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It
is always compelling when we are told a story of a person's personal success
when overcoming disease. Marguerite Patten tells a highly motivating story
of how she overcame her debilitating arthritis by adjusting her diet.
Of course Patten
has a huge advantage that most of us don't share. As one of our most successful
cookery writers over the last few decades, she had a wealth of ideas to
make her dietary changes workable. Together with nutritionist Jeanette
Ewin she has compiled a highly practical book of advice and recipes to
share her findings with us. And most encouraging of all for the reader
the plan suggests that many will find a degree of relief within a shortish
period of time - two-six weeks.
One of the things
that nutritional therapists often have to struggle with is the ability
to make dietary recommendations to their clients sound appealing, especially
in the context of busy lives. It is all too easy to describe a list of
foods that must be avoided - usually those foods that are most loved by
the poor individual - and leave them wondering what they can eat. So off
they go to the health food shop having been told to avoid wheat and dairy
(for instance) to find they don't have a clue how to deal with foods such
as millet and maize. One of the things that I love about this book is
that it takes these slightly unusual foods and puts them firmly in the
mainstream as far as making delicious dishes is concerned - and without
any more effort than one might make with 'normal' cooking. It all becomes
very workable.
Basically the
diet proscribes all the usual culprits - gluten grains (wheat, oats, rye),
alcohol, coffee, tea, citrus fruit, deadly nightshade vegetables (tomatoes,
aubergines, peppers, potatoes) and possibly cows' milk products.
Most people begin
to feel faint at this point, but when you read the list of foods that
you can eat you begin to cheer up - rice, bread made from cornmeal, blinis
made from buckwheat flour, gluten free pasta, sweet potatoes, fish and
shellfish, meats, certain nuts, fruits and vegetables. It is all set out
in a most manageable way.
Great faith is
put in the inclusion at least three times a week of liver (suitable for
those with osteo- or rheumatoid arthritis, but to be avoided by those
with gout). And equal faith is put in having some molasses and brewer's
yeast daily, mixed into what is called a 'health drink'. This diet was
based on the work described by Dr Giraud W Campbell in the 1970s who prescribed
these foods. Liver is certainly an underrated food these days and I have
described it in at least two of my own books as being virtually a vitamin
and mineral supplement in food form. The same can be said of molasses
and brewer's yeast. However experience tells me that many people will
balk at the idea of eating liver three times a week. It is also a concern
these days that liver carries high levels of environmental chemicals (which
the animal stores in its liver) and for some people this might be unacceptable.
This is certainly not a plan for vegetarians.
About one-third
of the book is devoted to a basic but understandable descriptions of the
problem, and a detailed but easy to follow induction to the plan. The
remaining two-thirds of the book gives easy to follow and delicious recipes.
The plan follows
a seven week course. Week zero (as it is called) involves understanding
your normal diet and rating the level of arthritic discomfort you experience.
Week one is a clearing out phase with a one-day fast and the remaining
days involving a pared down eating plan. There is a maintenance phase
for a further week. After this the reader is encouraged to slowly introduce
and test foods in a certain order. Again this is all laid out very simply
and with no ambiguities about how to proceed. If someone is motivated
to ditch the pain and inflammation they are experiencing I would expect,
based on my experience with clients, that this is an easy plan to follow.
I like Marguerite
Patten's accounts of her experiences which most people would identify
with: "I did not enjoy giving up tea and coffee but discovered many
other drinks instead", "I kept to the strict rules [then] I
introduced the thing I missed most - oranges. I ate them sparingly and
was fine;" when I started to have them 'ad lib' I noticed I had more
pain," "I hated it [talking about the health drink] so I take
the brewer's yeast as tablets and a spoonful of black treacle [molasses]
before the milk."
We are reminded
of other important points when controlling arthritis: to control weight,
enjoy gentle exercise, learn to relax and sleep well and so on. Patten
and Ewin are not claiming that diet will solve all a person's arthritic
problems without taking a rounded approach to life, however as they rightly
point out diet can be a significant contributing factor to arthritis and
can therefore be used as a cornerstone of recovery.
All in all this
book is compelling, readable, practical and workable. I recommend it highly.
About
the Reviewer
Suzannah
Olivier is a nutritionist and health writer and contributes regularly
to The Times. She is the author of a number of nutrition books including
Allergy Solutions and The Detox Manual (Simon & Schuster Pocket Books
£6.99 each). You can visit her website www.healthandnutrition.co.uk
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