For quite a while now I’ve been following the blog Strands of My Life written by Suzanne Perazzini. She’s a woman of many talents – she’s been a ballet teacher, a teacher of English as a second language, a maths, English and art teacher, a fashion designer and now a food writer. Oh and she works full time as a marketing manager in New Zealand where she lives with her husband Adriano and son Dario.
She’s always had trouble with her digestion and she finally got to the point that if the doctors couldn’t find the problem and fix it, she’d have to do that all by herself. And she did.
She began with sugar-free foods to see if that would make any difference and not much changed. Then she went to grain free to see if that would help and again, not much changed. She did learn to cook great food without grain like this salmon and feta pizza using cauliflower as a base.
When no sugar and no grain didn’t help much she returned to the doctor saying she really thought fruit was the problem. They finally confirmed what Suzanne has always known that fruit and her guts are not on speaking terms. She’s got fructose malabsorption. So she’s on a diet called FODMAPS which stands for fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosacharides and polyols. Those of use with no issues with the “ides” often can’t appreciate what happens to those with irritable bowel syndrome.
Eliminating all the bad boys is really the only way to make any improvement so Suzanne did what she always does and got busy creating recipes that would make her life sing again. She’d quit a job that was so stressful she couldn’t stand it and got another one that she loves and life is going much better.
So much better that she decided to share her recipes in a brand new book called Afternoon Tea. If you or someone you love has issues with food but they still want to feel human and enjoy real, tasty food, you should get this book.
These recipes are great for those who have food issues but I’m here to tell you that they’re delicious if you’re just hungry! Check out this Pumpkin Tart from page 45.
I have a copy of Suzanne’s book, generously given to me. I hope you’ll check out her book and make one of those tarts, slices, cakes, marshmallows, truffles and much more. It’ll do your body good. 🙂
Suzanne is so creative with her recipes, I’m in awe of her ingenuity and perseverance!
All the things she’s done in spite of never feeling 100% amazes me
I deeply admire Suzanne, love her blog and her photography and now her book
She’s gone through a lot!
Maureen. as usual you have done your subject justice. Wonderfully written and sourced info. .You make me smile.
I’m in lurrrve with you 🙂
I’m fascinated by the pizza using cauliflower! I’m off to her blog to take a peek now! 😀
I’m happy to make the introduction 🙂
What an inspiring story, from a woman who clearly knows how to rise from challenges and meet them. Her book sounds great.
I’ve peeked at it and it IS inspiring 🙂
Thanks for introducing me to Suzanne’s blog, Maureen. I’ve just found out that my daughter and I both have a number of food intolerances so this will be a great buy for us.
Good luck with sorting out your and your daughter’s intolerances. My book will take care of dairy, nut and gluten intolerances. I have since discovered I have other intolerances and now follow the FODMAP diet.
I’ve never heard of fructose malabsorption, thank you for posting this, Im keen to learn more about this
Fructose malabsortion is a strange one, Lisa, because fructose is in many foods. It is found predominantly in fruit and vegetables but I can still eat those with low fructose.
I’ve been following Suzanne’s blog for a while too and hers is indeed an inspiring story and I have to try that cauliflower crust pizza!
Super post! I love Suzanne’s blog, and have been following her quest to find a workable diet. She’s an exceptionally creative cook, and if anyone can develop a “normal” diet use the reduced set of food choices that she’s allowed, she’s the person. Great book, great person, great blog, and this is a great review! Thanks.
For somebody who struggles with health and the effect of food on health, I appreciate what she must’ve gone through and does go through. It’s hard to love to cook and eat but not be able to but seems like Suzanne has accepted the challenges and rose from them. Good on her! I will check out her blog and her book. Thanks Maureen!
Good luck with your health issues. I hope you manage to sort them.
Get rid of sugar… hard but can do. Go without grains… really hard but could resign myself to it. Go without fruit… now that would really be a punishment from the gods!!
Mireya, fortunately I can still eat quite a few fruits like bananas, pineapple, kiwifruit, strawberries, blueberries and all citrus fruits because they have low fructose. I just have to make sure I don’t eat too much at once and leave a gap between them. I can also eat table sugar because it contains equal amounts of fructose and glucose and the glucose pulls the fructose through the lining of the stomach and out of the way of trouble. Again, I have to eat it in moderation. So it’s not all that bad.
I am always so grateful for a relatively easy going digestive system, particularly when I read of these very serious afflictions. I’m going to bookmark her blog just for some healthier eating options when we’ve been a bit too gluttonnous!
What a great post! I love hearing stories where people are able to find keys to health and healing. It sounds like she had to do a lot of searching…but I’m so glad she found what was making her body upset! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much for doing this, Maureen. I love the pumpkin tart. You have very kind readers and I have enjoyed reading their comments.
Your pumpkin tart is so scrumptious, and lovely! Such a nice gesture on your part to feature Suzanne, and her amazing, creative recipes and spectacular photography. Her book is amazing, and I know it will be very successful…(probably already is!)
Thanks for your kind comment on my blog~
The tart was yummy!
Love the title!
I am sure I am not on speaking terms with fruits either…most of them at least. Thanks Maureen for introducing me to another great blogger 🙂
Have you had yourself tested for fructose malabsorption? It involves a breath test. Perhaps you could ask your doctor about it.
I have afriend who has……something. Like Suzane she has tried grain free, gluten free and nothing has helped.
I am going to send her this post and hope it does the trick.
Thank you Maureeen and Suzane.
