about me

Welcome to Beautifully Gluten Free!

Before I tell my family's story about becoming gluten free, I want to tell you about myself. I have always loved being in the kitchen; beginning when my mom let me help her in the kitchen, teaching me everything she knew. The kitchen has always played a huge role in life and it’s where we celebrate with friends and family. 

Before our three children arrived, I dabbled in the tech world, studied photography and spent a few years baking for a catering company and cooking out of my own kitchen for friends' and family parties and events. I always knew that I wanted to stay at home with my kids, so when I had our first daughter, in 2008, I stopped working outside the home.

Now that our youngest is well into elementary school, I decided to formalize my training to better serve my clients and the celiac and gluten free community. I’ve earned my Masters of Science in Holistic Nutrition degree, I’m a founding member of the Advisory Board for Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Celiac Disease Program, and spent some time working with NIMA Partner’s as their Director of Education. I was also trained and worked with the Gluten Intolerance Group’s (GiG) Gluten Free Food Service (GFFS) Team to audit and support commercial food establishments in setting up their kitchen and training staff to prepare and serve safe gluten free food for those following a strict gluten free diet.

~How We Came To Be Gluten Free~

While becoming a mother had a steep and exhausting learning curve, our road was pretty smooth, until my daughter’s first ear infection appeared when she was about 15 months old. That first ear infection was followed by another and another and another. At the same time her mood started to shift from playful and light to clingy and grumpy; which was more apparent when we left the house. Her abdomen was slowly expanding larger than what I thought a normal toddler's belly should look like.

Her pediatrician decided to call a specialist within Seattle Children's Hospital's G.I. department. After describing her symptoms and body shape, the GI Dr. recommended drawing blood to test for celiac disease. He also told our primary Dr. that he was pretty certain that that celiac disease was the issue. Turns out he was right. 

In early 2010, at only 20 months old, our daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease; which can only be treated with a 100% gluten free diet. In one moment, everything that I knew about cooking and life in the kitchen was turned upside-down. The comfort my kitchen and cooking had provided was gone, and I realized that what was intended to provide comfort, was actually causing her harm. I had no idea how to make our kitchen, or house, safe for her. I had no idea how to be gluten free enough to keep her healthy and help her thrive.

While living with celiac has its challenges, we were lucky in that she received her diagnosis quickly and began to heal quickly as well. We were relieved that we could heal her with the right foods and not with medication and their possible negative side effects, but it was very overwhelming. I remember looking at my kitchen, wondering what was safe, what wasn’t safe, and what kitchen tools could we keep or needed to be replaced. A trip to the grocery store was no longer a quick trip to the grocery store; there was a whole new level of research, investigation and discovery that I needed to lean into. We also needed to figure out the best way to communicate to restaurant workers, teachers, and extended family and friends. Not only did she need 100% gluten free food, but also many gluten free personal care products and medications. My husband and I eventually figured it out and our daughter is thriving.

It was a long hard and overwhelming journey. It would have been great to have had some support along the way, to meet someone who'd been there, to have someone come into our house and the grocery store to help us out. I feel that it would have helped us to take a deep breath and more quickly muster our strength as parents if someone told us that while there will be tough times it will be ok, she will be healthy, and also stronger because of celiac. We really needed someone to welcome us, with open arms, into the gluten free community.

Over the years, I have learned and accumulated a huge amount of information about successfully living gluten free, so, it seems silly to not share what I know. I want to be the person that you can call with a silly, crazy, or even a potentially big question. I don't want you or your family to feel alone on this journey.

I can help you and your family navigate the gluten free world.

You're not alone and I would love to be there for you.

If you would like additional support navigating living gluten free…

Anne Barbo Moon

Disclaimer:

While we have ten+ years’ experience of navigating the world as the parents of a child with celiac, we are not physicians, dietitians, or other licensed medical professionals. The material and content contained in the Services is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for consultation, diagnosis or medical treatment by a licensed medical professional. Please consult your doctor for any medical or health-related questions. The information contained in the Services should NOT be used to disregard medical or health-related advice from a physician or licensed medical professional.