Food Saved Me - by Danielle Walker (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

- National Bestseller -

You can live a full, happy, and healthy life without ever feeling excluded or deprived.

When doctors told Danielle Walker that food didn't cause her autoimmune disease and couldn't help control it, she set out to prove them wrong. Diagnosed with an extreme form of ulcerative colitis at 22, Danielle was terrified she'd never be able to eat all the wonderful, great-tasting foods she loved growing up or host warm, welcoming gatherings with family and friends. So when the medicine she was prescribed became almost as debilitating as the disease itself, Danielle took matters into her own hands, turned her kitchen into a laboratory, and set to work creating gut-healthy versions of the foods she thought she'd never be able to enjoy again. Multiple New York Times bestselling cookbooks later, Danielle has become a beacon of hope for millions around the world suffering from autoimmune diseases, food allergies, and chronic ailments.

Now for the first time, with stunning transparency about the personal toll her chronic illness took on her physically, emotionally, and spiritually, Danielle reflects on everything she's learned during her decade-long journey toward healing--including:

• the connection between gut health and overall well-being
• the development of her favorite recipes, including delicious gluten-free options
• and the keys for not simply surviving her autoimmune disease but thriving despite it

Through her resilience, Danielle tells a story that provides encouragement and hope--hope that despite your ailments or hardships, you can live a full, happy, and healthy life without ever feeling excluded or deprived.

Food saved Danielle Walker. And it can save you, too.

Includes six fan-favorite recipes and the stories behind them!

From the Back Cover

Hi, I'm Danielle.
I'm a wife, mom, and grain-free, gluten-free, and mostly dairy-free cook and baker from the San Francisco Bay area.

Odds are, if you're reading this book, you or someone you know is struggling with an autoimmune disease or some other health concern, and you're wondering if changing your diet can help. The short answer is yes! It most definitely can! The slightly longer answer lies in the pages that follow.

This book is my story, but it is also a love story--a story about loving food, loving family, loving friends, and loving yourself enough to take an active role in managing your own health. I have experienced a decade-long cycle of diagnosis, trauma, disease, grief, remission, setbacks, recovery, loss, and rediscovering faith, but one thing has held true: Food continues to save me. And my mission is to help others understand all the different ways food can help save them, too.

That's why I have written this book. I want to share my journey so that others battling chronic illnesses will know they're not alone--there is a path forward, there is healing, and there is hope.

The journey might not always be easy. But I can promise you it will be worth it.

Eat well and feel great, friend.

Review Quotes

Walker (Against All Grain) follows her grain-free and gluten-free cookbooks with this unflinching chronicle of dealing with an autoimmune disease and her path to discovering food's "amazing power to heal." At 22, Walker was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory disease that attacks the colon. A simple blood test revealed a long list of food sensitivities including oregano, green peas, potatoes, and watermelon, with grains and dairy at the top. "It was not just the food itself," Walker writes, "it was what was in it, how it was digested, and how it was prepared." This set her on a yearslong trial-and-error quest to fashion a diet that required minimal digestive processes, which she details in inviting, conversational prose. To replace wheat- or rice-based noodles, she made her own by cutting strips of coconut flour crepes; instead of sugar, she swapped in honey. While juggling life as a busy mom, Walker researched and developed almost 1,200 recipes and published four bestselling cookbooks, gaining unintended celebrity as a health advocate along the way. Ever the optimist, she writes, "If you're new to grain-, gluten-, and dairy-free living, I want you to know that you're not alone." Full of delicious recipes and positive affirmations, this is sure to offer hope to many.--Publishers Weekly

Cookbook author and health advocate Walker (Against All Grain, 2013) offers this prime example of a conversational memoir. It reads as if a friend is sharing a deeply personal story, and in this case readers will be all ears. Walker is an absolute health cheerleader, and her enthusiasm catapults off the page: she is on a mission to spread the news that diet can indeed improve wellbeing. Walker shares her experiences with severe gastrointestinal issues that threatened her life. Her journey has not been an easy one, and there are losses and frightening moments along the way, but ultimately this is a story of loving food and family, accepting support, and understanding self-worth. Resources toward the end of the book include a note, written by Walker's husband, for caregivers; an index of grain-free and Paleo foods; and a grocery list to start readers on their journey to a happier gut and therefore a happier life. Anyone who has struggled with balancing their diet will benefit from this inspiring memoir.--Booklist