I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1999 after a few years of a hellish experience — I watched my body waste away with a whole host of problems due to malnutrition. With all of this happening, I had no clue as to what was wrong with me and let my imagination run wild as to what could be wrong. Thankfully, after a visit to a great gastroenterologist and a few tests, celiac disease was the diagnosis. I was grateful to hear what the treatment for celiac disease was and that it didn’t involve any hideous daily regimens of medication and that I could possibly start feeling better again.
I still remember my first trip to the store after my diagnosis and realizing that what seemed to be every single thing that I was used to buying was off-limits now. I don’t know what drew me to it, but while in the dairy section, I spotted the Kozy Shack Tapioca pudding. I looked at the ingredients and it seemed to be OK (this is long before they started labeling their packaging “gluten-free”. I didn’t initially buy it, but I went home and immediately looked for Kozy Shack online and then sent them a message inquiring about their ingredients and the risk of cross-contamination. They got back to me very quickly and assured me that it was indeed gluten-free. After buying the pudding the next time at the market, I eagerly tried it. I can’t even begin to tell you how good I thought it was — so good, I ate the entire tub. Unfortunately, that is a whole lot of sugar and calories :( After going several years where food always nauseated me and left me feeling lethargic, eating became fun again, a little too fun. I found myself eating Kozy Shack’s Tapioca (and sometimes the rice pudding) a few times a week and continually eating the entire tub. The tapioca pudding soothed my stomach and made me look forward to eating. Now it was time to learn self-control again as I wasn’t used to this new found sensation of enjoyable eating.
Thankfully, 11 years later, I’m conscious of my caloric intake and I don’t indulge in the desserts nearly as often. But, every once in a while I remember back to my post CD diagnosis days and sneak in some Kozy Shack Tapioca pudding — I just now split the tub with my kids.
What was your favorite food that nursed you back to health both physically and emotionally?
