"I did and it worked. My cholesterol dropped, I lost weight and my energy levels improved. I was absolutely astounded what effect grains and sugars had been having on me. That's when I decided that this would be a good way to eat."
Her problem was that while she could give up grains, rice and pasta, forsaking her morning toast was a step too far. Ms Christian searched the internet and tried lots of different recipes. There were a few failures: "I tried recipes that frankly were disgusting but finally found the right mix."
It was a mix that balanced the product, held together and sliced well. And she definitely does call it bread even though it's grain-free.
When she gave it to friends to try one of them told her what she was baking was Paleo bread.
"Paleo people eat without grains and sugars and the bread is also gluten-free because there's no wheat products used in it.
"There's a huge groundswell of people eating this way including people at crossfit gyms and elite athletes," she said.
Selling for between $15.50 and $16.50 a loaf it's not cheap but she said the price wasn't putting anyone off.
"I'm ready to defend the price point because the ingredients are expensive. But people are happy to pay for it. We're baking around 200 loaves a week but that's growing rapidly."
Ms Christian started out leasing bakery space in Paraparaumu but then learned of the Mayfair Bakery in Wanganui.
"They're lovely people to deal with and have a lot of experience in the bakery business. It's the right place for me to be making my bread," she said.
It means Mayfair bakes the product and she's concentrating on marketing. In Wanganui, Element cafe is using it and Ambrosia is retailing it.
So what's in her product that makes so special? It's no secret recipe. By law she has to display the ingredients on the packaging anyway.
She uses almond meal, linseed (or flaxmeal), eggs, yoghurt and butter.
"It's a real powerhouse of food types really. It's an energy giver and it's extraordinary how just a slice or two knocks your hunger pangs on the head.
"There are parents who are using it in their kids' lunches and say it keeps them going from lunchtime 'til dinner time," Ms Christian said.
It looks like bread but she said the flavour was "much nicer".
"With my bread it's almost got a slight sweetness to it but it's not coming from sugar. It's those other ingredients which create that taste.
"A lot of buyers will put it in their freezer and are using it slice by slice when they want to."
Now she's got several other potential Paleo products in the pipeline.
"I'm looking at developing crackers, pizza bases and a health bar, and all of them grain-free," she said.
