Book Review - The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook by Mickey Trescott

Master 3's healing journey living the Paleo lifestyle (whilst being allergic to wheat/eggs/dairy/nuts and more, as well as having intolerances to a host of other foods) has been a positive one. He is no longer the itchy, covered in eczema child he once was and he is sleeping again and no longer in constant pain.

Lachlan had been gluten free for as long as I could remember then passed his wheat challenge as a baby only to be diagnosed this year with a IgE wheat allergy (again) after I asked for him to be retested for wheat as I knew something wasn't quite right.

I had also had independant IgG testing done through our Naturopath in December 2012 and wheat and a host of other items (like rice and legumes) came up as intolerances which is when we transitioned slowly to Paleo.  

Interestingly many of the IgG responses we received when retested as IgE allergies in May this year at Westmead Childrens Hospital Allergy/Eczema clinic also came up positive allergies). 
(Read more about our story here - http://feedingtwogrowingboys.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Our%20story) 

Even though he was thriving on Paleo and his eczema was disappearing before our eyes now that grains had been removed something still wasn't quite right. This lead me to yet more research and I stumbled across a diet called the "Autoimmune Paleo Protocol" online. 

This protocol removes additional items such as eggs, nuts, seeds and nightshades which are all included in the normal Paleo diet. 

Lachlan although he was not eating eggs or nuts due to his anaphylactic allergies to these items, was still consuming seeds and nightshades almost everyday in some form. Upon removing these items from his diet we saw a vast improvement in his energy levels, sleeping patterns, recovering from illness time and in his skin which was already doing really well since removing grains, legumes and pseudo grains like quinoa. His gut was finally getting the break it needed and it was showing on the outside. 

Since I had always cooked with seeds (including things like mustard), and especially nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, capsicum) I hit a wall as to how to prepare food for Lachlan and still have variety (especially since he can only consume chicken and fish as his protein due to being beef intolerant and wasn't really tolerating lamb either as a baby so we removed this also).

It was then I came across this book. The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook by Mickey Trescott, which made the transition from Paleo to Autoimmune Paleo so much easier! 

(You can follow Mickey on Facebook and online at www.autoimmune-paleo.com. )

The book at this stage is only available as a PDF download from Mickey's website (details provided at end of blog post) but she is looking to have it printed in the future. 

Mickey herself is a chef and a Nutritional therapy practitioner who was vegan for quite sometime and then was diagnosed with Celiac and Hashimotos disease - both autoimmune conditions. She found her health deteriorating and introduced fish to her diet and then transitioned from vegan to Paleo slowly reversing mineral and vitamin deficiencies and then came across the Autoimmune Protocol herself which she credits to "making her feel like a real person again". 

This lead her to doing extensive research on the Autoimmune Protocol and therefore using her chef skills to prepare this Ecookbook to help others out in managing their autoimmune conditions.

The book itself includes over 100 AIP (Autoimmune Protocol Paleo) friendly recipes which are all free from dairy, eggs, nuts, grains, beans and nightshades - all foods which cross the gut lining causing further inflammation in a already ravaged leaky gut - something we all have to some degree but those with autoimmune conditions most certainly have.

Mickey has also included great lists such as these (below) which are nice and easy to print and stick on the fridge/pantry as a quick reference as to what to include and what to avoid on the AIP protocol. 

Even though we have been following this protocol for some time and I live and breathe these lists, they are still stuck on our fridge as a constant reminder!

The book also includes 2 x  4 week meal plans and shopping lists making it perfect for those of you who are time poor or hate meal planning or just starting out and a little overwhelmed as to where to begin. 

The book covers basics like making bone broths for the recipes, Kombucha, kefir, coconut milk/cream and covers all meal categories - Appetizers, Beverages, Dressings/Sauces, Salads, Soups (Beet & Fennel is Master 3's favorite - he has named this Dragon Blood soup), Vegetables, Chicken, Seafood, Beef and Lamb and of course desserts - yes you can even eat yummy desserts on the AIP protocol such as this beautiful Coconut Raspberry "Cheesecake" which Mickey has allowed me to publish here for you along with her super yummy Coconut crusted Cod recipe.  

