of, nor had my doctor suggested.

Allergy testing revealed that I was allergic to dairy and eggs,  and had an intolerance to wheat, yeast, soy, and corn.

Learning to eat within the confines of my dietary restrictions was quite the learning curve. Most of the foods I ate on a daily basis were no longer an option, like cereal, toast, cheese, and sandwiches. What the heck was I going to eat now?

I started to do a little research and went to my local health food store, where they were happy to help and give me suggestions on what to eat. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to eat the foods they suggested, but I did buy a few, and with trial and error I was able to come up with tasty, alternatives to the foods I could no longer eat.

Dairy Free Options

I was amazed at all the dairy-free options that were available to me. Rice, flax, hemp,  coconut and almond milk were all products that I could use. It was simply a matter of trying them out and seeing which ones I liked best. To my astonishment, I liked all of the and coconut milk became a favourite when I made smoothies and baked goods.

Eating Healthier

What started to happen was that I no longer ate food out of a box, can or package. I learned to cook and thoroughly enjoyed it. I made up a weekly menu plan for myself which helped me when I went grocery shopping and meant I wasn’t eating the same thing night after night. Fruits and vegetables became the bulk of my meals along with organic meats, nuts, and seeds.  I no longer felt bloated and ill and those very embarrassing, smelly toots were a thing of the past.

Through studying nutrition I soon learned that dairy was very acidic to the body. Once I started to incorporate more greens into my diet it helped my body to be more alkaline and I noticed that my eczema started to improve as well. Keeping your body alkaline by eating foods like kale, spinach, and avocados is a great way to ward off disease too.

Dairy seemed to be the cause of many of my health issues and once I removed it and changed my diet to a whole, real food diet it became clear that if I had continued eating certain foods I might have become very sick.

Isn’t it amazing how you think some things are such a hardship but end up being a blessing?

Shirley Plant

Nutritionist, Dietary Consultant and Cookbook Author

Shirley Plant has learned through personal experience how hard it is to change your life for the better. Diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and multiple food and environmental allergies 25 years ago, Shirley knows all about challenges—including
how to plan creative, nutritious, and affordable menus that avoid common foods such as wheat, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, gluten and sugar.

Thanks to an extensive educational background and a passion for helping people find food alternatives that fit their unique requirements, Shirley has earned a reputation for excellence in dietary design.

Shirley is the author of Finally… Food I Can Eat—an inspirational dietary guide and cookbook for people affected by food allergies and intolerances. She is recognized as a menu-planning expert through her company Delicious Alternatives and has also written articles for Eco- Sense, the Celiac News, Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Life blog, MindBodyGreen, Elephant Journal and Total Fit Magazine. Shirley has given seminars on food allergies, cooking and menu planning at Health Clinics and Natural Health Food Stores. She offers online seminars such as her 21 Day Challenge where she helps people to remove gluten, dairy and sugar from their diets, the healthy way.

As a nutrition coach, Shirley offers her clients and their families a rare understanding and unique expertise that few people can match. Her pleasant and caring manner, her own experience as a food-allergy sufferer and her creative design flair, makes Shirley, Delicious Alternatives and her cookbook Finally… Food I Can Eat, offer hope for clients struggling to find the light at the end of a dark dietary tunnel. For more information please visit www.DeliciousAlternatives.com