Special Guest Post: Jennifer Iannolo is the Founder & CEO of Zenfully Delicious, her new project created to empower people with chronic illness to live a delicious life. And she is still traveling the world creating new tales for her award-nominated food and travel site, The Gilded Fork.

I’ve always been very comfortable with the idea of not having kids, as motherhood never really called to me. As a child, I eschewed baby dolls in favor of playing “lawyer” or “CEO.”

I have, however, always reveled in being an Auntie—and have been one since I was 6! As the last of a lot of kids, I now have 14 nieces, nephews, great-nieces and -nephews ranging from 1 month to 33 years old. I like to call them my Rent-A-Kids.

For a long time I was the cool, eccentric Aunt, always off to another food adventure somewhere on the planet. The younger ones would follow along with their globes as I traveled, and delighted in rugby jerseys brought home from Ireland, or tasty treats from Italy. They loved hearing how I explored Machu Picchu and ate guinea pig in Peru, and always wanted to know about the next destination.

Then my life changed drastically. The fibromyalgia I had tried to keep at bay was creeping in with a vengeance. Suddenly Aunt Jen wasn’t traveling so much, and was looking a little...off. They saw me in pain, and instead of the adventurer, I became a vulnerable human being. I sat with them and explained scientifically what was happening with my body, that there were terrible knots in my neck and back. At my prompting, my twin nephews teamed up to give me “karate chop” massages. They thought it was hilarious—and my back felt great!

When I went gluten-free last year, it brought another round of changes for all of us. These were the kids I cooked with—we got to know each other through food. When the twins were young we even had a food podcast, and at the age of 4 they were running around the kitchen sniffing cardamom and saying the word “gastronomy.” I taught them to bake bread, and make lasagna—and suddenly those things were not only off-limits, but also a danger to my health.

As I walked up to the buffet for my first family barbecue sans gluten, I watched my older nephew’s face as I looked around and saw almost nothing safe to eat. His eyes became very sad, and in that moment he got my whole world. I wasn’t thrilled with the changes, and was sometimes really angry, but I was not willing to create a context for them that life was hopeless, or that one couldn’t be happy despite limitations. I needed them to see that there were ways around any complication.

So I started sharing my experience more, explaining that this was simply a new part of my life. I let them taste my gluten-free treats—and caught them sneaking into the kitchen to eat my cookies! Suddenly the kids who sniffed cardamom pods were trying quinoa and rice flour.

Now they are all my stormtroopers. They check labels, make sure there is no cross-contamination at family dinners, and test the pasta. At every meal there is now a smorgasbord of gluten-free options so I can stuff my face accordingly.

Some people might think that dealing with children during a health crisis would be taxing, or too difficult to explain. What I have found, however, is that kids, very simply, get it. And they do so without all the grown-up issues. They are compassionate, empathetic, and simply want to see me well. They want to help.

So I am still the cool, eccentric Aunt (also, and this is a quote, “The Coolest Aunt on Earth”). And now, even more importantly, my Rent-A-Kids know me to be someone who demonstrates that obstacles can be surmounted.

And while I’m not their mother, I consider my nieces and nephews to be my greatest gift in life, and I love each and every one as if they were my own. Their compassion and love has made my worst days better, and has helped me on my way to wellness. Even better, the younger ones are almost old enough to travel the world with me, so we all have a vested interest in my health!

Jennifer Iannolo is the Founder & CEO of Zenfully Delicious. Follow her on Twitter @foodphilosophy.

Published: August 3, 2011