I simply love Danielle Walker! I have ALL of her cookbooks, which have helped me with my gluten free journey. Now I get to know Danielle Walker’s behind the scenes journey with food and illness in her uplifting book, Food Saved Me. This book offers hope to all of us who suffer from autoimmune diseases, food allergies, and chronic ailments.

Inspiring is the only word to describe Food Saved Me, Danielle Walker’s memoir of life with ulcerative colitis. Diagnosed shortly after her wedding, Danielle has fought this autoimmune disease as a young wife and mother. A young wife and mother who loved to eat! Her descriptions of her Italian grandmother’s cooking are mouthwatering. What is not mouthwatering are her early attempts at gluten free cooking. Although doctors have told her that food has nothing to so with her condition, she believes it does (she is right), starts a blog, Against All Grain, and spends hour perfecting gluten free, sugar and dairy free, Paleo style versions of her favorite dishes. She has now published three cookbooks, all on the New York Times bestseller lists.

But cooking and publishing successes are not the whole story. Danielle has dealt with fertility issues, has miscarried twins, had a daughter who lived only hours and given birth to three healthy children. She has managed multiple long hospitalizations with grace and been supported by the love of her husband Ryan and family. Most important, she has learned how to balance work and leisure, reduce stress and take time for herself. She is a remarkable woman. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tyndale House Publishers and Danielle Walker for this ARC.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of “Food Saved Me.” I have been of a fan of Danielle Walker for 5+ years. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease and I was determined not to go on thyroid medication. I went to a naturopath and was told to cut gluten and dairy out of my diet, along with a few other foods. I was overwhelmed trying to figure out how to begin and it just so happened I came across Danielle’s first two cook books when I was in Costco that very same day. Her cook books and blog have been instrumental in my health journey. Though, I am not grain free, her recipes are far better and healthier than gluten-free recipes I have encountered.

This memoir was an inspiring read. Danielle and her family have been through so much, yet are still positive, happy and hopeful. It was very interesting to read about how she discovered the paleo diet and how she decided to begin developing her own recipes. She has obviously found her calling! I would recommend this book to not only people suffering from autoimmune diseases, but anyone who is looking to lead a healthier life or are curious about how the foods they eat can affect their lives.

i would rate it as 4 stars because the writing is tedious. I found myself turning several pages at the same time until I found a paragraph that was interesting.

Disappointed.

Many years ago, a friend of mine told me about Danielle Walker's first cookbook. I was trying to cut gluten out at that time to see if it would help some of my own issues, so I thought it was a good place to start. Her recipes are always delicious and always friendly to food sensitivities. I knew Danielle Walker had a history of autoimmune disorder before picking up this book about her journey, but I had no idea the extent of the struggles she went through. She is very candid in this book, and shares all of the ups and many downs shes gone through. I appreciate the honesty of sometimes needing more than dietary changes to heal because everyone's journey is different. Some people may indeed only need dietary changes, but there is no shame in utilizing medicine when it is needed either. , When doctors push medicine and tell you diet has nothing to do with it, that is where the problem lies. I do not believe most traditional medical doctors are trained in nutrition. They are trained to medicate, and that is something that really needs to change. This book is great for anyone struggling with autoimmune diseases, or even food intolerances and food allergies (like me). It's always nice to feel someone can relate and to have hope for things to get better in the future.

I have used Danielle Walker's cookbooks since the first one was published and own each of them. I am a fan of her recipes and make many of them on a regular basis. As a nutritionist I know that her recipes are healthy and tasty. Like Walker, I have to eliminate certain foods from my diet for health reasons. As a celiac, I have eliminated gluten and dairy and have several other food allergies as well.
I was very excited to read this memoir by Walker to learn more about her as a person. Her words articulated many of the things I have also felt over the years. Like Walker, who had a major flare after having multiple vaccines for a trip to Africa, my immune problems started after vaccines for a trip to Haiti in 2007. Like Walker, I used the Specific Carbohydrate Diet early on in my healing process. When she discovered she had numerous food sensitivities, she had to eliminate a number of foods for a while in order to heal. She goes through her recipes to find anything she could it and comes up empty. She goes shopping and has to read the labels on every single item and returns most to the shelves. I have gone through each of these situations.
It was so encouraging to read about another person who has been through a similar situation, especially since she has done so much good for the world through this experience. Walker is a Christian and her faith shows through in this very inspiring memoir.
I received a complementary copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After struggling with GI issues for years with no official diagnosis or help from medications, this book is exactly what I needed to read. I've tried other diets recommended to me by physicians, but will probably take the leap into grain-free eating. Danielle's story is inspiring hearing all that she has overcome and that while food may not be able to cure her (or any of us) how we eat definitely affects our body and how we live.

I received a complimentary book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

*I did not read Food Saved Me by Danielle Walker through an educator lens, but through the lens of someone with an autoimmune disease. Here is the review I posted to Goodreads.

I found Danielle Walker's blog about four years ago when my doctor told me I needed to go gluten free due to an autoimmune disease. I didn't know where to start or what to do. I was overwhelmed, anxious, and upset. Danielle's work has helped me (and my family) work through this over the years. After receiving an ARC copy of Food Saved Me for an honest review, I have pre-ordered the book and know I will reference it over and over again.

One of the reasons that I adore Danielle's work is her realness with her readers (on social media, blogs, in the memoir, etc). This realness and emotion comes through in her memoir, everything from the grieving of foods and traditions - because yes, that's exactly it - to trying to raise a family and be a wife with an autoimmune disease few understand, to trying to manage flare-ups that become debilitating and destroy your body and self-esteem. The raw emotion that I felt while reading this book was something I haven't experienced in awhile with a book. I felt seen and understood. I was reminded that flare-ups happen because I can manage my food, but underneath it all, I still have a disease. It doesn't mean I'm a failure. Danielle's experiences trying to mask and hide symptoms also resonated with me - when you are flaring up and trying to hide it from others to not worry them. All of it.

This memoir made me ugly cry, laugh, and smile throughout. I would purchase this for anyone who has an autoimmune disease or who is a caretaker.

Most likely, if you are reading this memoir, it is because you are already familiar with Danielle Walker and her food journey. I first came across her Instagram account shortly after the birth of her daughter Kezia. I personally do not suffer from an autoimmune disorder but I do see the value of clean eating and so use a lot of the recipes from her blog and cookbooks. This memoir takes the reader on her initial diagnosis and all of the emotions surrounding it: confusion, pain, anger. I have come to appreciate Danielle‘s recipes even more after reading this memoir. To think of all of the countless hours and sacrifices that she made to produce quality food that tastes great has allowed me to see her in a new light. I’ll admit that at times, this memoir comes across a bit like one of the Lifetime movies that Danielle loves (a bit shmaltzy with repeated words of adoration for her husband and her strong faith), but those are all part of what makes Danielle Walker who she is. If you follow DW on Instagram then this memoir will give you a broader insight into what it took to create all of those delectable recipes. It will heighten your appreciation for a woman with an incurable disease who turned lemons into lemonade (or more likely mashed potatoes into puréed cauliflower).