Food Rock Star Tia Hain

Tia is one of a kind gal you’ll want to get to know.  I met Tia in person at a food blogging conference and then we met up again just for fun.   She burst onto the gluten free blogging scene just a year ago and has shared great info and helped lots of people.  She has a big heart and endless energy.  Wait til you see what sport she plays.

Name : Tia Hain

Business and or blog name: Glugle Gluten-Free

URL: https://glugleglutenfree.com

Location: Dubin, CA

Favorite quote:

Focus of blog or business: Anything I find relevant that has to do with being gluten-free.

Social Media I play in: Facebook, Twitter

I started my blog in the month and year: March 2010

Training/education I received: Bachelors of Science in Accounting Information Systems (not really relevant to the blog, though)

My favorite healthy food: Depends on my mood and the season. Currently, I am on a roasted brussel sprouts kick. Can’t get enough of them. I actually steal them off my husband’s plate when he isn’t looking.

My favorite snack food: My favorite not-so-healthy treat is almonds and chocolate chips together. I count them out so it isn’t too bad. I also LOVE TJs lime fruit pops. They are so good. But I have to eat them after my son goes to bed because I am greedy and don’t want to share.

My top 3 healthiest foods I love to eat or recommend: Depends. If you are a person who is not a fan of vegetables, like I used to be, I to start off with a slow cooker soup/stew. You can add the spices/seasonings you like to make it palatable. And you are still getting you vitamins. Then work your way up to actually tasting the vegetables. You will be surprised at what you will be eating eventually.

Another is green smoothies. You can doctor those up to not taste the veggies and get all kinds of green that you wouldn’t normally eat. But your body loves and craves them. I try to drink one every morning.

But, my all-time top healthiest food to recommend is pomegranates. I LOVE them. I have been eating them for over 30 years. I keep telling people that I am the one that started the trend. It just people a while to catch up to me. They are so good for you and taste fabulous. Even my 2 ½ year old will bug and bug me for them.

Childhood ambition: I had several. I wanted to be an actress. I also wanted to be an opera singer. And I wanted to write stories. I have given my best shot to all three, and found I can at least write my stories on my blog. Fate or whatever has decided that the other two are not for me. But that is ok.

My favorite cookbook: Too many. I am currently discovering all of the fabulous cookbooks that my online/gluten-free, dairy-free friends write. I’m trying to go through them one by one. So I don’t really have a favorite. They are all great depending on what you want to make.

Wildest dream: To have everyone understand and have compassion about what it is to be intolerant to a food (that doesn’t sound right) or have a food allergy. And to know how to prepare the food so everyone can eat safely no matter where they are.

Favorite activity: Playing with my son and husband. And curling. The “sport.”

Favorite thing to cook: I love to bake. I love baking something that turns out so beautiful and is tasty to eat. But I really love making that tasty item in a healthy way, so I feel good about feeding it to others. I make most of my muffins with almond flour and agave nectar. It makes me so happy to have people rave about them, and I tell them that they are actually healthy.

Favorite kitchen tool: My mixer. It was a wedding present from my mom, and it sat around for a while because I didn’t bake/cook at home much. Once I found out I couldn’t eat gluten, I busted that thing out. Now, my son runs to help me bake if he hears it. It is so much fun to bake/cook with my child. I feel like a Norman Rockwell painting or something. I get all mushy and want to cry because it makes me so happy. Then I feel like a dork, but I can’t help it. I still feel new to this whole having –a-kid thing. I’m just amazed that he exists. And, now he wants to do the things I love to do with me. I get all choked up.

Biggest risk I’ve taken: I moved to Los Angeles to become an actress with barely any money and no job prospects.

Favorite exercise: Elliptical! I LOVE my elliptical. I have lots of joint issues and running injuries, even though I have barely ever run. So the elliptical works great for me.

Proudest moment: I actually have a lot of things I am proud of. Any time my son does anything, I am proud. I had something to do with it. Not everything, but something. I moved 1000 miles from my home to pursue a career that has an average income of $2000/year. And that includes all of the actors that make millions. I quit my comfy job to pursue acting in Portland before I ever moved to Los Angeles. I went back to college in my 30s. And got a degree that I don’t use. And more. I’m a great catch. My husband is lucky to have me. 😉

What I do to feel at peace: Think about all I have to be grateful for. It is a lot.

Biggest challenge: Finding the time for myself. So many things I know I NEED to do for myself, but I let everything else come first.

Favorite vacation spot: Rome, Italy

Craziest thing I’ve ever done: Good crazy – Packed up my stuff and moved 1000 miles to pursue a dream. Bad crazy – Dated some real duds before I met my husband.

Health concerns I’ve cleared up: Insomnia, stomach pain, indigestion, heartburn, eczema. I’m there is more, but I can’t think of it.

Books I’ve written: Nope.

I started my blog to: vent about building a gluten-free website because it was taking so long to do what I wanted in my head. My blog turned into that website.

What I hope the people that visit my blog find: That they are not alone. It’s scary when you are first diagnosed with Celiac Disease/Gluten intolerance, and people feel like they are the only one. So how can they make it? But they aren’t alone. And there are lots of people to talk to, get ideas from, etc. I hope they find that at my blog, as well as all of the others I suggest because those same people made me feel like I wasn’t alone.

Products and/or services I offer: My pretty, sweet self and my sense of humor. Sometimes a simple recipe.

What I love about what I do: When someone leaves a comment saying they love my blog, and it helped them so much. Those make me tear up.

How am I making a difference in my community: I am trying to help expose people to eating whole/real foods, instead of processed stuff. In fact, I have decided to step away from reviewing and giving away processed products that I wouldn’t normally by for myself and my family. It is hard, though, when they keep offering you free stuff. I just have to remind myself that I wouldn’t buy it to eat it, so what makes it better now that it’s free?

My greatest success so far: Well, that’s my son. He is such a sweet boy. I love him to pieces. I have always fed him whole/real foods. I even made his baby food. I didn’t want him to start out with sugar in his chicken. I think that is why he loves vegetables so much. His favorite food is broccoli, tomatoes, blueberries, and apples. He gets some foods for convenience, but only sparingly.

In the future I see myself: Older. Hopefully wiser. Enjoying my family and my life as much as possible. But, I do that now.

 

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