Читать книгу The Healthy Gut Cookbook: How to Keep in Excellent Digestive Health with 60 Recipes and Nutrition Advice - Marguerite Patten - Страница 6

When I was young, few people – especially women – used the term ‘gut’, as it was not considered ladylike. We would have talked about ‘stomach’ or ‘inner’ disorders. Nowadays we appreciate the fact that ‘gut’ is the right word to describe the various internal parts of the digestive system, each of which plays an essential role in keeping us healthy. It is when one or more of these organs is not working properly that we begin to feel unwell.

Throughout most of my life – indeed until quite recently – I have experienced little gut trouble. Over the years, some friends and colleagues have told me of their digestive and internal problems. As I listened to them, I felt extremely relieved that I had not experienced similar complaints. When I think back, the first time I felt really unwell was during pregnancy. I not only suffered from the fairly common morning sickness but I also experienced nausea and some vomiting throughout many days. It was 1942 and I, like so many other people, was worried all the time about the safety of my husband, who was flying in the RAF, and my brother who was at sea. I tried to stay calm and relaxed, as I felt anxiety could only make me feel worse. I had just started work as a food advisor to the Ministry of Food. I held a senior position so had to be efficient and on the ball as I demonstrated ways to make the best use of the relatively limited foods available. I consulted a local doctor, who had never met me before. Although she was sympathetic about my problem, she simply advised me to take sugar in my tea and get as much exercise and fresh air as possible. She gave me an examination and assured me that all was well with the baby.

During the war, doctors were scarce as many younger ones had been drafted into the forces. The doctors left in Britain were very busy, and my problem was a minor one compared to many they had to deal with. The doctor’s advice about sweetened tea, which I hated, was actually the catalyst for my interest in the effects of different ingredients upon certain health conditions. My cravings during this time were for highly flavoured ingredients, such as mustard pickles and peppermint sweets, which were difficult to buy on our sparse sweetmeat ration. The flavour I really appreciated was ginger. How I longed for the stem and crystallized ginger of pre-war days. I used ginger, from the ground spice, as often as I could to flavour puddings, cakes and biscuits. Like all expectant mothers, I was allowed a pint of milk daily, and I often flavoured it with ginger to make it more interesting. I was also the recipient of free cod liver oil and concentrated orange juice. It was summertime, so I could follow the doctor’s advice and enjoy early evening walks.

After my daughter was born in 1943, the sickness disappeared for a while. However, it returned on a few occasions during 1945, and the condition was diagnosed as a ‘grumbling appendix’. This was possibly the reason for the difficulties I had experienced while pregnant. Thankfully, I parted with the appendix later that year and returned to my normal robust health.

By 1945, I was in charge of the Ministry of Food Bureau at Harrods in London. The Food Advisors were qualified home economists who worked throughout Britain. Their role was to help the population make the best use of rations and the limited unrationed ingredients available, and to show people how to prepare enjoyable and nutritious meals. It was not until 1954 that rationing finally ended. The Ministry of Food also employed highly qualified nutritionists and dieticians, and made certain that some of their knowledge was imparted to us. This meant that our demonstrations to the public, and radio talks in my case, incorporated easy-to-follow health information for young and old, as well as suitable recipes.

While at Harrods I extended my interest and knowledge about special diets. At that time the firm employed both a doctor and an experienced nursing sister, both of whom kept watchful eyes on the health of the staff. After my appendix was removed, I had to seek approval to return to work from my own doctor and from the Harrods doctor. If any staff members were on special diets, due to gastric or other medical problems, they had to eat special dishes in a separate part of the staff restaurant, and woe betide them if doctor or sister saw them eating unsuitable meals. I was asked by these two medical experts to provide recipes and suggestions for home cooking for staff members on these special diets. As you can imagine, it was not easy to come up with suitable and inspiring recipes with such limited food resources.

Once I was a recipient of sister’s stern instructions. There was a bad epidemic of what was termed ‘gastric flu’ in and around London and I was one sufferer. I returned to work as soon as possible, still feeling rather delicate. Sister, who had a great interest in cooking and food, came to greet me at the Bureau.

‘You look awful,’ was her welcoming remark.

‘I have felt better,’ I replied.

‘Go to the grocery department and ask them to sell you a can of Heinz tomato soup.

Heat it up and eat it as soon as possible. I know it is scarce but tell them sister says you must have it.’

‘I don’t like it,’ I demurred.

