Amazing wellness journey memoir of a woman seeking to better their health. Danielle Walker's story is one that many people can relate to when dealing with chronic illness, and it an incredible telling of how she dealt with the twists and turns within her own journey. This is a must read for people on their own journey to provide hope in what is usually a sea of darkness. CW: detailed descriptions of health issues and medical trauma.

Food Saved Me was about Danielle Walker’s journey through ulcerative colitis and how she was able to manage the condition through diet. I can relate so much to her story as UC runs in my family and I have it (though I’ve been in remission for 11 years). She wrote this book in such a casual manner that was easy to get through. She was very transparent in her struggles and how this affected her marriage, her children, and her own life. She writes of the victories and her discouragement. But she has always got back up. I also like that she shared that the diet she wrote about in the book was not a cure-all, but one of many tools to manage UC. She’s had bad flares even on the diet, but she was very honest with her blog followers, who gave her so much during the difficult times. I also like that her husband wrote a chapter in the book about being a caregiver to someone with such a serious, chronic autoimmune disorder.

My husband bought me her first cookbook several years ago. Now I’m motivated to go through the book and see what recipes I would like.

Rating: 5 out of 5

I received this book for free through NetGalley and Tyndale Publishing in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review...I requested this book because there is a part of me that thinks changing your diet can pretty much cure anything. This was a very interesting memoir about her battle with a disease that nobody could even figure out for a long time...they just kept throwing pills at her while she got sicker and sicker... I loved reading about how she battled with the disease by changing her diet and how she got kind of famous from basically just life :) I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is like myself and thinking that changing your diet can make your life easier... not that I have done it yet...but I am slowly in the works trying to figure out what my own issues are.

I have followed Danielle Walker for many years, so I've seen glimpses of her story online through her social media posts. I enjoyed reading this memoir to better understand her journey and how she became the author and recipe developer that she is today. She has struggled mightily with her health and food became a major turning point in her life, allowing her to manage her condition. I appreciated that she shared, not just the victories, but the failures that brought her to where she is today.

This amazing and courageous story about Danielle Walker surviving through some of her most challenging life struggles was inspiring and so captivating. As a mother and wife I connected with her health struggles and she is very relatable and her story is so interesting to read through. As a woman who has has multiple health issues come up, I recommend this book and story.

A beautiful narrative of the author, her personal story, romantic life, and the way diet and health have affected things. Thank you for the encouraging story!

Thank you to @netgalley & @tyndalehouse for the eARC in exchange for my review.
•••
Food Saved Me • @daniellewalker
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
👍🏼 Thumbs Up:
Well written memoir that weaves together the author’s health journey together with her struggle to cure her autoimmune disorder.
👎🏻 Thumbs Down:
Nothing I can think of! Only thing to be aware of is this book tells the author’s own journey to heal through her diet and she isn’t a medical professional.
🤓 For Readers WHO:
Struggle with chronic illness or autoimmune disorders or have someone in their life who does.
👉🏼 This is what’s WHAT:
Danielle’s a grain free and dairy free cookbook author and this book tells the story of what led her on that journey.
⏳WHEN I read this book:
It struck home as my husband has been on a similar health journey, so this book reminded me of our own struggles we’ve had in this vein.
🚨WHERE you should watch out:
No real trigger warnings.
📍WHY you should read this book:
If you or a loved one has struggled to get a proper diagnosis and manage your health, this book is for you!
📚 HOW I read this book:
eARC from @netgalley & @tyndalehouse

I didn't know much about Danielle Walker besides the fact that she can't eat certain foods, and that she's good friends with Angie Smith, whom I've been following on social media for years.

It was interesting to learn Daniell's story. This is the first book of hers I've ever read, since I don't read cookbooks. The first few chapters of the book focus a lot on all the delicious foods she misses, it downright made me hungry for dishes I've never tasted.

The story starts from the early days when she became sick, her early years of marriage, her doctor's visits, her pregnancies, her early blog days and tours. You learn of how she come to create so many dishes based only on ingredients she could eat and her body would accept without making her sick. It's a serious, raw story and reality, but filled with hope and joy in her being able to rely on food to be a nourishment for her, and her family.

As I was reading, and me being a reader outside US, I could not help but think that this lifestyle would not be something feasible for people who don't have acces to the resources to provide the ingredients she bases her nutrition on. It's objectively an expensive, above the average income, lifestyle. I am sure I'd personally feel much better had I had the chance to eat like this, but not in this economy.

