Right Diet for Autoimmunity: A Guide with Recipes Free of Gluten, Dairy, and Refined Sugar

By Darshi N. Shah

An awareness of what is put into your mouth is the first step of getting healthier. Every bite of food can be either healing or harmful to you, and the choice is . yours. What will you choose? Relearn how to make the improved healthier versions of your favorites and experience a reduction of chronic inflammation, digestive upsets, migraines, brain fog, anxiety, and much more. The elimination diet journey is a bio-individual path that leaves you lighter, healthier, and happier. Explore these healing recipes to start your journey to the new and improved you!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504959377

Darshi N. Shah

Originally born in India, Darshi Shah was very young when her family moved to the US. Eventually becoming a graduate of Tulsa University (BSc), and The University of Houston (MSc), she experienced life as a busy executive, wife, and mom. Later her family accepted a temporary overseas posting, and experienced the immersion of other cultures, lifestyles, and language. While overseas, she fell ill with autoimmunity, and had a lengthy process of diagnosis and treatments. This is when she discovered that medicine in NOT an exact science, and that self-accountability for one’s health is vital to survival. As she travelled the world, she learned about different foods and ingredients that improved health and everyday foods that enabled declining health. She explored elimination diets and other holistic paths, and eventually found remission from her illness via dietary and lifestyle changes. Fascinated with holistic health and her results, she went back to school to graduate from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and The Health & Sciences Academy. As a health & nutrition coach, she supports wellness for busy executives. She specializes in nutrition & lifestyle initiatives that empower clients to meet customized health goals. She also raises awareness by speaking on health issues including Clean Eating, Food Moods, and Yogic Pranayama Benefits. She has consulted to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) on their GREAT Kitchens for Restaurants, and GREAT Schools, Colleges, and Camps Program. Her professional affiliations include the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, and the International Association of Health Coaches. She writes about health and fitness contributing to various publications, including Health Coach Home (HCH), The Active Times, The Good News Network, and Costco Connection. Learn more about experiencing your best health by following her at www.nutriliciousrecovery.com. She currently lives in Katy, Texas; but has also lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Mumbai, India; London, England; and Jakarta, Indonesia. Darshi is thankful for the many blessings in her life including health, family, and friends. She is married and a mother of two who enjoys cycling, yoga, meditation, and connecting with friends and family scattered around our small world.

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R.I.G.H.T

Diet for Autoimmunity

A guide with recipes free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugar

Darshi N. Shah

AuthorHouse™

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

Copyright © 2015 Darshi N Shah, INHC, CNT, CPT. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

The content of this book is for educational purposes only, and not intended to replace or interrupt the reader’s relationship with a physician or other medical professional. Each person’s physical, emotional, and spiritual condition is unique. Please consult your doctor for matters pertaining to your specific health and diet, especially prior to beginning a change in nutrition or exercise. There is no replacement for advice from a licensed physician.

Darshi Shah and Nutrilicious Recovery claim no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented here.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/21/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-5934-6 (sc)

978-1-5049-5937-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015919114

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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DEDICATIONS

This book is a culmination of a 5-year journey of healing and recovery from an illness where my immune system became compromised. Doctors said my body began fighting itself; but I never knew why or how. That is what prompted my quest for answers and a defense strategy to fight this illness.

I was born in India but raised in the United States. I hail from a rich culture of natural and holistic means of wellness. I recall when someone in the family was ill, the first path to wellness involved a discussion about digestion healing elixers from Indian herbs. This set up an eastern-world foundation for me that illness might be related to digestion and diet. Today science supports the fact that digestion plays a crucial role in supporting our immunity, and there are correlations to many illnesses stemming from faulty digestion.

During illness, my grandmothers and mother would insist on getting digestion back on track first. They believed that great health came from great digestion. I completely agree and extend their philosophy. I believe that great digestion comes from great food choices. These choices should support and encourage digestion, not impair it. Our modern world seems to have endless stock of food choices and varieties, so we can easily strive to choose wisely making health a top priority.

I dedicate this book to my mother, Malini Chandrakant Shah, and my grandmothers, Kantaben Harilal Shah & Sushila Amichand Gandhi. Theirs are the voices I hear within me still discussing digestion and ways to get it back on track. Their eastern-world knowledge, carried forward from centuries, has now intersected with my western-world science views. I am very grateful that the culmination of my ancestry and my career interests has aligned and I’m able to bring you this book full of digestion supporting, nutritious, and delicious foods.

"It always seems impossible until it’s done’’

Nelson Mandela

FOREWORD – Dr. Tom O’Bryan

Getting your health back is a journey—usually a rough, unchartered, rocky, tumultuous (‘ooh, big Scrabble word’) journey. And for the vast majority the journey is often not as successful as you’d like it to be-especially with autoimmune diseases-one of the most common causes of getting sick and dying¹ (Morbidity and Mortality).

The world of gluten sensitivity is so far beyond requiring a belief that it’s real or not. It doesn’t matter what your Health Care Practitioner believes-the science is clear. For some people, sensitivity to gluten is the trigger and the fuel for the degenerative disease they’ve got. In the last 10 years, researchers have dialed down on this topic. It’s hot. There are 20,885 research articles in the National Library of Medicine on the topic².

