Kate Llewellyn-Waters - The Immunity Cookbook: How to Strengthen Your Immune System and Boost Long-Term Health, with 100 Easy Recipes

contents

part 1:
the immune system

part 2:
the most effective strategies

part 3:
the recipes

The information contained in this book is intended for general purposes only. The author and publisher are not responsible for any specific health concerns, which may require medical supervision. If you have any existing health concerns or issues, or have any questions relating to the advice in this book, you should contact a medical professional.

As a medical doctor with a background in acute internal medicine and Medical Oncology, I have seen frequently how diet and lifestyle choices significantly affect the morbidity and mortality of my patients. The complex relationship between disease and inflammation is universally acknowledged. My particular interest is in the role of the immune system in fighting cancer, and this concept has been utilized in novel cancer immunotherapy, which uses the bodys own immune system to fight the disease. Immunotherapy has improved outcomes in many types of cancer including lung cancer and melanoma. In addition, there is a growing body of evidence towards how cancer immunotherapy is even more effective when patients have an optimized gut microbiome.

Both the gut and immune system are highly complex systems, which as we now know, are intricately intertwined. Yet we hardly ever appreciate our crucial defence system until things go wrong. As the book highlights, when our immune systems arent working as well as they should, we are more at risk of infectious disease, autoimmune conditions and allergies, as well as diseases such as cancer. Our immunity is closely associated with every area of our physical, emotional and mental wellbeing it is the basis of our health. However, our fast-paced modern lives, chronic stress, poor nutrition habits, lack of physical activity, pollution and toxins threaten both our gut health and immunity.

The Immunity Cookbook is an evidence-based cookbook and reference guide detailing how our modern lives and ever-changing environment influence our gut health and immunity. As Kate shows, we need to balance our immune systems, and this, as is demonstrated, can be achieved with the appropriate nutrition choices, and by addressing areas such as gut health, exercise, stress management, mental health, sleep and sunlight exposure. Kate has drawn on scientific research in addition to alternative health literature to provide a detailed, balanced and informative reference guide, packed with 100 quick and straightforward breakfast, lunch, dinner and sweet treat recipes that the whole family can enjoy. The book even includes a section on how to make certain homemade staples, which is very helpful. Kate employs a great balance of science, practical and effective strategies, anecdotes and delicious recipes. Additionally, all the advice is presented in a helpful reference table, which will make a significant difference to your health and everyday life. What excites me about this book is that instead of focusing on food exclusion, it is about enjoyable eating and living. It is not meant to be a quick fix, but if you can master the basics you can achieve the optimum from your gut health and immunity.

The Immunity Cookbook will provide you with the knowledge to make healthier choices, allowing you to achieve both improved gut health and stronger, balanced immunity. This book will change your current mindset about gut health and immunity, and has the potential to change your life forever, resulting in a healthier and happier you.

Dr Harriet Baker BSc MSc MBBS MRCP

My obsession with the digestive system began nearly 30 years ago, when I was a teenager and had to have an endoscopy to investigate a suspected hiatus hernia in my stomach. Being awake during this procedure, and watching, on screen, my upper gastrointestinal tract being explored, I decided there and then I wanted to learn as much as I could about this incredible system.

The gut is a fascinating organ, and as scientific research shows, the health of our gut plays a central role in our immunity, since an astonishing 70 per cent of our immune cells live in the gut. It is also home to trillions of microbes (different types of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi), which make up the human microbiome. In fact, the gut microbiome is now regarded as an organ in its own right, often referred to as the second brain. When we talk about the gut microbiome we are referring to the microbes as well as their genetic material. These incredible microbes play a significant role in numerous areas of our health, and the activities of the microbiome are involved in most, if not all, of the human biological processes.

Our microbes live off the food we eat, so to thank us for feeding them, they provide lots of crucial services for our bodies, including:

• Producing key molecules, which strengthen the gut barrier and impact gut function
• Strengthening and balancing our immune system
• Regulating body weight by determining how much energy our body extracts from the food we eat, controlling hunger cues, and deciding how much our blood sugar is raised after a meal
• Communicating with other organs, such as our brain, heart and liver
• Making vitamins, amino acids, hormones and enzymes
• Metabolizing medications and deactivating toxins.

At present, we are in the midst of a worldwide immunity crisis, and never has it been a more appropriate time to address our immunity and gut health. Over millions of years our gut microbes, which make up our magical microbiome, have altered along with us, feeding off the food we eat. However, due to a nutrient-deficient and often inadequate diet, as well as antibiotic use, many of the gut microbes that evolved with us over millions of years no longer exist, or are present in much reduced quantities. The loss of these beneficial microbes influence our immunity, so it doesnt function as well as it ought. Luckily, through the power of nutrition and lifestyle choices, we have the ability to control and re-establish these missing microbes, helping them thrive, so that they can help us fight infections, balance an overactive immune system, and reduce our risk of allergies. To do this, we need to focus on eating a diet rich in evidence-based nutrients and foods, which promote the diversity of our gut bacteria species. This will allow the beneficial bacteria to thrive and also, encourage a strong, healthy gut lining. And, in turn, this will help us build strong and balanced immune systems, protecting us from infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases and allergies all of which are, currently, at alarming levels in the Western world.

Fortunately, food choice is one of the most significant and valuable opportunities that we can embrace to improve our immunity and our gut health.

How the book works

My aim in writing this book is to provide you with an easy-to-follow guide, giving you the tools to help you make informed choices as to how to eat and live, so that you can achieve optimal gut health and healthy, balanced immunity.

The book provides an insight into your gut and immune system how both systems work, how to look after them both, and what you can do to support your gut health and immune system in the long-term. I discuss the most effective and scientifically proven strategies as to how you can improve these areas, and have created 100 easy-to-make recipes, which will help you achieve optimal gut health and immunity.

Part 1 of the book explores how our extraordinary immune system and gut work, and also what autoimmune conditions and allergies are.

Part 2 discusses the most effective and evidence-based strategies to achieve better immunity. I explain how we can strengthen our gut health and immunity not only through diet, but also by addressing factors such as, exercise, sleep, mental health and sunlight. Part 3, which is the main and final part of the book, consists of 100 easy and quick recipes. Each of these recipes contains nutrients that have been demonstrated in scientific studies to benefit gut health and provide immune system support. All of the recipes use accessible ingredients, and I also offer gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options to suit your requirements.