Against the Grain:
The slightly eccentric guide to living well without gluten or wheat
Jax Peters Lowells
This book is a total breath of fresh air!
So many books on food allergy and food intolerance are, well let's be honest, boring. 'Against the Grain' is never boring, dull or irrelevant. It truly is one of those special books that you so rarely come across but are very glad you did.
Okay so what makes it different?
The author's style is very open and direct and everything is based on her own experience - she 100% understands how it feels to be food intolerant. You will find yourself smiling and even, at times, laughing out loud as you recognise your self in her descriptions.
The joy of her humour is that she can take a fraught situation like finding yourself in a shopping mall, starving and with no safe food and firstly make you smile ("Sooner or later you are going to shop till you drop. Your stomach will growl so loudly, you won't be able to hear the announcement of a one-hour sale on designer drawer organizers. It will lead you over to the food court against your will..) she then goes on to explain how to deal with the situation safely. Her advice, always, is practical and down to earth. Her solutions are ones any of us can use.
One of the aspects I really appreciated about the book is the understanding of what it is like to be food intolerant - how other people don't understand, how it can make you feel as if your life has been severely limited, how going out can seem like a nightmare and how much it can hurt. We all experience great relief when after many years of suffering we find an answer to our problems but after the euphoria does come a period of mourning - Jax Peters Lowell understands this and never ever trivialises the problem. If you've been feeling stuck about your dietary restrictions then this book will help you move on.
The Chapter Headings are as follows:
- The Good News. The Bad News. The Basics.
- Marketing 101
- Attitude. Attitude. Attitude.
- Dinner Is in the Mail
- Restaurant Assertiveness Training
- The World Is Your Rice Noodle
- Have Allergy, Will Travel
- Etiquette for the Allergic
- Your Cheating Heart and Other Special problems
- Twelve Chefs Take The Challenge
- Growing up Wheat- and Gluten-free
- The Wheat- and Gluten-free Resource Guide
One of the real bonuses can be found in the appendix - travel cards that explain wheat allergy and gluten intolerance in a number of different languages.
The resources are all American but please don't let that deter you. I live in the UK and the rest of the information in the book is more than worth having
This book is aimed at those with a gluten or wheat allergy or intolerance BUT much of the general advice is relevant to any type of food allergy or food intolerance. I recommend this book with no buts or other comments - it is excellent.
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Sharla Race