Trial By Error: A New Cookbook for People with Chronic Illness

By David Tuller, DrPH

ADDED. A reader left this comment at the end of the post: “Thank you, David. Even all those details can’t convey how WONDERFUL this book is. I ordered multiple copies via Amazon and am giving them for holiday gifts – and not just to my friends who are limited in diet/energy. One copy is going to new, first-time parents who do not have time to cook but need the nutrition in these recipes. Others are going to my equestrian friends who would rather be in the barn but love quick, nutritious recipes.”

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In September, Rachel Riggs published her first cookbook, called “In Good Health: Uncomplicated, Allergen-Aware Recipes for a Nourished Life.” Riggs, a longtime foodie who lives in southern California, found herself unable to eat many of her favorite dishes after the onset of chronic illness a decade or so ago. (Her diagnoses include myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), mast cell activation syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.) The book emerged out of her frustration with what seemed to be limited eating options for those with the same or similar illnesses. Gradually, she began to experiment with ingredients and took a trial-by-error approach to developing recipes that were tasty, nutritious and easy to prepare.

Here’s some information from Amazon’s page for the book: “Rachel Riggs is a former specialty food shop owner and business development consultant who has written for Bon Appetit and Camille Styles. When her life was upended by illness she made a paradigm shift to her diet and now develops vibrant, nutrient-dense recipes that are allergen and autoimmune friendly.”

And here is a summary of the dozens of user reviews on Amazon: “Customers praise this cookbook’s stunning pictures and specific step-by-step instructions, particularly appreciating its one-bowl cake recipes. The book features robust flavors, with one customer highlighting the creamy carrot tahini and another enjoying the fresh strawberry pie. Customers find the recipes straightforward and nutritious, with one noting it’s a game changer for meal preparation. They appreciate the manageable ingredient lists and the cookbook’s health benefits.”

Julie Rehmeyer, a longtime ME patient, author and advocate, also recently hosted Riggs for a podcast on her excellent newsletter on Substack, The Weighing. In the interview, Riggs explains that she did not realize how her search for food she could eat would lead to a book.

“I just couldn’t find the right resources for me, and so I ended up developing recipes simply to feed myself and my husband food that didn’t feel punitive…I surprised myself, because I really thought my life in food was over, and that this was gonna be jail food, as we say around here. I really surprised myself when we started creating some great dishes…Once I had a solid enough collection, I realized that it needed to become a book. So, it was an accidental happening, and I’m glad it did.”

In Good Health also received a high-profile boost last month when Aaron Hutcherson, a food writer and recipe developer for The Washington Post, published an article about the cookbook. He also included the recipe for one of the dishes—chicken, sweet potato and kale salad. This is among the dishes for which the components can be prepared and stored in advance–and then tossed together when needed.

(Unfortunately, Hutcherson’s article is behind a paywall. Like many, I cancelled my Washington Post subscription last year after its creepy billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, killed the news organization’s endorsement of Kamala Harris for president and made clear in other ways that he would protect his business empire by doing whatever needed to kiss Trump’s big fat ass. Luckily, I was able to access the text anyway. Yes, I realize Bezos also owns Amazon, and that I’ve had to promote Amazon because that’s how the book is being sold.)

In the Washington Post article, Hutcherson describes how Riggs went about creating her recipes.

“The process was much more difficult than she’d imagined. It involved stripping down to a bare-bones diet, then reintroducing items one at a time to see how her body responded. The tricky thing is that sometimes herreactions are not as immediate or obvious compared with someone like me with a fish allergy, where I almost instantaneously start to feel itchy if I accidentally consume it…

“Ultimately, Riggs found that cutting out gluten, grains and pseudo-grains, dairy, soy, nightshades (eggplant, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes), legumes, squash, spinach, pork, shellfish, refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, cashews and peanuts worked best for her, which is reflected in the recipes in her cookbook…

“The recipes in the book are built on seasonal produce, nutritional powerhouses and her love of chocolate. She thought through the first dishes in bed, “knowing that when I went into the kitchen that I only had a few minutes to make it happen because I was that sick,” Riggs said. With efficiency in mind, she includes recipes for vegetable mashes in which the produce is simmered with coconut milk, then blended right in the pot instead of the traditional method with mashed potatoes that involves a colander and draining the cooking liquid (and some nutrients)…

“Her ability to endure comes down to the idea of radical acceptance. ‘For years, I thought that when we figured out what was wrong with me, we would fix it,’ Riggs said. ‘And [I had to come] to the realization that that is not true and that my life is going to happen primarily indoors. I just cannot be pining away for something that isn’t going to be.’ Thankfully, she has cooking to help get her through. ‘My kitchen is my sanctuary.’”