‘I am not interested in whether you like it or not – it is what you must have,’ was the reply.

I obeyed instructions and must confess the soup did me a lot of good. Sister had worked in America and said she had learned of this simple remedy there. Ever since that time, so long ago, I have recommended the soup to a number of people who were experiencing mild gastric disorders and been told that it did make them feel better. I have never discovered why it is effective, but it may have something to do with the sugars and salt in the soup helping the body regain its normal chemical and fluid balance. You will find more information about ‘rehydration’.

The British Medical Association used to publish a magazine for the general public, and I was engaged as the cookery contributor. Subsequently, I wrote two small booklets for them – one about feeding young children and the second on invalid cookery. In each case I had the benefit of specialist medical advice. Later a publisher commissioned Marguerite Patten’s Invalid Cookery Book, which was published in 1955.

I began giving television cookery demonstrations for the BBC in 1947 and continued until the early 1960s. In the 1950s I was asked to present, with a doctor, a short series about special diets and dishes for various illnesses. In the last programme of the series, I prepared a tray of dishes suitable for someone who was convalescing. I stressed the importance of presentation to tempt the appetite, as well as the wise choice of food. At that time, all television was live, so there was no opportunity to retake any part of the programme should something go wrong – and something certainly did go awry on that afternoon. Among the dishes on the tray was a rather splendid jelly. I had used extra gelatine to make the jelly set firmly, as studio lighting was very strong and hot in those days. Sadly, while explaining about the dishes and their nutritional importance, there was a ‘glug-glug’ and my delicious jelly melted and became like a soup, flooding the tray and destroying my elegant meal.

Using extra gelatine is to be avoided in real life. Jellies and other dishes should never be too firm or solid as it takes extra energy to deal with those textures. Someone who is ill, or recovering from an illness, would not be able to cope with such a dish. The recipes in this book have been selected because they look tempting and provide the nutritional needs for various gut ailments. As well as being appetizing, they are easy to eat and digest.

Soon after the outbreak of war, my husband-to-be, Charles Patten, always known as Bob, volunteered for the RAF. He was immediately sent to the Middle East to train as a gunnery officer, after which he took part in operations in that part of the world. One day, the plane in which he was flying crashed. Sadly, there were fatal casualties. Bob was fortunate enough to get out alive and be able to pull injured members of the crew out. He then trekked for 48 hours through the Western Desert and was lucky to meet up with members of the British army. They were able to rescue the rest of the crew. All this happened some time before I met Bob but I learned of the consequences later when he returned to civilian life. In the crash his stomach muscles had been badly strained, and he was not allowed to fly for some time as a result. When we met in Lincolnshire, he was able to return to flying and subsequently carried out many operations.

From time to time, if he was tired or over-strained in any way, he experienced quite severe stomach discomfort, undoubtedly a legacy of the air crash. On some occasion he must have been given slippery elm – or slippery elm tea as it is often called – as he knew of its benefits. I had never heard of it but, when Bob told me about its good effect, I rushed to purchase some and made sure I always had a packet in the house. When Bob had stomach trouble, I used to make up a small helping of slippery elm for him to eat (he preferred it fairly stiff), then we allowed quite a time to elapse before he ate anything else. Slippery elm forms a kind of soothing coating in the stomach, so food eaten afterwards does not give rise to pain. I know, and must stress, that it is not a long-term remedy, as it could hinder the absorption of nutrients. Fortunately, one or two portions of the product did the trick at the time it was needed.

About 12 years ago, we had a more serious matter to deal with. Pills, prescribed by the doctor to alleviate arthritis, gave my husband a perforated stomach ulcer. Obviously he had to have medical treatment for this severe problem. I think our doctor was relieved that I viewed the prospect of providing a special and carefully chosen diet without panic. That state continued throughout the rest of my husband’s life.

When people have to watch their diet because of stomach complaints, there are two important points to bear in mind. First, they should not eat in a rush or when tired. In the evening, they should relax and unwind before eating. Second, it may be much wiser for them to eat frequent, lighter meals, rather than a few heavier ones.