It was a good book, beyond the cooking and food aspect. Danielle sounds like and seems a grounded person, empathic, and a good person over-all. I enjoyed reading her memoir. It's a useful book for many who struggle and deal with what she's been dealing with for years, I am sure.

As a fan of Danielle Walker's blog for years, I was very excited to learn more about her story. This is a heartfelt story that many with autoimmune conditions can relate to. A story of hope and a bright future. Danielle showcases how food can truly heal your heart, body, and soul.

Inspiring and relatable, Danielle’s story is full of honesty. I really enjoyed reading about her life and career. I’ve made Danielle’s recipes and own several of her cookbooks.. I also follow her on Instagram. Danielle’s popularity is due largely to her delicious recipes but her personality is also refreshingly genuine and contributes to her appeal. Her story is truly inspiring and would be especially appreciated by those who are of the Christian faith..

I've been following Danielle Walker for a couple of years now on Instagram and YouTube and have been a fan from a distance. I never really understood much about her illness or why food impacted her symptoms. I just liked her personality and sweet family. This book is a detailed, gritty account of Danielle's journey with ulcerative colitis. What I admire most about this book is her no-holds-barred journey into grief and back. This is not a lightweight book that glosses over the dark places of having an autoimmune disease. Food Saved Me is a clear journey from her diagnosis, bad medical advice, and onwards through confusion and hope to Danielle's first attempts at managing her symptoms with food. She also documents her setbacks, perceived failures, and success at helping others through her recipes and cookbooks. I found the pace of the book was engrossing. I liked this book very much. I recommend it. Food Saved Me will help a lot of people.

I've been a long-time admirer of Danielle Walker's cookbooks (if you haven't tried her stroganoff recipe, it's a must-have!), and it was wonderful to read her story. As a storyteller, Danielle is heartfelt and unafraid to share some of those darker moments while maintaining a lighthearted, hopeful tone throughout the book. Even if you aren't following a similar diet this book is a must-read purely to hear more about Danielle's life!

From a reader’s standpoint:

I just loved the flow of this book. It’s not your typical autobiography material. While some of it is just being told back to you as it happened to her, other parts are written in dialogue fashion which made for a very interesting and engaging and well-written read!

From a personal standpoint:

When I saw that this book was on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read it because after I realized that eating gluten was what was making me sick, I quickly got overwhelmed with the thought of, “What do I eat?!” Danielle’s blog was the very first one I found that brought me out of that head spin and helped me to realize it was totally possible.

I was fighting tears almost the entire time I was reading this book from the fact that she knows what it’s like to not be listened to or understood concerning her health, she and I are close in age and were sick about the same time, and I followed her and was “there” through the difficult times she talked about in her book and just felt the pain of those for her all over again…

The last thing I want to mention, is to PLEASE read the afterward by her husband. Best. Afterward. Ever!

*I was provided a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent account of how the author treated her disabling autoimmune disease and personal trauma through her change of diet. A grain, gluten and dairy free diet is not easy, compared to the typical western meals, but this book will convince anyone that the shift can be transformative.
I totally related to the link between food, recipes and celebratory events such as Christmas and birthdays, where food is treated as a sign of love and family connection.
The recipes were a very welcome addition.
Recommended.

Food Saved Me by Danielle Walker is a powerful and honest book about the author's journey with autoimmune disease. She paints a true image of what living day to day with an autoimmune disease is like -- the good and the bad seasons. This is a great book for all to read, whether they have an autoimmune disease or not.

In Food Saved Me, author Danielle Walker shares her journey and struggle with an autoimmune disease. Her vulnerability and the truth she shares is inspiring! Her doctors told her food didn’t cause her disease and couldn’t help control it — it’s a good thing she didn’t give up! Food is truly medicine. In the book, she shares the physical and emotional challenges she faced and what she has learned. She is so real and raw as she shares her story about the healing power of food. Whether or not you have a chronic illness you should read this book.

Danielle Walker paints a vivid portrait of what it’s like to develop an autoimmune disease. I have several autoimmune diseases, so I could relate to her struggle to get an accurate diagnosis and find a treatment that works. I appreciate her honesty in discussing how diet and lifestyle changes helped but were not sufficient for her to achieve remission. Some people do achieve remission with diet and lifestyle alone, but many of us don’t.