These concepts were not known 10 years ago by any except a few cutting-edge researchers who were trying to carry this message out. We know that the average time between when ‘cutting edge’ research is first published and it becomes commonly known by the doctor down the street and used in their practices is 17 years³! That’s the average, not the exception. So it is no wonder that most doctors today are still being introduced for the first time to what you are about to learn in this book. The majority of celiac patients had visited 5 or more doctors prior to diagnosis… and it had taken an average of 11 years after initial presentation, for CD to be diagnosed⁴. Most doctors have not been taught what to look for-the bigger picture of possible ways GS can show.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, celiac disease is ‘one of the most common life-long disorders in both Europe and the U.S⁵’. In my physician education seminars, I often begin with this statistic. I then will ask So Drs., if celiac disease is one of the most common life-long disorders in both Europe and the U.S., how often is it in your practice? And how often are you diagnosing it? There is an immediate look of confusion on most doctors as they realize they have missed identifying this condition in many of their patients. I then show them the studies that identify Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity as being close to 15 times more common⁶ ⁷.

As is true for the Health Care Practitioners in my seminars, you are about to go on a journey. The beauty of the journey in reading R.I.G.H.T. Diet for Autoimmunity is that it’s a beautifully laid out roadmap so you don’t get lost. Darshi Shah has breathed and lived this world. She’s come through a critical health crisis against all odds (being told it’s impossible to arrest autoimmune diseases), and she’s come out the other side with a brilliant guidebook for you.

I’ve learned from my children (who are much smarter than me), to use Guides when we travel. We have had many lovely adventures in beautiful places because they downloaded a Guide Book for the area, and we went to the most awesome places in a city or park. This is your Guidebook through very difficult times.

Been diagnosed with psoriasis? Well 34% of psoriasis patients have elevated antibodies to gluten.⁸ Been diagnosed with a brain dysfunction that your family physician couldn’t diagnose? And the Neurologist you were sent to could not diagnose it? And the Neurology Research Center they sent you to could not diagnose? 57% of those extremely difficult cases to diagnose had elevated antibodies to gluten⁹. 57% of them! Might there be a correlation? Well, as the younger generation would say Ya Think! Put them on a gluten-free diet and their symptoms often go down or go away.

I have never seen the recommendations before that Darshi Shah uses to insure success in your transition. They’re brilliant and allow this adventure you are undertaking to not only be successful, but also fun for you and your family.

Gods speed on your journey to a healthier life.

Dr. Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN, DACBN; www.theDr.com

FOREWORD – Dr Dede Selamat Sutedja

In my 25 years of clinical practice as Gastroenterologist, there will be patients who will linger in my thought—because I would worry for them not being able to receive curative treatments for their conditions—even in the latest state of therapy that is available.

One group of patients who cannot be easily placed in well-established disease categories are those with variable symptoms ranging from erratic bowel movements, inconsistent stool calibre, abdominal discomfort and distension. Often these patients had gone through many diagnostic tests including endoscopies, imaging studies and special blood & stool tests, and yet were told that the diagnosis could not be well confirmed and/or treatment could not resolve the situation. The possible diagnoses often mentioned included INDETERMINATE COLITIS, MICROSCOPIC COLITIS or NON CELIAC GLUTEN SENSITIVITY. However these diagnoses did not really help. Most patients felt disappointed—but not for one, Mdm Darshi Shah who had endured years of suffering of these relapsing gut symptoms. She was determined to find other means to get better.

I applaud Mdm Darshi Shah for not giving up in her quest to find answers to this sometimes called No Man’s Island clinical condition. Through her intensive and scientifically oriented research, Mdm Darshi has provided delightful measures (including meals) to bring her gut health to an optimal level—where she does not need to rely on prolonged medications anymore. And I am so proud of Mdm Darshi for being able to share her wonderful book with others especially those who share similar history to hers.

Dr Dede Selamat Sutedja, Senior Consultant, Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore,

Visiting Consultant, National University Hospital, Singapore

MBBS(SPore), MRCP(UK), FRCP(UK), FAMS(Gastroenterology)

PREFACE

This book helps to complete a vow I made to myself when I was very ill. I bargained with my creator for good health. By showing me a path back to great health, in the future I would strive to make a difference to so many others suffering from chronic health issues like mine. Things were bad during my illness. In addition to gastro-intestinal symptoms and fatigue, I saw 50 lbs. of body weight come off me in a year, a new weakness come over my muscles, and finally my hair begin to fall off me in clumps. My ultimate goal and focus was to shake whatever affliction seemed to get hold of me. But I didn’t know where to begin since my doctors had different ideas and protocols, and I didn’t test positive for any known illness. Over months of little improvement, I began to lose hope and accept what had to be accepted. I decided to make out my will. Luckily at this time, I met people that introduced me to new ways of recovery—holistic recovery. I found renewed hope and willingness to explore these different paths. I also focused inward and strengthened my spirit to fight. I would fight by learning everything I could about this illness, about holistic remedies, and about my survivor spirit. After all, what did I have to lose?

As I experimented with new things, my mindset changed. I became more confident and hopeful. As it turned out I discovered that diet, lifestyle, and health are all integrally linked. Exploring new diets & holistic treatments has empowered me with experiential knowledge. It has taken years to get back to normal, but I did. It was a hard journey for me, and at times I thought it was an impossible hurdle. I was wrong.

If you are thinking that recovery is impossible for you, change your mindset. Yes, you can!

When I realized I was getting better, I remembered the vow – to make things better for others down the same path. This book is for you. It’s another stone to uncover on your journey to wellness. It may not be the final stone for you, but it’s a start. You have to start somewhere. Deep down you know that you are the key to your own wellness, so get going.

Celiac Disease (CD)

If you have been diagnosed with celiac disease by a doctor, then you’ve already been advised that you will be living a life that is gluten free. But you may not know why gluten is a critical component that determines if you will have a great day or not. This book is for you to get a better understanding of why living gluten free is in your best interest, and some amazing recipes to prevent you from feeling deprived.

Non-celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS)

If you were tested for celiac disease and you’ve never tested positive for it, you don’t have it. However if you thrive without gluten, then perhaps you have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity. If this is the case, don’t worry. You can successfully live without gluten, and I’m going to show you