Johnson Kyle - The autoimmune paleo cookbook: an allergen-free approach to managing chronic illness

Mickeys authentic journey with her autoimmune disease flavours her recipes from beginning to end. Anyone on an AI wellness trek knows that simplicity, earthiness and a gentle, nourishing approach to food (and beyond) are absolutely key. This book should be part of every wellness travellers kit!

Sarah Wilson, best-selling author of I Quit Sugar

Mickeys nutrient-rich recipes are very much staples in our home and will no doubt become staples in yours. So if youre keen to heal your body, nourish your soul and enjoy delicious, wholesome food, this is definitely the book for you.

Pete Evans, best-selling author of Going Paleo

One in five of us will be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease at some point in our lives a condition that occurs when the bodys immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissue. Conventional medicine has yet to find a cure, so is there anything you can do to help yourself?

In an effort to alleviate the symptoms of her own autoimmune conditions, author Mickey Trescott began following a version of the paleo diet specifically designed for those struggling with autoimmune diseases. By eliminating certain food groups and embracing others, Mickey finally rediscovered her health and vitality.

The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook features 115 of Mickeys most delicious recipes as well as lots of clear information for anyone who wants to explore this version of the paleo diet. Guidelines for the diet are clearly outlined and there are four-week meal plans as well as tips for shopping, batch cooking and preparing ahead. This book is a fantastic first step towards taking control of your health and happiness.

I would like to dedicate this book to those with chronic illness who are looking to bring healing into their lives.

I would also like to dedicate this book to my sister Katie, for being a constant force of youthful energy and support in my life.

FOREWORD

Diet and lifestyle modifications can be extraordinarily powerful strategies to regulate the immune system, reverse chronic disease, heal the body, and promote overall health. I have a very thorough understanding of the nitty gritty details of how compounds in our foods, the nutrient density of our diets, our hormones, and the 70 trillion probiotic bacteria that live in our guts all interact with our immune system. And I have personal experience with using diet and lifestyle to successfully manage and reverse immune and autoimmune disorders. But I also know that, as powerful as the diet and lifestyle recommendations made in my book, The Paleo Approach , are, it can also be overwhelming!

Seeing dramatic improvement in your health can be a great motivator to stick to a restricted diet, but that still doesnt mean that its easy. And for many, just looking at a list of food donts can stimulate the fight-or-flight response. The initial reaction usually includes a mix of panic and trepidation as well as a flood of questions: What is there left to eat? How can I possibly make yummy food with such limited ingredients? How will I survive without my favorite comfort foods or convenience foods? How on earth will I entertain company without feeding them bland, weird foods? And sometimes, we can feel like its going just fine until we see someone enjoying a piece of cake and then the sense of deprivation hits us like a tonne of bricks.

But you dont need to be intimidated by making big changes to your diet and you dont need to miss out on flavour because The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook has you covered. Simple summary of the rules? Check. Strategies for day-to-day implementation? Check. Meal plans and shopping lists? Check. Amazingly delicious recipes? Check and check!

Mickey Trescott is one of the most talented and creative chefs I know. Her recipes combine flavours in a sophisticated yet simple way, using standard cooking techniques and equipment so that anyone can make them. This book includes a variety of palate-pleasing recipes that comply with the recommendations in The Paleo Approach , including: quick everyday meals, elaborate and decadent meals that you could serve to company (and they will never know that theyre eating foods belonging to a restricted diet), comfort foods, appetisers, snacks, quick lunches and luscious desserts.

The most important contribution that The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook will make to your life is to reintroduce deliciousness! Being able to eat scrumptious, comforting foods and even enjoy the occasional dessert stops that feeling of missing out in its tracks. It gives you back the contribution that yummy food makes to your quality of life (while also improving your quality of life via a nutritional upgrade). Yes, you can still enjoy good food even while you eat to regulate your immune system and heal your body.

The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook also helps you get organised with its resources, guides, tips and tricks, meal plans and shopping lists. This takes the guesswork out of what to eat and helps you plan for the week ahead, a strategy that can be essential for success. As much as this cookbook caters to those who follow The Paleo Approach to manage immune and autoimmune conditions, this is just plain ol good food. This book could grace any kitchen bookshelf and the recipes herein could be enjoyed by anyone. And regardless of the reasons youve picked up this book, you will find yourself coming back to these recipes over and over again. So grab a fork and get ready to dig in!

Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD, author of The Paleo Approach

INTRODUCTION

What inspired you to pick up this cookbook? Well, like one in five people in the Western world, you may have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks ones own tissue. Given that conventional medicine has yet to find a cause or a cure for this condition, you may be left wondering if there is anything you can do to help yourself. Ask your doctor, and you will likely be told that what you eat has nothing to do with your symptoms. However, if you look at how our modern diet has evolved in the last century, with a marked increase in the over-processing of many foods and the emphasis on grains, refined sugar, chemicals, toxins and pesticides, among other elements, its hard not to see that the food we choose to put into our bodies every day has a direct impact on the rapid increase in chronic illness. What we eat does matter, and just as an improper diet can cause disease, a nourishing one can bring healingeven with a condition as serious as autoimmune disease.

This book is the product of my own personal struggle to find health and vitality using the Autoimmune Protocola version of an ancestral diet that removes foods such as grains, beans, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds and nightshades [a family of plants containing foods like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants (aubergines) and capsicums]. This diet is designed to heal the gut, or more specifically, the small intestine, which scientists have now pinpointed as a major factor contributing to autoimmune disease.