Food is a primary part of life. It possesses meaning for us and affects us in a huge variety of ways: emotionally, familially, culturally, psychologically, and of course physically, among others. There are a few people out there who care very little about what they eat and seem little to be affected by it, but for most of us, being able to prepare and consume food that provides us with health and pleasure is of paramount importance over the course of our lives.
Many of us discover at some point that the foods we love are not providing us–or maybe our loved ones, or both–with good health. Increasingly, over time, we are discovering we possess celiac disease (or the more common gluten intolerance) and/or food allergies and other intolerances. When we make these discoveries, we learn that we have to make changes to our diet accordingly to bring ourselves into good health. Given the deep meaning that food possesses for so many of us, these changes can come with a lot of trepidation and grief.
Grieving is a natural process for any loss we go through. However, it is also important, over time, for us to cultivate a focus on hope and possibility. The gluten-free and allergen-free world holds many joys. We all–all of us on this planet–live within limitations of various sorts, and for those of us with these food restrictions, our limitations take on, in part, this particular variety. But, miraculously, beautifully, many of us who undertake these journeys of healing find that our lives are actually (over time) enriched by what we discover about ourselves—our ability to adapt, in part, and also our understanding of what provides good health for ourselves, our families, the people around us, and the planet at large. The process of change starts small but often leads to a wide variety of amazing life changes.
After a lifetime of experiencing various aches (I thought stomach aches were normal!), illnesses (from sinus infections to migraines), and autoimmune conditions (from thyroid to cancer), I went gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and soy-free in the spring of 2007. Having been someone who thoroughly enjoyed cooking and baking, I was, at first, at a loss to figure out how to make great food with my restrictions. But there’s little that I like more than a good challenge, so pretty soon, I jumped in with both feet into this new world of food preparation—and, also pretty soon, I was back to wowing both friends and strangers with the various foods I would create. Along the way, I’ve made additional changes for health as I’ve continued to grow and heal and understand what I’m doing. I began helping family members and friends with figuring out how to handle what was (or what might be, when this process is trial-and-error) ailing them. That turned into friends of friends, and readers who contacted me through my blog, and over time, I had a consultancy of sorts on my hands–helping people with everything from one restriction to 56 (no, seriously, 56). So here I am.
Sally at home, 2010
The name of my company is Tilth. It means soil that has been worked over by a farmer so that plants may grow. This is what I’m about–helping you work the soil of your life’s elements to allow you to flourish. I help you through this process: listening to you; understanding your fears, limitations, and dreams; helping you cope with your fears and limitations; building on your dreams; developing and then troubleshooting your regular life processes that support your health (shopping, cooking, eating, cleaning, etc.); and building on your strengths. I’m passionate about this stuff, and I can imbue you with a bit of that passion as well. This work isn’t necessarily where I thought my life would lead (see what I mean about big changes?), but I’m so glad it has. And I would love to be of assistance to you as you find your way, as well.
—Sally Parrott
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