My name is Jaquy Yngvason of Tasty Freedom. I inspire, educate and give people the tools to live their life to the fullest, regardless of Celiac Disease or whatever allergies you may have. Life is not about ‘dealing with the card you were dealt’; it’s about being a badass and making life work for you.

Growing up, I had limited resources in getting diagnosed which made my treatment difficult. With my father being from Iceland and my mom from Ecuador, there were some linguistic and cultural gaps between my parents, my doctors and me. I spent half of my life going in and out of emergency rooms for chronic migraines with unsavory diagnoses like brain tumors, cancer, and mood disorders, so my parents went in search of a holistic approach to treating me.

We met countless healers, psychics, and shamans who stripped me down, spit liquor on me, and lit me on fire to expel the evil spirits that caused my ailments. We finally met Dr. Hitt from the William Hitt Center in Tijuana, Mexico. His news went something along the lines of this: you are severely gluten intolerant, and you have candida about 10 times the amount of normal people. I needed to do a 3-month cleanse and never eat gluten again. I was in complete shock. My entire life I’d been in migraine trial therapy clinics, hospitals, and this guy said it was all ‘for a piece of toast.’

I did the cleanse which was intense, injecting myself in the butt with my own urine, taking fistfuls of herbal pills to detox my system and pretty much only consuming vegetables for three months. About 8 years later, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and multiple allergies, including chicken and duck eggs, dairy, soy, corn and anything from the alum family: garlic, onions, basically anything yummy. I started to study nutrition on my own and test recipes that tasted good and would satisfy me, even with my new laundry list of new allergies.

When I finished college, I started a small business then sold it to go to French Culinary School (Le Cordon Bleu) in Portland, Oregon where my health fell to its lowest point. I had to build my palate and learn flavor profiles, so when I would eat an allergen in class like dairy, or eggs, or garlic, I would pop something to make sure I could make it through the rest of the day. I became reliant on EpiPens and Benadryl, which caused my liver to start failing. Eventually, I had the flavors down in my head and I started to use my other senses more acutely. From there I went on to teach cooking classes, and when I had enough of that I had a new goal of becoming a food stylist. I would be in a position to make beautiful food for others to enjoy, and I didn’t have to eat a single ingredient! I finally had found my safe place in food.

I moved to NY 2011 to work for the Food Network as an intern and after nine months became the food stylist and culinary producer. I had to eat gluten and try foods that my body rejected in order to continue building my palate. My doctor, naturopath and nutritionist started hitting me with the reality of what would happen to me as my health and body started to deteriorate with Celiac disease. Damage to my liver and kidneys was a result of what pain pills and antihistamines do with habitual use. I started to see what I was doing was wrong to my body. Since then, it’s been my life dream to help others to never make the same mistakes that I have.

 

 

2

I did the whole TV thing until my dad fell ill. My focus and drive changed 110% and two and a half years later, I am no longer working in TV. I’m writing a book about how to travel the world regardless of what food allergies and food restrictions you may have, and I teach others how to empower themselves. I lecture across the nation on how to live the life you want to and how to stop feeling isolated.

When I go on a trip, these are some of my essentials:

  1. Toothbrush and toothpaste for my partner for the times when he wants to eat gluten (that way we can safely make out later)
  2. Chia, flax, and buckwheat groats because I love raw granola! Hemp hearts, vanilla rice protein with cinnamon mixed in, raisins, nuts, dairy free chocolate chips and homemade granola bars for the times when I need an extra pick me up. Loads of raw veggies: carrots, celery, cucumber, and apples.
  3. Must haves if your going to cook: empty sauce bottle so you can whip up a little take-along sauce with you to liven up any dish.
  4. Flexible cutting board so you avoid any cross contamination from other pesky cutting boards.
  5. Mandolin or veggie peeler with teeth
  6. Foldable non-stick sauté pan, because it’s small portable and epically sweet to able to fry, sauté cook anything without the concern of getting glutened.
  7. Small chef knife with knife cover
  8. Chopsticks because it’s like my third arm, they’re super cute and make any dining experience more exciting.
  9. Scissors because they cut anything and everything! They make cooking on the go easy peazy, whether sitting on a park bench in Central Park or a train in Tokyo.

Insider tip:

I always look up where the closest health food store is prior to leaving so that I know where I can pick up extra goodies. I usually stay at an airbnb that has a kitchen so I can prep little meals for on-the-go. Plus, the best way for me to explore any city is through its produce and markets! Preparation is key when traveling with food allergies/intolerances!

On the plane:

I never leave the house without small bottles of home made sauce that I call, ‘good on everything sauce’. On the plane with me I bring: chopsticks and a tupperware filled with my hearty meal. Good options: any roasted veggies, oil and salt, greens in a separate bag (so they don’t get soggy and look like snot by the time I want to eat it) and any kind of beans. Lentils cook quickest and I love them.  Don’t think I forgot snacks! Nuts and dried fruits are standards, protein bars and fruit bars like Lara bars are a fave. I sit and enjoy the fruits of my preparation while everyone else around me is looking wide-eyed and dopey like “Where’d she get that from!?” Yeah I brought it punk, and you’re not getting any…

I’ve never actually had any problem bringing food with me anywhere. No one can take food away from you, you just have to make sure that you don’t have any liquids. Bring a doctors note if you’re the sheepish type. I’ve traveled in a car across the border to Montreal from NY with no problem, and recently went backpacking for a month in Vietnam. I had half a backpack filled with breakfast essentials and cooked food to last me 22+ hours of airplane travel.

I’m the type of girl that if I don’t eat within 15 minutes of waking up, I’m like the incredible Hulk: hangry. Bringing those little goodies saves not only my life, but anyone who’s traveling with me. It’s about being ready for the times when everyone around you is eating huge banh mi sandwiches, and you just reach into your bag and are like, Sha-zaam!

Travel

Communication is key. Whoever you’re traveling with needs to be aware of your food restrictions. I travel with my boyfriend who has no food allergies at all. We are both chefs, so we love to eat and share the experiences of dining together. It’s no different when we travel. We have a system: he eats the food on the street, while I eat my safe rice paper burritos. We talk about the flavors, I smell his food, take photos and attempt to make the food that I couldn’t eat. Soon after, through trial and error, I am making my own version of the street food, happily and healthfully. He usually says he likes the version we made rather than the street version, but hey, I cook with chops and love, what can you do?

Never fear that you can’t travel with food allergies, or worse, have thoughts that you will have a lesser experience than your companions. Put in the simple effort to communicate and prepare, and the rest will be epic adventures and memories. My outlook is positive, and I have an unfaltering optimism for all the amazing times to be had. Give it a try, I promise it won’t hurt.

Photographer: Jan Ferrer

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