How I Got Here...
Hello, my name is Sierra Bauges and I live my life Organic, Non-GMO, and Gluten-free. You may ask, how did you get there? Well the journey starts as a young child. Growing up in the chilly Washington state, as a child I liked ice cream but it became too cold for such a yummy treat, so my attraction turned into a strong LOVE for candy, creating a dreadful sweet tooth that I've now carried with me my whole life.
I think back to the times of being a young girl and feeling my hands shake with the jitters and my mouth salivate, as my dad handed me my allowance because I knew it'd soon be replaced with Twizzlers or Sour Patch Kids. This was the beginning of a disgusting and revolting life habit that eventually altered my other eating habits as well.
​
As a child we all eat the food that's given to us, we all believe what we are told (especially from our parents), and we all know it to be an unspoken rule to not ask questions, but unfortunately that's where this underlying problem has derived from. Because of my parents not properly educating me on what candy is REALLY made from, what our daily meals are REALLY made from, what Organic actually is, and even what qualifies something as being healthy, I never really knew any of the benefits they provide naturally or the logic behind it.
Sure, in school we all learn the basic food pyramid and food groups, but what's unfortunately not covered is the way food is produced (naturally or genetically engineered), what food preservatives are, or much of anything along the lines of what Organic food is, and let's be honest that kind of information doesn't always stick as a child anyway. This kind of crucial information is that of which your parents are supposed know and teach you.
​
I knew of only a few families and friends who ate organic but my family (and myself since I was a child) had the idea that eating organic was an expensive, irrational, and unnecessary way of life so we never partook and instead the SAD, Standard American Diet, was the diet we abided by. Well little did I know that we were completely wrong and I had been ingesting unnatural food for almost the entirety of my childhood.
Sierra Bauges
Now that you know a little bit about my childhood, let's move onto the other half of my life, the other half where I discovered that I have gluten intolerance, promoting the beginning of all Organic and Non-GMO eating. It all started about 4 years ago, I was working as a Barista at a local coffee stand and a Visual Specialist at Nike, so I had a pretty hefty schedule on my plate. I was running from one job to the next, not necessarily eating the best but getting what I could, when I could.
My meals mostly consisted of scrambled eggs and/or a bagel for breakfast (that is if I even ate breakfast), a variety of fruits and veggies, tacos, pizza, pasta, rice, some chicken, and A LOT of drive thru, or fast food for lunches and dinners. I was merely repeating what I learned as a child. I remember being a young girl, around 5pm every Sunday my feet trembled with excitement and my stomach growled in hunger because I knew it'd soon be Burger King drive thru time. I would get a Barq's Root Beer, a hamburger with extra ketchup and pickles, and french fires, and it was the light of my weekend. Now, back to when I was working at the coffee stand and Nike, due to the busy schedule I had it was easy to justify getting drive thru, or fast food, although it was not Burger King, I would get food that was near to my work, which at the time was Panera Bread, Taco Del Mar, a pizza shop, that I've unfortunately forgotten the name of, and the occasional McDonalds breakfast burrito.
​
It was the opening, 5am, shift at my coffee stand, and I hadn't had anything to eat the night before so I was hungry, on my way to work I had gone through the drive thru of McDonalds and got 2 of those oh-so-yummy breakfast burrito's. Once I got to the coffee stand I started to have intense aching stomach pains to where I could barely stand up straight, a raging migraine, and the sensation of having to puke but I could never actually throw up.
This was just the beginning of a long and sickening journey. These same symptoms went from bad to worse, and went from happening every 3 or 4 days to happening every single day. Whether I was at the gym, out enjoying myself with friends, or at work these treacherous stomach pains, light-sensitive migraines, sensations of throwing up, and newly developed symptom; vertigo would come and go no matter what time of the day. The entire experience felt similar to motion sickness and would cause nausea, making me feel like I had to throw up, my stomach pains felt as if there were a vice on my intestines slowly squeezing them tighter and tighter, and the migraines felt along the same lines.
I had no idea what the problem was, and this was going on 2 years of debilitating pain, so as any logical person would do, I went to the doctor. Unfortunately it was a complete waste of time and money because all that they came up with was that I had an infection in my stomach lining and to take the following prescribed medication. Well, the reason I say it was a waste of time and money is because not only did the medication not work and I saw no improvements, but I left there with no real answers, and then later found out that the prescribed medication is available over the counter at the pharmacy. This was about the time I had given up, then a friend sent me a post reading "8 Signs That You Have a Gluten-Intolerance" and every single sign/symptom that I had read about and further looked into had been the exact same symptoms I had been experiencing.
I thought that this was finally my answer, that this was the break I had been asking for, so I immediately started to eat gluten-free. I soon discovered that eating gluten-free is a very difficult task, finding delicious tasting products was the hardest obstacle to over come thus far. However, it's now 2 years later and I have overcome that obstacle, not only are they scrumptious tasting gluten-free products but also certified USDA Organic, and/or verified as part of the Non-GMO Project, so jump back to the Homepage and continue reading on for more information and specifics on these products.
​
​
Welcome to The Organic & Non-GMO Journey
Do you know what your food is ACTUALLY made of? If not, don't worry, I was in your shoes not too long ago, and I'm still learning. The Organic & Non-GMO Journey serves as the ultimate guide in being successful in living the All-Natural, Organic, and Non-GMO lifestyle. My name is Sierra Bauges, and this is my journey as I discover the most delicious and nutritious brands, products, grocery stores, and restaurants out there. I will be reviewing products that range from food and household necessities to personal hygiene products, so sit back, subscribe, and enjoy the wonders of information that's heading your way.
Contact
Thanks for your interest in The Organic & Non-GMO Journey. For more information, feel free to get in touch and I will get back to you soon!
