Review of Healing Foods: Cooking for Celiacs, Colitis, Crohn's and IBS (Paperback)

I just received this cookbook today and I am thrilled. I was looking for some inspiration in the kitchen. My family has been doing the SCD since June of 2006 (treating autoimmune disease in myself; ADHD and chronic diarrhea in my son) and we were getting bored with our current recipes. I really needed something to get me excited about cooking again. This book has done just that. The pictures alone are worth the price of the book! It is breathtaking. They make me want to start organizing, planning, and cooking in the kitchen again!!!

And this is quite a hefty book, there are so many recipes in here, I'm having trouble deciding what to try first! One thing I noticed right off the bat, is that there are plenty of recipes that don't depend on almond flour. Sure, there are plenty that do take benefit of this wonderful alternative flour, but not an overabundance of the book like some SCD cookbooks that I have. Also, there are a wide variety of recipes- scrumptious gourmet dinner party looking stuff right down to your basic everyday stuff. There is a nice balanced feel to the range of recipes overall. There are tons of condiment and sauce recipes as well. It looks to be a very versatile cookbook. I'll update this again once we've tried some of the recipes.

I've got some more book ordering to do as this cookbook will definitely find its way into many Yule presents this year for my friends and family.

As for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, SCD, itself (which this cookbook is aligned with):
Elaine Gottschall's book, Breaking The Vicious Cycle, which details the SCD, saved my life. I was lost in chronic pain, brain fog, insane exhaustion-- unable to enjoy life. SCD has given back the joys in my life. I've lost 80 pounds and am at a healthy weight. I have so much more energy to live, not just physical energy, but mental energy as well. I can keep track of what chores need to be done and don't feel overwhelmed or daunted anymore. I can discipline my children and actually be effective. I can follow conversations. I can move and walk and even dance pain free. I feel connected to the world around me instead of lost in fuzzy brain fog. I can enjoy my children, my husband, my friends, my family and my life once again.

My son has been pulled from the brink of Asperger's by this diet. His ADHD has also been slowly fading. Emerging is this sweet, calm, focused, articulate little boy. SCD also gave him the first solid stools of his entire life. His little body is rapidly healing on this diet.

SCD is a healing diet and this cookbook is definitely all about "Healing Foods." If you are looking for a cookbook that will help you reclaim your health, this one is a winner, along with Elaine's book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, which the author of Healing Foods also highly recommends.

UPDATE: We have tried some of the recipes now, and WOW! Yummy! We have tried the Lamb Koftas, Beef Lasagna, Yogurt Raita, Dijonaise, and Spinach Roulade. My husband, who has been reluctant to eat SCD wise, has been amazed at how great he feels eating this way with me and how yummy the food is! He thought eating healthier would be boring and unappealing. This cookbook has helped me to show him that isn't the case. Our kids love the recipes as well! Now my entire family can enjoy eating the same meals together and I don't have to spend time cooking separate meals. Woohoo! The recipes are also fairly easy and not too fussy. It strikes the perfect balance between gourmet taste and practicality! And we are finding many recipes that will work well given that we are only stage 2 right now (we redid the intro this past summer). This is not one of those cookbooks that is only useful once you are in advanced stages of healing; it has much to offer those still in the early phases. If you only buy one SCD cookbook, I highly recommend this one. It has brought new joy and appreciation to family mealtime!

Product Description
A year in the making, Sandra Ramacher has released Healing Foods: Cooking for Celiacs, Colitis, Crohns and IBS, a visually stunning and intelligently written cookbook. It is specifically designed to please and inspire all those who suffer from these debilitating intestinal diseases, as well as those who already live happier lives thanks to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (TM). This book strictly adheres to the diet prescribed by Elaine Gottschall in her revolutionary book Breaking The Vicious Cycle. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a strict grain-free, lactose-free, and sucrose-free dietary regimen intended for those suffering from Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The SCDiet has proven to be highly successful for many who suffer from various bowel disorders as well as the many related problems which actually stem from imbalances in the intestinal tract. The diet was first proposed by Dr. Sydney Haas and brought to public attention by Elaine Gottschall, a biochemist who researched the diet to help heal her daughter who was suffering from severe ulcerative colitis. Her book Breaking The Vicious Cycle has sold over 1 million copies and relieved suffering for countless thousands.

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