The Bee Well Cookbook

The Bee Well Cookbook: Nourishing Foods for Sensitive People by Katie Whitmarsh (2008) contains simple and easy recipes for those seeking health and wellness in their lives.  It was born out of the author’s love of healthy food and nutrition, and her many years of experimentation with a variety of diets and alternative foods, to discover solutions to her own health problems.  In her fifteen year struggle with fibromyalgia, hypoglycemia, chronic food allergies and candida, she was forced to return to basic, whole foods.  She feels that our bodies metabolize basic and simple whole foods much more easily and this way of eating will keep us healthy throughout our lives.

This cookbook will teach you how to prepare food so that your body will obtain the most nutrients from it.  The recipes work well for those with sensitive constitutions and digestive systems because they are gluten-free, sugar-free (with stevia) and are low in dairy, cereal grains, soy, fermented foods, nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, eggplant) and citrus.  They were also created for optimal digestibility by incorporating food preparation techniques developed by our ancestors, such as soaked grains, beans, nuts and seeds and slow-cooked bone broths.  She states that since our immunity and ability to be healthy depends largely on efficient digestion, preparing food in this way is very important for long-term health and wellness.

This cookbook contains nutrition information and meal planning ideas, resources, and the author’s story, as well as 150 recipes.  The recipe sections include Breakfast, Baked Goods & Snacks; Sauces and Dressings; Soups, Stews and Slow-Cooked Meals; Main Dishes and Vegetables; and Desserts.  Several signature recipes are Spicy Chai Smoothie, Amaranth Apple Waffles, Walnut-Flax Breakfast Wafers, Vinegar and Citrus-Free Salad Dressing, Pumpkin Pasta Sauce, Slow-Cooked Chicken or Turkey Stock, Roasted Cornish Hens with Apples and Sage, Cajun Beef Salad, Frozen Mint Chip Balls, and Mocha Cream Pie with Coconut Crust. 

The Bee Well Cookbook is available on-line at amazon.com and lulu.com as well as directly from the author at evolvingwellness@yahoo.com.  It can also be purchased at the Mendocino Book Company, Mendocino Bounty, and Mulligan Books in Ukiah, California.