I found only partial relief from the grain and gluten free diet so I went a little further in my investigations and eventually discovered I had fructose malabsorption but that was after I had written the book. My next one will be centred on a low FODMAP diet which includes fructose. If your friend has not found any relief, perhaps she could look at having a fructose malabsorption test. I had mine done through a gastroenterologist. I now create recipes for my blog which are gluten-free and with low FODMAPs.
It sounds like a really interesting book. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have to eliminate food groups from your diet permanently!
I am rarely grateful for how easy I have it but a story like Suzanne’s really makes me think.
I always admire someone who can make healthy versions of the treats we all know and love. Wonderful story!
and I admire that she worked so hard to sort out her own problem when nobody else seemed to be able to sort it out
Such a nice post Maureen…thanks for sharing Suzanne book…she is indeed very creative.
Enjoy your week 🙂
Thanks, Juliana!
wow thats a hard diet her recipes look great though
I thought the same thing but if it’s a case of feeling good or feeling crap – I’d make those recipes and lick the spoon 🙂
I’m not familiar with Suzanne but obviously someone I need to check out. What a challenge to have to cook and eat for gluten intolerance. That would be a hard thing to do, but it seems like Suzanne has been successful. Good for her! I’ll have to check out her book as well
Wow a cauliflower based pizza? Very creative indeed! May need to get ot know her recipes a little better! Thank you for sharing her book with us! 🙂
Yum. I know!
I’ve noticed lately that sometimes my food sort of hangs around in my stomach a lot longer than it used to, making me feel full, like I just ate, for hours. I was thinking of doing the elimination test myself, but now that I’ve read about Sizanne’s issue, I’m going to try.. although it sadden me, fruit first. Great review, Maureen..I must get my hands on a copy of this book!
I would cry big tears if I had to give up fruit.
Lisa, why don’t you investigate FODMAPs and see if anything rings a bell. There are some good websites about them and they will guide you through an elimination diet to see what is affecting you. A dietician who specialises in food intolerances could also help. As we get older, any food intolerances that we have get worse, so something that we brushed off as annoying can become so bad we need to find an answer. That’s what happened to me.
Wow, you know so many brilliant food bloggers and writers, Maureen! Thank you for this introduction.
Cauliflower pizza base has totally blown my mind!
Thanks for the introduction to Suzanne, Maureen! FODMAPS has affected one of my close friends, so I will be sure to check out Suzanne’s blog and recommend it to Alicia. Thank you for sharing.
Martyna, I hope your friend is doing well on the FODMAPs diet. It is certainly helping me. I am having fun developing a whole new set of recipes for my blog which at gluten-free and low FODMAPs. I would love to see her over there.
I think Suzanne has done so well to disguise her food allergies/sensitivities amongst some recipes that you would swear were loaded with all the things she can’t eat xx
Absolutely, Charlie, these are not recipes for sick people – they’re fantastic recipes, full stop.
Maureen, thanks for introducing me to Suzanne, what a beautiful blog she has and I am always happy to find great blogs to add to my list. 🙂 Suzanne’s story is similar to so many who have had to do the work of healing on their own — courageous.
Courageous is the right word to describe someone like Suzanne, Judy.
The book sounds brilliant. I mean its for sure difficult to find a cooking book which is grain free, gluten free, dairy free, nut free and even sugar free. In fact there are not enough cooking books out there that concentrate on a combination of food allergies and since more and more people seem to have those food intolerance, Susanne’s book will come very useful. And on top of that her recipes just sound super delicious!
I hadn’t thought about that bit, Helene, that we find gluten-free or dairy-free or nut-free but she’s got them all covered in one book.
I’ve been reading Suzanne’s blog for a while and have followed her journey with food intolerance. Through it all she’s cooked amazing food and desserts. I have a copy of her cookbook and even though I don’t have food allergies I think it’s great. Thanks for sharing this great post Maureen!
She’s done a remarkable job, Nancy.
Wow, what a spectacular pizza! And Suzanne is wonderful. Had no idea she had a book!
Hi Joanne, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I couldn’t agree with you more.
Beautiful cookbook cover! There are so many people who have food allergies and this cookbook will be very helpful and inspiring for them. I heard great review about this cookbook from other bloggers. That is a beautiful pizza too!
It’s good to know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel after living through that experience!.
Dear Maureen,
This post just makes me appreciate how lucky I am to not have any food allergies or intolerance and be able to cook and eat whatever the heart’s desire.
I know. I read her story and felt the same way.
What a good idea to take matters into her own hands and kitchen! I am glad she found a way to enjoy food and keep her digestion in check.
Makes you realize just how luck those of us who have no digestive problems are.
Thanks for sharing such a great blog! I look forward to checking it out. 🙂
It seems like more & more food allergies are coming to the forefront and/or astute folks like Suzanne are adamant about discovering the cause of their malaise — and thankfully, sharing what they’ve learned. I appreciate your spotlighting her recipes & cookbook, Maureen.
Thanks, Kim!
I can’t imagine how hard it was for Suzanne and all her food challenges. Well done to her for finding out what was making her sick. I wish her nothing but great food and health. 🙂 Thanks Maureen for introducing this very inspiring lady and her story to us. 🙂
I know just how you feel!
What a wonderful review. I’ll have to go checkout her blog and her book. My new daughter-in-law suffers from food intolerances. She would love that pizza!
Thanks, Kristi!
Yah, I adore Suzanne. She is such a great inspiration for people with food issues. Plus she’s just good people. Love that pizza. She sure can cook.