From Gluten & Dairy-Free to Food Freedom

Why “clean eating” failed me, and how learning to read labels helped me actually feel better

I remember the version of myself who was doing everything “right.” My pantry was full of the buzziest wellness foods. Dairy-free yogurts made with gums and starches. Gluten-free crackers in perfectly minimalist packaging. Plant-based dips with “natural flavors” and refined oils.

Everything I ate was dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, fun-free… and I was still bloated, still exhausted, still breaking out, still foggy. Still wondering why my “clean” lifestyle wasn’t working.

Looking back, I can see it so clearly now. I had been sold a label, not a solution.

For years, I thought gluten and dairy were the main villains. And while they can be inflammatory for certain people (especially in the U.S., where our food system is saturated with glyphosate, additives, and ultra-processing), the real issue was what I had replaced them with. Instead of real food, I was eating beautifully packaged junk disguised as health food.

I thought I was healing. I was really just swapping one form of toxicity for another.

And that’s what so many people don’t realize, because we’re never taught to flip the label over. We’re taught to trust marketing buzzwords like “plant-based,” “vegan,” “gluten-free,” or “dairy-free.” We assume those words mean “clean” or “nourishing.” But most of the time, they don’t.

Many of the so-called “healthy” replacements available are filled with ingredients such as seed oils, gums that can cause bloating, blood-sugar-spiking starches, preservatives, synthetic vitamins, and chemical flavorings. If I can’t pronounce half the ingredients or find them in a garden or pasture, my body likely won’t recognize them either.

I remember this one week clearly: I was eating a “perfect” wellness diet. Cauliflower crusts, oat milk matcha lattes, coconut yogurt, cassava chips—and I felt awful. Bloated. Puffy. Wired and tired. My skin flared. My mood crashed. I realized I had been obsessing over the absence of certain things (gluten, dairy, soy) instead of focusing on the presence of what truly nourishes.

That was a turning point. I stopped asking, “Is this dairy-free?” and started asking, “Is this nourishing?”

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Let’s simplify this, because I know it can feel overwhelming at first.

Reading a label doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to memorize every additive ever invented (seriously, you don’t need to become a scientist at the grocery store). You just need to slow down and actually look at what you’re buying.

Here’s what I personally do:

• Flip it over. Never trust the information on the front of the package blindly. Marketing is designed to trick you. Always read the ingredient list.

• Ask: Would my great-grandmother recognize this as food? Yes, things have changed since she was around, but it’s still a good standard to live by.

• Short and simple is best. Look for ingredient lists with five to eight recognizable items. If there are 25+ ingredients, and half of them sound like something from a chemistry lab... skip.

• Watch for red flags.
  I avoid:

  • Seed oils (canola, sunflower, safflower, soybean, etc.)

  • Natural flavors (unless they have the word organic in front of it—more on this later)

  • Carrageenan, gums (xanthan, guar), and fake sugars like erythritol

  • Fortified junk with synthetic vitamins (if it says folic acid, run the other way)

  • Soy protein isolate, maltodextrin, MSG, and preservatives I can’t pronounce

• Sweeteners I avoid:

  • Sucralose (Splenda)

  • Aspartame

  • Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)

  • Erythritol, Xylitol, Maltitol, Sorbitol

  • Over-processed forms of stevia (I stick to raw honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, or fruit. Yes, stevia is in everything, and it’s not always the best form of stevia. A little here and there is totally fine. The best form of stevia is rebaudioside A (Reb A), which doesn’t leave a weird aftertaste and is minimally processed.)

• Notice the order. Ingredients are listed from most to least. If the first few are sugar, refined starch, or oil... that’s the bulk of the product.

• Bonus tip: If you don’t see ingredients listed at all (like on a bulk bakery item or takeout sauce), that’s not a good sign. Transparency is part of clean eating.

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