Cooking Without Made Easy: All recipes free from added gluten, sugar, yeast and dairy produce

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 didn’t 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 heads—a 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. I’m now sure that his first infection was his body’s 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 at—and succeeded in—eliminating 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, couldn’t 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. David’s 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.