Light & Delight stems from one observation: parents whose children have a health problem that forces them to eat differently are left to deal with the situation on their own. Once the diagnosis has been made and the dietary advice has been briefly outlined, they are left to fend for themselves. A weight falls on their shoulders at once, and it is twofold: firstly, they have to make a major dietary change and often don’t know how to approach the issue; secondly, this change must be made immediately, or in the best of cases as quickly as possible.
Millet? Quinoa? Oat milk? What on earth is this gibberish?
I found myself in this situation about 5 years ago when my eldest son’s intolerances were detected. Though I had suspected them since birth, no doctor had wanted to diagnose or test for them, and I should have listened to my instincts long before…
A few years earlier, I had been diagnosed with my own intolerances, but had only partially dealt with them. Changing one’s diet overnight is not that easy… As an adult, I too had been left to deal with this change on my own once the test results were in my hands, and I quickly felt overwhelmed. It was too much and I managed as best I could, with ups and downs, even if it meant having a few stomach aches…
When it came to my child, however, there was no hesitation. I had to deal with it, I had to manage. No more gluten, no more dairy products, and no more tomatoes in any form. With his leaky gut, he needed help. He really needed me to take care of him. So I started doing it. I had a second baby that was 9 months old, a full-time job, and I got caught in a whirlwind.
It took me a really long time to finally figure out how to cope. I’d say almost two years. In the meantime, my second son also started showing symptoms and had to stop eating gluten and dairy products. While his symptoms were disappearing, my fatigue was worsening. My health deteriorated. I became burnt out.
Today my older son is doing better and can take some of his meals outside (at his school canteen for example), while his younger brother has to continue his exclusion diet full time.
To give you an idea — if you don’t already know — here is a list of what needs to be prepared for two children attending daycare: two snacks for the morning; two starters, two main courses and two desserts for lunch; and two snacks for the afternoon. The nursery does not cater for special diets and requires that you follow the structure of the meals served onsite (morning snack, starter, main course, dessert, afternoon snack). Ten food boxes per day. Pure madness.
If Light & Delight was born on the premise I just explained, it also came from a cry from the heart: something has to be done! How is it possible that someone who has to change their diet because of a health problem has to cope on their own, and especially parents, who are already in the majority of cases overworked and tired? After five years, the way I manage my children’s (and my own) nutrition is pretty solid, but it took a lot of struggles to get to this point. In February 2020, the fresh mountain air helped me take a step back and come to a decision: everything I learned in such a hard way has to be shared. It MUST be shared, it must help, spare this long desert crossing to as many people in distress as possible, and allow them to quickly see the light at the end of the tunnel.
If these words resonate with you, you have come to the right place. Welcome to Light & Delight: explore the site, subscribe to the newsletter to make sure you receive the articles and recipes, and don’t hesitate to ask questions. This site is your toolbox, new tools will be coming on a regular basis, I will do my best to help you I promise!
Hang in there, you are going to make it…
Louise
