Welcome to the Sensitive Pantry

My name is Nancy and I’m a foodie — with sensitivities.

Here I hope to share recipes that address a variety of food sensitivities and allergies. Most of them contain no gluten, eggs, and dairy*. As a result, many are vegan.

A little about what inspired me to start this blog. I was diagnosed with food sensitivities a few years ago. Since then it’s been fun learning to make wonderful meals and baked goods without what I once thought were essential ingredients. I love to cook. I don’t have any formal training in cooking, but I do come from a long line of foodies. And, last but not least, I like to eat.

So, here we go. I hope you enjoy The Sensitive Pantry. I look forward to sharing with you, but mostly I look forward to what you have to share with me.

My Story

How did I realize I had food sensitivities? Well, I didn’t for a really long time. I guess there were symptoms at least 10 years before I found out food was causing my health issues. I suffered for a long time with gut problems which I thought were just severe indigestion and acid reflux. I took over the counter antacids every day and some days (and especially nights) I took multiple products. There were nights I couldn’t sleep because my stomach bothered me so much. I finally talked to my physician about it and after a test to check my gall bladder and a prescription for a stronger medication there was a big zero. Nothing. He didn’t know what was wrong with me. And, I still didn’t feel good.

Other things were bothering me, too. I had frequent infections — UTIs, sinusitis, etc. So, guess what, I took a lot of antibiotics. Finally, one day I discovered I had thrush. I really don’t wish that on anyone. Back to the doctor for anti-fungals.

I started to do extensive research on my symptoms. I cut out all sugar because I was convinced I had systemic candida. I finally decided to find a healthcare professional who could understand my issues and searched for a doctor who practiced alternative medicine. I was finally successful. I found a naturopathic doctor who quickly summed up the issue, ran some tests, and voila — food sensitivities.

I immediately changed how I ate. I lost 35 pounds. I had more energy. My stomach didn’t hurt anymore. It seemed almost miraculous. I did the happy dance, a lot!

There are many foods I don’t eat anymore. I won’t bore you with all the nitty gritty details because it’s a pretty long list. But, some of the more challenging culprits are gluten, cow’s milk, and eggs. I’ve found some non-gluten grains bother me, too: teff, millet and buckwheat. And, sesame is particularly bothersome. I minimize the amount of foods we eat that are treated with antibiotics and hormones. I buy organic as much as possible.

Initially it seemed avoiding the offending foods would be impossible at best. But, with the help of many online celiac, gluten-free, food sensitive, vegan, allergic online friends I’ve survived and grown. I was suprised to find a new world, with new foods, and some old favorites. Really, the worries became a challenge and a quest.

I learned a new way to cook. And so I picked up some new ingredients and The Sensitive Pantry began.

I’m also a wife, mother to a great college-aged son, and companion to two adolescent Border Terriers — Sean and Gwen. We all live in northern NJ between the great outdoors and NYC. Oh, and sometimes we live at the beach (or as we say in NJ — the shore).

*For some reason I can tolerate goat, sheep, and buffalo milk products. I use them sparingly but a few recipes will call for these ingredients.