Hey! I’m Sue Ellen, and I started My Real Dish to help people with food sensitivities or allergies learn to cook without gluten, dairy, and eggs. My entire life I suffered from body aches, chronic migraines, sinus infections, swollen throats, and stomach issues. I thought that my insomnia and anxiety were because of my busy teaching life, two kids, and a husband that traveled every week for work. In November of 2014, my doctor discovered that I have a very large benign thyroid tumor; that’s when she ordered the plethora of tests. The igG Food Sensitivity Test results that I received in January 2015 changed my life. I discovered a high (3+) sensitivity to Wheat Germ, (2+) Egg Yolks, and moderate sensitivity to casein (the protein in dairy). I had never even heard of casein before!
Let me give you a little background about my life growing up, my mother was a reflexologist and herbalist, and we were members of a co-op when in the 1980s that dropped Rice Dream off at our house. Yes, we were ahead of our time. We ate very healthy: several vegetables at dinner, small portions of protein, miso soup, seaweed stir fry, and rice rolls with ambushi plums. I was embarrassed having friends over for dinner, because my mom made them eat whatever we ate; some “friends” never came back. Well, fast forward 36 years… I had continued my mother’s healthy habits, as well as my Dad’s bowl of ice cream every night (I do believe a good life-balance – HAHAHA). I worked out almost daily. I thought I was TOTALLY healthy, and would have never believed that I was eating anything “bad” that was causing my pain or migraines. I thought the pain was from a bad car accident, my years of ballet, that fall down the marble staircase that I had in 2002, or lifting too many weights in the gym.
Well, after I received the results of the sensitivity test, I had no clue how to eat. My doctor recommended a heavy probiotic, eliminating of all allergy foods, and seeing how I feel. How would I live without cheese?! Would I ever eat anything again that tasted good? In the two years, I’ve learned to make yummy food that doesn’t make me sick. Guess what? Sleep, stress, headaches and stomach all improved!!! I’m glad that I had the trial run, because when my kids started to complain of daily stomach-aches, and my daughter of migraines and back pain, I set down the DiGize and Mgrain, and had them take the igG Food Sensitivity Test. When the results came back with wheat, dairy and eggs (oats for my daughter as well), I knew HOW to cook for them. It took me about a year to learn how to make a gluten free cake mix that came out fluffy without dairy and eggs.
People ask me all of the time, what do you eat? How can you eat like that? Let me tell you, if you felt as bad as I used to feel, you would not touch the things that made you sick. I could NEVER go back. So if you have food sensitivities, and you are wondering what you can eat, here on this website I’m going to share not only my recipes, but also my dish on health, food, essential oils, and life.