Healing Foods: Cooking for Celiacs, Colitis, Crohn's and IBS [Paperback]

Elephant Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008 | Series: Healing Foods

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

After previewing Sandras cookbook, my only wish is that Elaine Gottschall was still alive to see this beautiful creation. Her ability or organize the essential ingredients, appetizers, snacks, main dishes, weekly and monthly cooking plans, will give people the confidence they need to heal themselves. Sick children always do better when the entire home is eating healthy. Sandra s book will allow families to eat the most gourmet meals, without spending an enormous amount of time in the kitchen. Thank you for this wonderful book and all your hard work. It was worth the effort! --Pam Ferro, President, Gottchall Autism Centre, Massachusetts

This book is an invaluable addition to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet library. There are many nutritious, delicious and imaginative recipes that will tempt even the most fussy eater. For example, the author goes to some lengths to include some very good recipes for children. The photographs are excellent, and accompany the text well. In particular, the weekly and monthly cooking plans will help those on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet to effectively manage their meals and their cooking. I am very impressed with this book, and I am happy to support its publication. --Matthew Jackson, Moderator of SCDOZ, Australian/NZ SCD Support Group

Sandra Ramacher, from Australia has authored an exceptional SCD cookbook filled with one hundred beautiful photographs of her recipes. (nearly two hundred and all very appealing). Perhaps you are already aware of it. Sandra, who follows SCD, has shared her book with me and invited me to check recipes for compliance and strict adherence to Elaine's legacy. She was careful to invite other dedicated SCD key people to review it so she could publish with confidence and assurance that the recipes are clear and ingredients legal. It's a large collection, prefaced with vital information related to cooking and SCD and will have great appeal even outside the SCD community in my opinion. The recipes are in keeping with today's trends in food, elegant yet simple to prepare. Each photo is worth a thousand bites! --Carol Frilegh, Celiac. (on SCDiet for 7 yrs)

About the Author

Just after giving birth to her son, Sandra was diagnosed with severe Ulcerative Colitis. Suffering for years from the side effects of the prescribed steroidal drugs as well as the disease itself, Sandra undertook extensive research into alternative treatments. She eventually discovered the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and soon went off the drugs and successfully cured herself. Sandra realized that the world needed a comprehensive visual reference to properly present the wide range of wonderful dishes that can be prepared within the scope of this enormously successful diet. Being a passionate photographer and strong advocate for the diet, she compiled her best recipes and tested hundreds more to create the highly regarded Cooking for Celiacs, Colitis, Crohns and IBS.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Elephant Publishing; 1 edition (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0980382807
• ISBN-13: 978-0980382808
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 1 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Nutrition > Food Allergies
  • #55 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Allergies

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 105 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Pictures and Recipes for a Healing Diet that Works! October 24, 2007

By Christina M. Kuykendall

Format: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!

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Felt better after 1 week December 8, 2007

By R. Andrews

Format:Paperback

I don't think that I'm a celiac, and have never been diagnosed with colitis, crohns or ibs, but I love this book. It's just that I often got bloated and lethargic after eating pasta or bread. Maybe I fall under the ibs or celiac category as a mild case, but it doesn't matter. A friend had a copy of this book and after a quick browse I decided to get a copy for myself. After following the recipes in this book for only a week I felt SO much better. Gone was the bloat and in was a sense of vigour and energy.

I'm not one to spend hours in the kitchen getting dinner ready. And as a bachelor I like to make a big batch and have enough for leftovers. Well, the zuchini lasagne is fantastic and I make a double batch for about 6 meals. It only gets better reheated. I make the frittata verde in muffin tins and zap a few for quick breakfasts during the week. Awesome. There is something in this cookbook for everyone. Ms Ramacher's cookbook offers everything from the simple to the gourmet.

The book does recommend starting out with the Vicious Cycle book for those with serious gut issues, but I've just jumped into this one and am really benefitting from it. It probably would be a good idea to get the Vicious Cycle book and do the detox diet.