Coconut Raspberry "Cheesecake"

Crust Ingredients:

• 3 cups dates pitted and soaked for 5 minutes in warm water
• 1 cup coconut oil melted
• 1/3 cup coconut flour 
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups raw honey 
• 1 1/2 cups coconut butter (a.k.a. coconut cream concentrate –Mickey has a recipe for homemade coconut butter in her book.
• 1 cup coconut oil 
• 5 cups frozen raspberries
• 6 tablespoons tapioca starch 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• fresh raspberries for garnish
• thick coconut flakes for garnish

1. Place the jars of coconut oil, coconut butter and raw honey in a pan with very hot water in order to let them soften.

2. To prepare the crust, preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Strain the dates and place in a food processor or high-powered blender with the melted coconut oil. Blend for 30 seconds or so until a chunky paste forms. Be warned you may have to stop and scrape the sides if you are using a blender, and the oil will not completely mix with the dates, but the crust will still turn out fine. Combine the coconut flour, shredded coconut and salt in a bowl. Add the date paste and mix thoroughly. Place the mixture into the bottom of an 8″ spring-form pan, pressing the mixture down evenly. Use a small spatula to clean up the top edge around the sides of the pan, where the filling will meet the crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust browns and hardens a little bit. The texture will still be soft until it finishes cooling. Set aside while you make the filling.

3. To make the filling, combine the raw honey, coconut butter, coconut oil, and frozen raspberries in a saucepan on low heat. Stir until the raspberries are no longer frozen and the mixture is warm, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add the tapioca starch, vanilla extract, and salt. Blend on high for about a minute, until completely mixed. Pour carefully into the spring-form pan on top of the crust.

4. Set in the refrigerator undisturbed for at least 12 hours to allow the cake to cool and completely harden. When it is solid, carefully remove the spring-form pan. Decorate the top of the cake with thick flake coconut chips and fresh raspberries.

A great dinner or lunch dish we love is the Coconut Crusted Cod

Ingredients:
24 ounces cod fillets, cut into 2 inch thick strips
1 1⁄2 cups coconut flour
1 1⁄2 teaspoons ginger powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup finely shredded coconut
2 tablespoons coconut oil
mango salsa (p.72)

1. Wash, dry, and debone the cod fillets.
2. Combine the coconut flour, ginger powder and salt on a plate or shallow bowl. Place the coconut milk in another shallow bowl, as well as the shredded coconut. Dip the cod strips into the coconut milk, then the coconut flour mixture, back into the coconut milk, and finally into the shredded coconut, paying special attention to creating a thick breading.
3. Heat the coconut oil in the bottom of a skillet on high heat. When it is hot, cook the cod strips for five minutes a side depending on thickness of the fish, or until the top and bottom are nice and browned and the fish is cooked throughout. Once the cod strips are in the pan, try not to fuss with them too much – because there is no egg in the breading, they are a little delicate.
4. Serve with mango salsa.


The book is beautifully photographed and Mickey can also email you a text only version if you would like to print it (I have it saved on my computer and iPad for use in the kitchen (as it is interactive wherever the text is highlighted) and also have the text only version printed & bound at Officeworks for quick use in the kitchen. 

I really think even if you don't wish to follow the Autoimmune protocol for gut healing but have food allergies or intolerances to any of the above ingredients (which I know many of you do, especially things like nightshades (tomatoes etc) this book is a great resource to help you with variety in your diet and I highly recommend it. 

It has introduced me to a whole new way of cooking and lead me to adapt my own little selection of AIP friendly recipes from the foods I used to cook for our family.

I can't thank Mickey enough, she is a lovely lady to deal with as well and I wish her all the best with her book.

This protocol is truly life changing and I speak from experience with Master 3. 

You can buy The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook by Mickey Trescott through my affiliate link here Click here to visit Autoimmune Paleo.

and I will receive a small commision which allows me to buy more books to review for you all.
 (I paid full price for my copy). 

Look forward to hearing from any of you who wish to know more about AIP or if you do purchase the book or already own it your thoughts.

In health,

~ Kat