Life, food, and a body that argues back.

We’re Daniel and Caitlyn — figuring out life, love, and what to cook for dinner when starch is off the table. Literally. Nelson to the Gold Coast, a diagnosis the system wouldn’t give us, and a kitchen that changed everything.

Or start with our story

Daniel and Caitlyn Gallagher — Gold Coast · 2025

01The lead storyMoving to Aus

We Left New Zealand for Australia. Here's the Honest Truth About Why — and What Came Next

Moving from New Zealand to Australia means leaving behind more than you expect. Here's what we genuinely gave up, what we gained, and whether it was worth it.

By Daniel9 Jun 20267 min read

Read the feature →

Moving to Aus9 Jun 2026 · 10 min read

Moving to Gold Coast from New Zealand: The Complete Checklist

Moving to the Gold Coast from New Zealand? This complete checklist covers visas, banking, Medicare, schools, shipping, and more — written by two Kiwis who've been through it.

Read →

Health & HLA-B272 Jun 2026 · 9 min read

What Is Ankylosing Spondylitis? (And Why It Takes So Long to Get Answers)

A plain-English breakdown of what AS is, why diagnosis takes so long, and what day-to-day management actually looks like — from someone still in the middle of figuring it out.

Read →

Everything we’ve published →

What we keep writing about

We write about food, health, and the ongoing work of taking care of each other.

Newest first

Food became medicine. Then it became joy.

From our story →

What we’ve been cooking

Every recipe here was cooked in our kitchen first.

Members only · log in

Added Jul 2026Thai-Style Chicken & Vermicelli SaladA light, fresh rice vermicelli salad with poached chicken, crisp vegetables, and a punchy lime and fish sauce dressing — NSD-safe, gluten-free, and ready in 25 minutes.Prep 15 minCook 10 min

Daniel and Caitlyn Gallagher on a beach at sunset — Tahunanui Beach, Nelson · 2025

Daniel & Caitlyn Gallagher

Engaged, not yet married · Kia ora

We started writing because the internet needed more honest stories about managing chronic illness, cooking without starch, and what it actually looks like to build a life together — including the messy bits.

Daniel is HLA-B27 positive, living with suspected ankylosing spondylitis after the NZ health system denied him a diagnosis. The No Starch Diet changed everything. Caitlyn keeps it all real.

Two people, two palates, one kitchen. And it works.

Read our full story →

How we got here

Age elevenThe pain startsMorning stiffness and a dull ache. Everyone had a theory — posture, gaming, growing pains.
The referralDeclinedThe referral to a rheumatologist was turned down. That was the end of the formal medical path.
The geneHLA-B27 positiveNo formal diagnosis, but the pieces fit. Enough to act on.
Eighteen monthsThe No Starch DietLess pain, better mornings, and a baseline that finally felt manageable.
June 2026Nelson → Gold CoastWarmth matters for AS, and Queensland has the rheumatology network Nelson didn’t.