Hi! My name is Ester Perez. My passion is to share healthy recipes & tips that can improve your life. All my recipes are delicious, gluten free and have a healthy twist. You will find family friendly & fully tested recipes with easy to follow steps and pictures.
I started blogging back in 2011. At that time, my kids and I were gluten free and food options at the market were extremely limited. Also, there were not as many gluten free blogs or recipes…so I started Nurturemygut so I can share my favorite recipes to other parents and friends. Little did I know that that a few years into blogging, Nurturemygut would reach almost a million readers per year!
In 2012 I became a Certified Health Coach and in June 2019, I graduated from Trinity School Of Natural Health as a Naturopath. I believe knowledge is a gift and it’s important to pay it forward. I try to share as many wellness tips about natural living on the blog. I have tried many diets to improve my health such as The Body Ecology Diet, GAPS Diet, Raw Food Detox and Whole30 Cleanse. All have given me experience as a health coach, allowed me to develop compliant recipes and learn the unique health benefits and limitations of each diet.
It is my mission to share what I have learned and help others live healthier happier lives. When I leave this earth, I want to be at peace knowing I made a difference and helped improve the lives of others.
This blog shares lots of healthy delicious family-friendly recipes that are always gluten-free, sometimes grain-free and mostly dairy-free.
Some things I believe in are:
- Not one diet fits all, we are all individuals and our bodies change over time, what may work now, may not work 2 years from now. My son outgrew his gluten allergy and no longer wanted to be gluten free. I fully supported him and accommodated his dietary changes.
- Get kids involved in the kitchen at a young age. They are so eager to learn, so teach your kids to cook!
- Vibrant Health must be earned and it is important to stay consistent to feel good.
- Some of us are born with bad genes, have inherited viruses or poor gut flora and really need to work hard to stay healthy.
- Ask for help if what you try does not work. I have hired dozens of Doctors, Specialists, Naturopathic Doctors, Nutritionists and Dieticians over the past 20 years to improve my health and families health. I have learned and gained so much over the years. I have learned that I don’t have to stay in misery, there are lots of knowledgable people out there willing to help. I once thought I was allergic to dairy and avoided it for 7 years because I would break out in eczema on my feet and legs. On one occasion, the eczema on my legs got so bad that it turned into a staph infection. My leg felt like it was on fire. It was inflamed, blistered, painful and swollen. I had tried many remedies with no results and even gone to a Naturopathic Doctor but it was not getting better. I finally decided to go to the dermatologist to get a diagnosis and medication. The doctor diagnosed me with eczema craquele and prescribed a steroid. The rash cleared up in days! I was so happy to have relief. I have never broken out like that ever again and after trial and error, I figured out that the eczema was due to razor burn from shaving and wearing tight pants or shoes, not a dairy allergy! So from now on, I don’t let things linger, I get help if a homemade treatment or remedy is not working or a health problem is lingering. I have learned to balance healthy natural living and modern medicine to fit my life and make it better.
What is your gluten free cooking experience?
My daughter was gluten-free for 7 years so I have a lot of experience making gluten-free family friendly recipes.
My son was gluten-free for 10 years and we discovered a few years ago that he can now enjoy gluten in his diet without experiencing the miserable skin breakouts he once had.
Having both children on gluten-free diets when there were very little options has allowed me to create most of my recipes from scratch.
I have discovered how to make delicious gluten-free tortillas, bread, waffles, pancakes and more!
At the moment, I eat intuitively. Whatever makes my body feel good, I eat. I am not focused on a specific diet, but more on what makes my body and mind feel good and energized.
I include supplements, probiotics and digestive enzymes as part of my daily routine.
How I recovered from Long COVID & Epstein-Barr Virus
On November 2022 I got COVID for the second time. My symptoms were upset stomach, chills, tremors in arms, legs and jaw, weakness & extreme fatigue. I saw several doctors, specialists and had about 9 rounds of blood work. It was extremely difficult to do anything physical. I went from being a super Mom and working out 5 days a week to barely being able to take a bath.
My worst symptoms from LONG COVID lasted November 2022-March 2023. I also discovered that I also have Epstein-Barr Virus, which my doctor believes is what made it very hard to recover. Working with a Naturopathic Doctor, connecting with others in Long Covid forums and working with an EBV practitioner were extremely helpful for my recovery. I researched a lot about what supplements were helpful for long covid and tailored my own protocol in conjunction with the practitioners that I saw. I also tried Dr Brook Goldner’s Hyper Nourishing smoothies 2-3 times a day and this sped up my recovery so much faster. By November 2023, I was symptom free and I am so happy to be back to my pre-covid strength. It took a whole year to recover from Long COVID and discover what my body needed. I worked very hard on repairing my mitochondria and gut, learned how to put EBV back into remission and look for the signs when it begins to creep up. Hyper nourishing smoothies, supplements, massage therapy, chiropractic care, exercise, rest, whole foods and family support have been a big part of my recovery. Since I will always be fighting EBV, I do my best to eat clean 80% of the time and keep an eye out for the signs of EBV reactivation. Wellness and healing is a lifelong journey for me. (In July 2024, I got COVID for a 3rd time and I followed the protocol I created to recover from LONG COVID plus added a few new remedies, I was feeling both EBV symptoms along with COVID symptoms. I was able to recover in 2 weeks! I had 2-3 green smoothies per day plus did my protocol and it was my fastest recovery to date!)
I have learned to overcome many health challenges and this journey has taught me so much that I want to share healthy living with all those interested!
Join me in my adventures of healthy and happy living!
