I was looking for an inflammation/food connection when I bought this book. Although it does have some information, a method of identifying your irritants and meal suggestions, it looses its validity with silly new age terms like "tones the body", "strong liver detoxifier", and "cleansing the gallbladder." Ultimately like a Dr Oz book, it is full of statements that your own MD would never speak. Use the menus if you must, just don't expect your liver, kidneys or brain to be purified!

Meals That Heal Inflammation (MTHI) is both a mega guidebook and cookbook in one written by Julie Daniluk, Nutritionist Extraordinaire! Julie's experience as a nutritionist comes through in how clearly she describes how each food (and an excess or deficiency of it, affects our health). She includes simple steps to start adding anti-inflammatory foods to your diet now and which foods to toss out. One of the things I can't stop eating is actually a honey mustard dressing she has with raw honey--DELICIOUS! Three Highlights from the Book…   1. Don't underestimate your emotional health. You can't heal inflammation in your body without healing your mind as well. Three mind balancing activities: meditate, get moving, and don't take yourself so seriously:)   2. Stop turning off your pain response (in other words - put the aspirin down and listen to your body!) The author explains that you need to know when you have an ache or a pain since this is your body's way of letting you know something is wrong. Pushing through the pain because it's dulled by aspirin or over-the-counter pain meds could be decreasing your opportunity to identify inflammation and permanently heal a nagging condition.   3. Meals are easy and good (they're even for picky little eaters - ages 3, 5, 7) I love the freshness of each meal and that I'm getting a powerful vitamin, mineral, anti-inflammatory burst of goodness with each bite! My kids on the other hand loved the smells and taste of each crispy kale chip and sesame green bean! This is different from the shrieks and shrills I usually hear when anything green appears on their plate. I found MTHI to be very enlightening and answered a lot of questions about my own gut, childhood and adult food poisonings, gut linings and how to live without stomach discomfort. My family and I eat a gluten free wheat free diet (sometimes casein free as well) so I'm always looking for new meals and new meal ideas we'll all enjoy that are also good for us. It is important to note that you don't have to have a stomach issue (or be wildly obsessed with anti-inflammatory foods) to enjoy this book. The meals themselves are worth cooking up for mind, body and inner health! **I received this book for free for review purposes from Hay House Book Nook.

Meals that Heal Inflammation is a thoughtfully written book. I appreciate how it is organized with easy to find information that is recapped and referenced. I think the ideas behind the book are helpful. Julie Daniluk states that there is no right diet for anyone, everyone is unique. What Julie provides is a method to figure out what your own food sensitivities are. She covers the various reasons why inflammation may occur and addresses lifestyle aspects that can help reduce the impact of inflammation. The book has point form summaries of each chapter and the layout is easy to read and easy to find information. There are quizzes and easy tables to quickly assess your needs. Then, Julie provides a plan to slowly remove foods from your diet that are likely culprits of inflammation – whether allergen based or a health condition. Also, given the wide variety of sensitivities people have, Julie includes practical suggestions to accommodate, say a soy based sensitivity/allergy so recipes can be altered to individual needs. I tried out some of the 120 recipes that are included in this book. I think the recipes fared well. My four year old son liked the pesto (cheese and nut free) and the African Nut Butter Stew. The Dijon chicken recipe didn’t fare as well with my son, but my parents both liked it. The Best Carrot Cake Ever is likely a new recipe addition to my mom's repetoire of recipes it was enjoyed so much. It can be hard to come across good recipes that are dairy, wheat, gluten and nightshade vegetable free; all of the recipes fit these criteria. What a delight. FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my own perspectives.

I have struggled with inflammation for years as arthritis in my elbow and shoulder. My wife picked up this book for recipe ideas (which are fantastic by the way), but I soon was captivated by the way Julie explains the reasons why we have inflammation. Who would have known that food can have such healing powers when you know what to eat, and what to avoid! I am not scientifically minded, so the charts and graphs were very helpful. My wife actually copied the food pyramid and posted it on the fridge for easy viewing. I catch her secretly smiling at me when I sit down at the table to consult the red light, yellow light, green light chart before making a snack. I look forward to seeing how the Meals That Heal plan will work for me over the 8-12 weeks that Julie recommends, as I have only been following it for a week and already have more energy throughout the day. Glad to see that good books are still being published. This one is certainly a keeper for us and I will likely be buying one for my sister as well to help with her chronic fatigue.