It was interesting to read about Danielle’s process in developing her Paleo recipes; I’ve been gluten free for a while, and I learned some tips that will help me in the kitchen. I also appreciated her discussion of the lessons she has learned from the vicissitudes of her disease. As a bonus, she includes a few of her recipes at the back of the book, as well as advice on how to get started with the Paleo diet and lifestyle. The book also includes a note from her husband to the partners or caregivers of people with autoimmune conditions.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone newly diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, or anyone wanting to understand the experience of loved ones suffering from an autoimmune disease. Having a disabling chronic illness can be very isolating, and sometimes it feels like no one else understands what it’s like. If you’re experiencing that, then this book might help.

I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

The first thing that caught my eye was the author’s name. I knew it from her Celebration cookbook, where I had tried several recipes. I was excited to find gluten-free, dairy-free recipes that were yummy. Likewise, I was thrilled that the author included six fan-favorite recipes and the stories behind them in this book. Not only that, but I loved how the author shared about her life before she was diagnosed with an extreme form of ulcerative colitis at age 22. I relished hearing about how she met her husband and how they eventually got married.

After Danielle was diagnosed, she learned she had to eat differently, to manage her illness, this motivated her to re-create family favorite recipes that her whole family could eat and enjoy. At that time there weren’t many gluten-free, dairy free books out, so she decided to create her own. She studied Alton Brown books and other chefs that got into the science of how to make the foods she loved. At the encouragement of her husband, Danielle started a blog, putting recipes she created out there. After a while, people began to find her blog. She created a chocolate chip cookie and an amazing bread recipe people loved. Her followers were looking for recipes that tasted good, in hopes that their non-affected family members would enjoy eating them. Danielle hoped that her family would love these recipes as much as she did. Her followers’ responses inspired Danielle to keep creating and taste testing recipes on family and friends. Until one day a reader asked if she ever thought about writing a cookbook. No, she hadn’t, but she was getting a great response from her blog and FB followers. Danielle also took pictures of the recipes she made for her blog. She agreed to get the recipes and photos together for the cookbook. Her first cookbook was titled Against all grain (which is also the name of her blog)

I’m encouraged by the author’s dedication and transparency as Danielle shared the nitty and gritty of battling this disease, while raising a family, be a good wife and run a blog and write cookbooks. It was hard, she had major setbacks, dealt with loss and kept going. I liked that at the end of the book, there is an interview with the author talking about how to start walking the road towards wellness. Everyone is different, no one has exactly the same dietary needs. But the author leaves the reader with hope, a plan and encouragement to take the first step. Danielle’s husband talks about being a caregiver, how it’s important to take care of yourself, so you can care for your loved one. He goes over a list of things to be aware of and how to be encouraged in the situation. When I closed the book, I couldn’t stop thinking about Danielle and her journey. She and her husband are encouragers. Her story will be an inspiration to many!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org

This is a fantastic resource. It is full of hope and a story of healing. This is one I'll return to again and again. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

I've enjoyed Danielle's cookbooks and followed her journey on Instagram for years, so it was a treat to read her new memoir. Her story was especially interesting as I also live with food intolerances and chronic health conditions.

The book is laid out in a linear fashion: from before she first became ill to the present time. She shared her experiences in her clear, sweet Danielle style: very personal and vulnerable.

We get a behind-the-scenes look at a young woman who was hit with ulcerative colitis and, with the support of her husband, sought for answers and relief from Western and alternative medicine, herbal and other supplements, and dietary changes.

Her success as a cookbook author started in her own kitchen as she tirelessly experimented and learned how to make delicious dishes, including childhood favorites, with whole, unprocessed foods and without a long list of foods that trigger flare-ups. If you like cooking, cookbooks, and food blogs, you'll love reading about how she became a household name--especially among those of us who have dietary restrictions.

She takes us through both the times of sunlight and dark despair. And although she is adamant that what she eats has made the biggest difference in her health, she doesn't hide the fact that medication has been necessary at certain points.

At the end of the book are helpful lists of both recommended foods and those to steer clear of, as well as several recipes. And her husband, Ryan, has a helpful and encouraging note for the partners of those with chronic illness.

I loved this book because Danielle is very open and honest about her own journey. And I also appreciate that it's a message of encouragement and hope that a person with an autoimmune disease can get through the difficult times, learn to thrive, and learn to cook and eat delicious, healthy food as well.

If you're interested in cooking or food blogs, you'll enjoy this book, but you'll also want to read it if you have dietary restrictions. Or gift a copy to someone who does!