Need to get in touch? Send me an email to: [email protected]
Updated: 9-5-24
Want to feast your eyes on healthy and delicious gluten-free recipes, be sure to subscribe below! You will get my delicious Paleo Breakfast e-Book as my gift to you!
Hello, I am not following the Paleo diet but am doing Keto. I was wondering if I could substitute almond or coconut flour for the baking flour and still be able to run the dough through my pasta attachment?
Hi Sherry,
Coconut flour does not substitute well in the 1 to 1 format. If you are on Keto, then I would use zucchini noodles. Those taste great with meat sauce. The pasta needs a binder so that is why it uses a starch. Almond flour alone does not work. If you choose to have a day off of keto, the Paleo Pasta is a wonderful option.
Best Regards,
Ester
Hey, I’ve been paleo on and off for a couple years now. Your recipes have added a new wonderful breath of life to my waning love for the paleo lifestyle. I have started a blog and I have a facebook, Instagram and youtube page. I would love to add your recipes to my meals. I would definitely give you your love and respect when I do. Thank you so much! You are a breath of fresh air to the paleo community.
Glad to hear you are enjoying the recipes. Feel free to share the recipes with your community and a link back to the source. Thank you.
Warmly,
Ester
I stumbled upon your website while searching for ways to juice dandelion greens. I’m just getting back on the bandwagon to juicing, enhancing my health and learning ways to improve my gut issues – which I recently found out that I had. So my goals are losing weight and eating healthier with 1 day at a time. I plan to do a 30 Day intermittent fast with just 1 meal a day.. . hopefully everything will work out. Blessings to you and thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Hi Lena,
Best of luck with your health goals! Let us know how you enjoy the dandelion juice! It is my favorite way to make it!
Glad to hear you are back to juicing. Summer is a great time to start!
My family has been juicing about 6 days a week and we love it. We just upgrade to the Nama juicer and it is great.
Keep us posted with your health goals!
Warmly,
Ester
Hi! My family loves your Paleo Everything Dough! It’s been amazing since we really missed pizza but we have a variety of different intolerances in different people (gluten, rice, and dairy). I was wondering if you knew how to make a Paleo Sourdough Starter? I don’t even know if it’s possible! Thanks so much!
You are very welcome! I am so glad to hear your family has been enjoying pizza with the Grain Free Everything Dough. I have cultured many different things in the past and I am pretty confident you can culture the Grain Free Everything Dough with either a probiotic capsule, kombucha, kefir cultures or vegetable cultures from Body Ecology. I do think keeping a paleo sourdough starter is a possibility. You just need to remember to feed it daily. I will definitely try making a Paleo Sourdough Bread! I will keep you posted! Warmly, Ester
The Lectin Free Gourmet, Kristin Anderson Wylie (no affiliation) has done an extensive blog and ebook on Lectin Free sourdough starter.
Do you have healthy recipes for pancreatis or inflamed pancreas? Thank you
Hi Ush,
I am not familiar, I would suggest this website: https://pancreasfoundation.org/patient-information/nutrition-advice-recipes/
Best of luck.
Warmly,
Ester
Looking forward to trying your recipes!
A Healthful Senior
Thank you! Please let us know how you like the recipes. Warmly, Ester
Hi Ester, Happy to know about your experience. Your recipes are awesome and I like your website.
Thank you! Glad you stopped by.
Hey Ester,
Really you are the best. It’s good to know about your experience.
Best of luck
https://rotkitchen.com
Thank you.
Hi! I love gluten-free bread as well : ) thank you
You’re welcome Jane. So glad you enjoy gluten free bread. I have lots of delicious recipes on my blog. A great place to start are the gluten free tortillas. Check them out here: https://nurturemygut.com/gluten-free-tortilla-recipe.html/
I just found your site. The pictures from your recipes look amazing. I need to avoid gluten, dairy, eggs, and soy. I have yet to find recipes that turn out well when I substitute eggs. Do you have any suggestion for egg substitutes and quantities to equal one egg? I have tried flax, chia, Egg Replacer, bananas, and applesauce. Perhaps I need to adjust other things in a recipe if I substitute eggs?
Hi Felicia,
I have found egg substitutes challenging as well. I currently have four tortilla recipes on my site that are delicious and have no eggs, gluten, dairy or soy. You can make wraps with them, burritos, etc. They can really spruce up a meal.
Go here for the recipes: https://nurturemygut.com/category/tortillas/
What a great blog – there are some great gluten free recipes here I can’t wait to try. Looking forward to reading more.
thank you!
Thank you for the great recipes. My kids are both gluten intolerant. Will be trying out these recipes soon.
You’re welcome! So glad you like the recipes! Warmly, Ester
hi thanks for sharing all these recipes with us. I am also a registered nutritionist from the United States that aims in improving people health by providing them diet plans
You’re welcome! That’s great you are helping people too!
Thank you for sharing all these recipes they are simple to make and look delicious!
You’re welcome! So glad you like them! Warmly, Ester
I’m so happy I stumbled upon your website. I am also grain free after a cancer diagnosis & good recipes are hard to find! I’d love to make your grain free dough but I also have an egg intolerance. Could I use a “flax egg” or what do you recommend? Thanks!
HI Christine. I am glad to hear you are taking charge of your health! I have never tried a “flax egg” replacement so I do not know if it would work. I do have two wonderful tortilla recipes that are grain free and do not use eggs. If you need to stay low carb, then the Paleo Tortillas 2.0 are a great place to start! You can make breakfast burritos with them too. Here is the link: https://nurturemygut.com/paleo-tortillas-2-0-nut-freegluten-freedairy-free.html/ Warmly, Ester