Cousins - Cooking without made easy: recipes free from added gluten, sugar, yeast and dairy produce

The cure of the part should not be attempted without treatment of the whole. No attempt should be made to cure the body without the soul, if the head and body are to be healthy, you must begin by curing the mindfor this is the great error of our day in the treatment of the human body, that physicians first separate the soul from the body.

Plato, in the fifth century BC

Having spent the last 18 years in practice as a nutritional therapist, I felt I needed to write this third book in the Cooking Without series to summarize the knowledge I have acquired during this time. I also wanted to include lots of easy recipes because, having learnt during the last 18 years to be much kinder to myself, I like to cook dishes that are uncomplicated as well as healthy.

My first book, Cooking Without, came as a result of clients asking for recipes because they didnt know how to cook without wheat, sugar, yeast and dairy produce. When my self-published version was eventually taken over by Thorsons I added a section about detoxification so that the book could be used as a do-it-yourself manual by anyone wishing to put the regime into practice and improve their health. Next came Vegetarian Cooking Without, which has a section covering various health problems and the insights that I have gained over the years through dealing with my own health as well as that of my clients.

This book feels like the final one of a trilogy. It is a summary of the effect that cooking without can have on peoples lives. In it I have used my own story, and those of some of my clients, to help explain the remarkable changes that can happen when detoxification takes place. It has always been my aim not only to alleviate the physical symptoms of my clients, but

In all the case histories quoted in this book the names and precise circumstances of individuals have been changed in order to protect their privacy.

to uncover the reasons why they became ill. Physical symptoms are just the body trying to talk to us, to encourage us to look below the surface and find the answers.

We need to reach a point where we can be in the moment rather than in the past or future, where we can let go of control and have trust and faith, where we can be in touch with our intuition rather than in our headsa place where health replaces disease. This is what Cooking Without Made Easy and my other two books are about. It is, I believe, the work I came here to do and to pass on to others.

My interest in diet and nutrition really took off after the birth of my first son in 1974. Three weeks after my son was born he developed a throat infection. His birth had been long and difficult and I had accepted all the pain relief I was offered. Im now sure that his first infection was his bodys way of throwing off the toxicity from the drugs that he too must have ingested. When the doctor gave him his first antibiotic I had an instinctive feeling that this was not the right thing to do. A month later he went down with another infection. His little body had overcome the suppression of the antibiotic and was now trying to eliminate the previous toxicity, along with that of the antibiotic.

Fortunately, there was a health food shop in the town where I lived and although in those days the supplements available were limited, it was suggested that I try vitamin C. It did the trick. When infections did occur over the years I always went to the doctor for a diagnosis, but he soon learned that I preferred not to use drugs. Sometimes I went away with a prescription just in case, but I always followed a visit to the doctor with one to the health food shop, and so my son avoided the antibiotic treadmill.

When my second son was born 18 months later, my own health began to suffer. For the first time in my life I was lacking in energy and my skin and hair felt lifeless. This spurred me on to examine and improve our diet. I started baking wholemeal bread, cut down on sugar and included more fruit and vegetables in the family diet. My health improved rapidly, my children blossomed and as a result I became a convert to healthy eating.

In the early days my use of nutrition was aimed atand succeeded ineliminating physical symptoms. Over the years, many of my clients have seen the dramatic effect that a change of diet can have on their physical health. Often, after only a few weeks on a new regime, the change is remarkable and many struggle to believe that diet can be so powerful. This was the situation in the following three case histories.

David came to me because he was suffering from anxiety symptoms. He was waking in the night feeling anxious, frightened and panicky, and had palpitations. During the day he was tired, couldnt concentrate and often felt depressed, irritable and full of irrational fears. Three weeks after the start of a cooking without dietary regime David was delighted with his improvement. He was less anxious, less tired and had had only one anxiety attack in the night. He continued to make improvements, becoming much calmer and less prone to mood swings. His concentration improved and life took on new meaning. Davids problems stemmed from an allergy that was causing his blood sugar to drop. However, once the problem foods were removed from his diet and his blood sugar was supported with the right kind of food at regular intervals, his problems ceased.

Gail had been suffering from arthritis for 15 years and migraines for 20 years when she came for a consultation. Within just three weeks she experienced an improvementshe had more energy, no headaches and fewer aches and pains. Six weeks later she was feeling really well and, for the first time in years, her periods were on time. Gail continued to visit me over the years whenever she had a problem and although she did have a little residual damage in her feet from the arthritis, her original problems did not recur.

Gail was a teacher and had spent years living on her adrenalin, taking more out of her body than she was putting back in. Once on a nutritionally-sound programme, her body was able to eliminate some of the backlog of toxicity that was at the root of her problems.

When I first began seeing Barbara, I was feeling tired, bloated and constipated, and I had been putting weight on steadily for five years. I had gradually become anaemic and was at a loss as to why this was happening, as I had not altered my diet or lifestyle. After overcoming the shock of such a drastic change in dietI had to eat six times a day and a minimum amountI started to feel better and found I had more energy and was calmer and more relaxed.

But the biggest change came when I cut out all dairy produce (an allergy test had proved that I was intolerant to dairy from any animal). I stopped having digestive rumblings, wind and constipation, and my sinuses cleared up. I also started losing weight30kg in a year, which translates to 11b per week, a healthy rate. I have not needed to see Barbara for some time now, but I still keep pretty much to her diet.

Although over the years most clients have seen some improvements in their health by their second appointment, not everyone experiences overnight success. Nutritional therapy is a little like detective workit involves looking for signs that the body produces, in order to diagnose and prescribe, and then watching how the body reacts to any changes. Most clients have a few ups and downs, as we untangle the causes of their problems, before they eventually settle on the road to recovery.

Bernice had ulcerative colitis, which caused cramping pains and urgent visits to the loo with the passing of blood and mucus. She was tired all the time and depressed because of her ill health. By her second visit she had much more energy, she was less depressed and the ache in her colon had disappeared. Bernice was enjoying feeling much better so she made the most of it and started catching up on all the jobs she had left undone. Unfortunately, her health soon began to deteriorate again. At this stage in her recovery there simply wasnt enough energy available for healing