I have joined the ranks of home-made yoghurt fans, and though I'm still trying to perfect the ideal texture, am enjoying the flavour and satisfaction of home-made stuff. Banana-cherry or banana-blueberry smoothies are now morning insitutions.

The weekly and monthly preparation guides are a bonus. And the garnishes and sauces are better tasting than the sugary storebought stuff by a long shot. Once your first batch of yoghurt is ready, and you buy your bulk almond meal from the wholesalers, you're set! The creative recipes and tantalizing photos have really sparked my culinary imagination. I've even come up with my own pancake recipe with ground macadamia nuts, almond meal, sliced bananas and eggs. I use date molasses instead of maple syrup. Simple, but bloody good eating!

Get this book. You won't regret it. And your family and friends that don't have gut issues will love the meals too.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The MOST practical. Simply the Best January 5, 2010

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I've used this book every day for over a year. I've been through most of the recipes in it and it's never off the bench top. I got a few cookbooks when my daughter started the specific carbohydrate diet. This one has the edge because it covers absolutely everything: the introductory diet, yoghurt making, snacks, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, packed lunches (Children at my daughters' school are envious of their SCD lunches). This book also gives substitutes for staples like rice, mashed potatoes, so that you don't feel you have half a meal in front of you - you have a full, normal, tasty meal.

Friends were shocked when I said I was taking my daughter off complex carbs. I think they expected her to be miserable or fade away but she has positively thrived on this food. This diet is not nearly so brutal as I thought it would be and that is mainly because of the imagination and intelligence that have gone into devising these recipes.

I could not have kept my daughters (One diagnosed with severe Crohn's, the other with ulcerative colits) inspired without this book. Most of the recipes are idiot-proof and turn out great. I'd say the best ones are the sticky date pudding (right up there with the best of the non-SCD ones I've had), the lemon tarts, the homemade lemonade (We live on it), the fruit roll ups (Children at my three daughters' school are asking for the recipe), the homemade baked beans (You never, ever want to have the canned version again), the spice crusted salmon (It's difficult to find recipes for salmon that aren't bland). If you want to try what my non-SCD friend called 'a real gourmet lunch' (when mangoes are in season), put the prawn and mango salad together with the spice crusted salmon -- serve on bed of spinach. Pretty much all the meat and fish recipes turn out well (Chicken tagine is a big family favourite). The crusty onion rolls are sensational and my daughter was pleased that she could have burgers and rolls like everyone else. My daughter has lived off the good morning breakfast bars and the coconut and date rolls; they take just minutes to prepare and they're a convenient way to throw in lots of extra virgin coconut oil, which is especially beneficial for people with IBD. I agree with the reviewer who said the book was worth it for the cheddar crackers alone. They are easy to prepare -- just minutes once you've done them a couple of times; they just take a long time in the oven. Once you have these, you have a great, versatile snack for travelling because they stay crisp in an airtight container. My elder daughter has them with goat's cheese (dripped goat's yogurt), sundried tomatoes and basil. They're also nice with cheese and pesto or you could add olives - whatever you like. Also, the pancakes turn out well once you master the knack - you can cook two at a time in a frying pan with a lot of butter and over a really low heat. Most importantly, the pumpernickel bread always turns out well and toasts nicely, so my daughter can take a sandwich to school like everyone else (It does hold together well and although you may not like it much to begin with, it does grow on you). My daughter started the SCD in the summer holidays and I was dreading the start of school and the lunch boxes but it has not been that hard.

A year ago I said to my daughter, "Try this diet and I promise you will look forward to every meal." At the time I said that, I really didn't know how I was going to deliver because I'm not that great in the kitchen. I have followed this book heavily (also Raman Prasad's and Kendall Conrad's) and I have proved to her that giving up pasta, bread,rice, potatoes doesn't mean she can't eat like a king.

I would advise anyone to get at least a decent blender. A food dehydrator is useful too (for the roll ups and dried fruit) but not essential.