Meet Sharon! A wonderful client and a savvy chef in her own right. Find out why Epicured has been a “game-changer” for this Fairfield County resident.
EPICURED: Tell us a bit about yourself… job, family, hobbies, anything that comes to mind!
Sharon: Married, overly nurturing mother of two grown children and a black mini poodle. I’m the administrative partner for a financial advisory firm and am lucky to be able to work from home most of the time. I exercise regularly, take walks and hikes with my dog daily, and volunteer with a local community service organization helping motivate low-income high school students in my town to connect to their full potential. I enjoy movies, books, creating delicious meals and gathering with family and friends. Oh, and I developed IBS about three years ago – guess I can’t leave that out!
EPICURED: Let’s start with the positive! You’ve found the low FODMAP diet. You’ve found Epicured. What’s it like for you to be able to eat foods that work well for you?
Sharon: It is AMAZING to be able to come home from a busy day and warm up a DELICIOUS, healthy, nurturing meal which is completely safe for me to eat without any risk of feeling badly in hours (or days) to come! The very best part for me, as an accomplished cook, is that there are so many choices for more exotic fare, things I wouldn’t cook for myself. Epicured is a game changer for me: delicious, well prepared, convenient and low fodmap! I couldn’t be more grateful they branched out to Connecticut.
EPICURED: What role has Epicured played in helping you day-to-day?
Sharon: I feel more energetic and have dropped several pounds. I had a feeling this would happen but was impressed by how FAST it happened.
One of the best things about having a supply of various Epicured meals on hand, is when you are invited to a friends home for a gathering and you can say “I’d love to come but since I have some food intolerances, don’t cook for me, I’ll bring myself something.” Then you don’t feel like a burden nor have to choose between going hungry or risking it. All you need is a microwave and you are good to go!
EPICURED: Any favorites from the menu?
Sharon: I love the Thai Green Curry, the Seared Lamb Medallions, the Pad Thai, the Chicken Lettuce Wraps, and I always, always, order extra Turkey Chili as it freezes so well and is easy to thaw out if I know I’m going to have a busy day. I was a huge fan of the Warm Autumn Salad as well and look forward to it being added back to the offerings. And the two different kinds of Energy Bites are so delicious! They not only satiate my sweet tooth but they keep me full and are perfect to throw in my bag when I need to pack a snack.
EPICURED: How did you first discover a low FODMAP diet? What was going on in your life?
Sharon: After about 9 months of suffering with constant pain, distress, bloating and the inability to leave my house every morning, I started to do an intensive amount of research into what was going on with me. An Endoscopy and Colonoscopy ruled out any disease so I was diagnosed with the catchall “IBS” and told to give the low FODMAP diet a try. I had some fits and starts with it and wish I had seen a Registered Dietitian but I didn’t know to (my doctor never recommended it) and though I know a few Nutritionists, none of them were as well versed on IBS or low FODMAP as I had already become. Within a few weeks my stomach calmed down and through the elimination diet I was able to identify my triggers. Then came the arduous work of trying to eat at a restaurant (did you know that onion, garlic, shallots or scallion seems to be in almost everything?!?)
It’s been a journey but I will forever be grateful to the amazing dietitians who have some really smart and educational blogs. Additionally, I joined a few closed (meaning our posts to each other can only be seen by members) Facebook groups and IBS sufferers around the world have helped me learn the ins and outs of this way of life – and made me realize I wasn’t crazy! It was on one of those Facebook groups where I learned about Epicured. At that time they didn’t deliver to me yet, I was out of their range but within a few months they got in touch with me and I’ve been a tremendously happy customer ever since.
