Rethinking Gluten: How Illness, Research, and Coming Full Circle Changed Everything I Thought I Knew About Food
Food has always mattered to me, even if it wasn’t always at the center of my career. I earned a bachelor’s degree in dietetics early on, driven by a deep curiosity about how food impacts the body. Over the next 30 years, my professional path took me into other fields and entrepreneurial ventures — until life led me back to nutrition in a way I never expected.
For years, I struggled with severe health issues that were ultimately labeled as gluten intolerance. On top of that, I was diagnosed with breast cancer — a moment that forces you to reexamine everything, especially what you put into your body. Like many people, I assumed my only option was to turn to gluten-free products.
But when I began reading ingredient labels, I was surprised by what I found. Many gluten-free items were filled with chemicals, gums, and highly processed additives — ingredients that didn’t resemble real food and weren’t something I wanted to put into my body, especially while focusing on healing and long-term health.
That realization pushed me to look deeper. As I searched for answers, I returned to my education in dietetics and began researching wheat more fully — not just gluten as a protein, but the entire system behind how wheat is grown, processed, and refined. I started experimenting with European wheat varieties that were incredibly difficult to source in the United States. Many products labeled as “European” turned out to be blended with North American wheat, producing inconsistent results and ongoing symptoms.
That discovery became a turning point. After much effort and time, I sourced wheat from Italy and began experimenting with it — and the difference was clear. The more I learned, the clearer it became: for many people, gluten itself may not be the issue, but how modern American wheat is bred for yield, aggressively processed, and stripped of its natural balance.
European wheat varieties and milling practices often prioritize quality, tradition, and integrity over mass production. These flours tend to be less aggressively refined and maintain more of their natural structure — factors that can play a significant role in digestibility, health, and nutrition.
This realization became the foundation for Manny’s Choice — the company that brought my education, personal experience, and entrepreneurial journey full circle. Manny’s Choice exists to reintroduce what I call The Good Gluten® — clean, thoughtfully sourced European flour, baking mixes, and sourdough starters that allow people to enjoy wheat again. Our products are designed for those who have struggled with American wheat, care about ingredient quality, and want food that supports their body rather than works against it.
This isn’t about trends, extremes, or demonizing entire food groups. It’s about transparency and education. Many people who believe they are gluten-intolerant may actually be reacting to overly processed wheat, chemical residues, or flours stripped of the components our bodies were designed to digest.
As a breast cancer survivor and lifelong entrepreneur, I’m deeply aware that nourishment matters — not just emotionally, but biologically. Clean ingredients, nutrient density, and mindful sourcing aren’t luxuries; they’re essential.
Manny’s Choice was created to bridge the gap between enjoyment and wellness, allowing people to bake, eat, and gather around food again without fear.
In my upcoming podcast episode, I’ll dive deeper into this journey — from illness and discovery to entrepreneurship, education, and purpose. We’ll explore common misconceptions about gluten, what truly differentiates wheat sources, and how changing how we eat can dramatically change how we feel.
If you’ve ever struggled with wheat or felt disconnected from food you love, I hope my story encourages you to ask better questions — and to believe that enjoying food again is possible. Because food, as nature intended, should make you feel good.
Cindy Anderson is a 30-year entrepreneur with a bachelor’s degree in dietetics and an MBA, and the founder and CEO of Manny’s Choice, a brand dedicated to bringing clean, thoughtfully sourced European flour and baking mixes to people who want to enjoy wheat again.
Written by Justine Reichman
