I am so excited to share my new book with you – Healing From the Inside Out: Managing Autoimmune Disease with a Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet.
Being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) was one of the worst days of my life. I was sitting in the neurologists office hearing her speak but not listening to the words; all could think about was how my life was over. 10 years later, those thoughts are thankfully far behind me! Not that I haven’t had to work at it, but with consistent lifestyle changes, effort and lots of amazingly tasty whole plant foods, I can now say I live well with MS.
MS is an autoimmune disease, just one of over 100 types currently recognised. All are different and are rarely gathered together in a group. Which is why it’s under recognised as being the second largest chronic health issue after heart disease, affecting 10% of the UK population. That’s a huge issue! You can find out more about autoimmune diseases here.
Whilst all these conditions manifest with different symptoms, there is also much in common like chronic, low-grade inflammation, a confused and overwhelmed immune system, issues with gut health and dysbiosis, a disrupted community in the gut microbiome. I’ve been fascinated by this magical ecosystem since researching it for my first book, Eat Well Live Well with The Sensitive Foodie. New research is constantly being published about our symbiotic relationship and just how important healthy, balanced microbiota are to overall health.
Whilst a range of factor influence gut health and the microbiome, the biggest is the food we eat, particularly fibre, healthy fats and polyphenols, the colourful compounds found in plants. These help the microbiome to thrive, and this is the focus of the book – identifying the best foods to help the gut heal, calm and soothe the immune system and enable the microbiome to flourish.
Feeding myself a whole-food plant-based diet and avoiding highly saturated fats, sugar and toxic compounds has certainly supported my health and others I know with the same condition. What about other types of autoimmune disease though? I soon found others with different conditions experienced the same healing benefits; three of these wonderful people are featured in the book, sharing their story and top tips as well. Here’s one, Kate Dunbar who uses a whole-food plant-based diet to manage her Psoriatic Arthritis. She’s amazing!
Split into two halves, Healing From the Inside Out starts with plenty of evidence-based information about food, gut health and autoimmune disease. I also share some simple steps to get started; fatigue is such a common problem that easy is best (or so I’ve found!). The second half is packed with 100 new and super tasty recipes that won’t take up too much time, energy or money. And in a lovely ironic twist, all recipes are gluten free – but can be made with wheat flour if desired 😉
Healing From the Inside Out is available to buy at all good book stores now. You can also buy it directly from my publisher’s site here.
Alternatively, buy directly from me and you can get your hands on a signed copy! The price includes postage in the UK only (sorry overseas people, it’s just too expensive). You can find out more and place your order here
Fancy a little taster before your order? Sign up to receive a biblet of the book, the first 40 pages or so.
Reviews are still coming in; I’m particularly chuffed with this lovely comment from Dr Gemma Newman, GP and author of two highly successful books.
