Hello and welcome to Simply Susie’s. Thank you for taking some time to learn more about me. I’m a mom, wife, teacher and gluten-free cook from the Greater Boston area who was raised in a traditional Greek American family in Upstate NY. Experimenting with and developing delicious, healthy food has always been my passion. Everything I prepare is always gluten-free, nut-free, non-GMO and free of refined sugars. Even though I follow a restrictive diet, flavor and enjoyment of food never needs to be sacrificed. I believe that all food, regardless of dietary restrictions, should be healthy and delicious.
Meet Susan…aka Simply Susie
In 2013, after suffering for many years with health issues, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. While this diagnosis meant learning how to live again, I was thrilled to finally have an explanation for my health issues and to learn that my cure was to eat gluten-free for the rest of my life. I immediately adopted the gluten-free diet, and I was so excited to finally feel better. I went shopping and bought some gluten free packaged items. Unfortunately, my first impression was very depressing…everything tasted very different and had an aftertaste that wasn’t good. I tried different brands, and still there was the same aftertaste that didn’t let me forget it was gluten-free. The worst part was that I wasn’t feeling better…in fact, I started to feel worse than I did prior to the celiac diagnosis. I was frustrated because I was doing exactly what my doctor told me, yet I felt so sick. That’s when I started to take my health into my own hands…I read everything I could find about nutrition. I realized that while the food I was purchasing was in fact gluten-free, it also included unrecognizable ingredients that were ultimately the cause of my health deteriorating. Ingredients such as soy lecithin and high fructose corn syrup (among many others) were making me sick, literally. I decided that packaged, processed gluten-free products were no longer something I would eat. Additionally, I decided to eliminate all refined sugars. The only sweeteners I use (in moderation) are raw honey and maple syrup.
