5 Questions with Stephanie McPherson: Living gluten-free with Celiacs Disease
How does having to be on a gluten-free diet change your world?
I am a big foodie. I love to try a new dish or drink beer from a local brewery when we travel. Being diagnosed with Celiacs Disease was life altering for me.
A simple dinner invitation seemed an impossible social feat. I hate to impose, and had no idea how to communicate my new dietary needs. Dining out can be challenging at times.
I've been living gluten-free for 5 years now. It has become a way of life and very normal.
My mom, my friends, and even my book club, all cook gluten-free. They must love me.
You have started to sell gluten-free goodies at the Uptown Market. What has the response been?
I can't tell you how many people said things like "my mom has Celiacs" or "my wife hasn't had a dessert in 3 years."
A mother told me her 4-year-old daughter can't have cake at birthday parties, and is now at the age she realizes she is missing out. How sad is that?
How does a parent explain to their toddler that cake will hurt him/her?
When describing my first day at the Uptown Market to my 8-year-old son he said "Mom, you're going to change lives." I really hope he's right.
How have you seen downtown change in the couple of years you have been living in the Historic District?
Let me see if I can count the ways the splash pad, White Water, restaurants, food and beer festivals, and let's not forget the music scene!
When I told my husband I had fallen in love with this Victorian house that needed a lot of love, he thought I was crazy. But, he was quickly won over by the community, growth, and active lifestyle. We love being able to hop on our bikes and go for a ride with the kids down the river walk or walk down to the concerts on the weekends. We love living here.
What's the best part of being a military spouse?
I think the best part about being married to a member of the armed forces is the opportunity to be exposed to, and befriend, this subculture of people who defend our country.
The men and women who protect us are cut from a different cloth. I think they have to be wired a little differently to volunteer to put their lives on the line for a bunch of strangers.
These men and women are some of the most incredible people I've ever met. How cool is it that I know my hero on a personal level and, get to have dinner with him every night? What an honor.
What is the best-kept secret in the Chattahoochee Valley?
Is Uptown a secret anymore? I feel like I run into someone at least once a week who has never been downtown. I can't tell you how many times I've heard some form of "Columbus is boring." Or "There is nothing to do here."
Never, in the history of this town, has that been less true. There is ALWAYS something going on downtown. Or Uptown.
It really is the best place in town.
Age: 30
Job: Homemaker/owner, The Gluten Girl/blogger, www.theglutengirl.com
Hometown: Columbus
Current home: Historic District in Uptown, Columbus
Family: Husband, Bruce, 8-year-old son, Charlie, and 1-year-old daughter, Ava Lynn
Education: Attended CVCC and CSU. Has associates degree.
Favorite book: I love thrillers. I can’t pick a favorite.
Favorite movie: “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken”
Favorite restaurant: The kitchens of my friends
Favorite quote: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” -- Albert Einstein
Favorite song: “Wagon Wheel,” by Old Crow Medicine Show -- because my husband will drag me to the dance floor 100 percent of the time when this song comes on.
Best concert attended: Zac Brown Band
This story was originally published April 19, 2015 at 9:19 PM with the headline "5 Questions with Stephanie McPherson: Living gluten-free with Celiacs Disease."