I come now to my first-hand experience of gut trouble. It happened in the late autumn of 2001. I was very busy with a number of speaking engagements, articles and books to write. Suddenly, quite out of the blue, I awoke to be faced with the most severe diarrhoea. What on earth could be wrong? I must have dashed to the toilet well over 20 times during the morning and afternoon. Fortunately, someone was available to go to the chemist and get a suitable preparation for me, so I took capsules for the treatment of diarrhoea, following the dosage on the packet. By the evening, these seemed to be making matters slightly better. I was very worried because I would be working away from home over the next few days. I made an appointment to see the doctor on my return and continued ‘holding things at bay’ with the help of the capsules and a drastic change in my eating habits.

While staying in a hotel I was extremely careful about everything I ate. When I got home, I adapted my diet to omit anything that could make matters worse. I avoided high-fibre ingredients and reduced my previously generous amounts of fruits and vegetables. I was still taking limited doses of the capsules. One day, I remembered a rather simple remedy I had heard of years earlier. It was when I was taking part in a television programme as the cookery expert. On this occasion a doctor was giving a talk on current health matters. While we were chatting together, another of the participants came up to ask her advice. She had bad diarrhoea. Was there anything the doctor could suggest? The studio was a long way from a chemist so she did not have time to buy a suitable remedy.

The doctor’s advice was, ‘Go down to the canteen and ask them to peel then grate a dessert apple for you. Leave it until it turns brown then eat it. I am sure you will find that a help.’

When the programme had finished, I asked the unfortunate sufferer if the rather unusual apple treatment had proved successful, and she said it had. Remembering this event, I also ate grated apple.

By the time I saw the doctor I was feeling considerably better, although still relying on limited amounts of the capsules. I felt I was more in control of my situation. The doctor looked serious at first and examined me. She was uncertain about what could be the problem, so she arranged for me to see a consultant. In the meantime, she would have tests taken to check whether I had some kind of food poisoning. As I was so busy, I arranged to see the consultant privately to fit in with my work. When I went to the consulting rooms, the gentleman did not give me a great deal of information. He seemed uncertain as to what was wrong. I felt he thought I was making a mountain out of a molehill. By then I had done quite a lot of reading to try and find out more about my condition, so I asked him whether I could have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

‘Not possible,’ was his reply. ‘You are far too old for that. Carry on as you are doing and come back in six weeks if you are no better. We will have to consider an exploratory operation.’

I am a member of the Forum on Food and Health at the Royal Society of Medicine. Fortunately, there was to be a day-long meeting on the value of probiotics and their effect on certain ailments. Among the ailments listed in the programme was IBS. I attended the sessions and learned a great deal about probiotics. I also learned that it was quite possible for me to have IBS, even at my advanced age, which was 86 at the time. On my return visit to my doctor I explained about this theory. The tests had shown I had no sign of food poisoning. The doctor by then had considered that it could be a case of IBS. Because I am basically very healthy, I think I have had it fairly mildly, with none of the pain that many people experience. The doctor stated that I had followed the right regime up to that point, and gave me a prescription for suitable capsules in case they were needed in the future. I never take these capsules or the less strong tablets regularly as they cause constipation and could prevent the body absorbing other medication.

I am writing these words in early 2003 and can say that I have had no trouble for some months. I am aware that IBS is a recurring illness and could come back, so I am always alert to this possibility. As a safeguard, I carry prescribed capsules with me if I am to be away from home for any length of time. Although I am now back on a normal food routine, there are some adaptations I make all the time. Once I ate what many people would regard as an ultra-generous amount of fruit and vegetables. I now eat a slightly reduced amount and take great care to avoid skins. I am a great lover of nuts but eat them rarely and with caution. For some years I have curtailed consumption of wheat in any form to aid my arthritis, and I have discovered that wheat accentuates IBS in some cases. I am sure I have benefited by taking a daily probiotic and live yoghurt. Some of my favourite, and beneficial, dishes are the syllabubs on pages 184–5 and the smoothies. I particularly like the Autumn Special with its ginger flavour. Fortunately, I can make this any time of the year. I enjoy the dishes I have created from the recipes that follow. I do not feel I am being deprived of interesting meals at all.

Since IBS is so often allied to stress, I try to make my life as peaceful as possible, although I am still doing a considerable amount of work. There is no doubt that a condition such as IBS can cause one to panic. When I fear an attack may be coming on, I take the practical dietary steps given in this book. Also, no matter how busy I am, I take time out and spoil myself – and I think this is equally helpful. I listen to music, watch a light-hearted video or film or read a favourite book, preferably one that makes me laugh. I drink a delicious smoothie or cup of tea and enjoy something like a sweet biscuit or freshly baked scone. Tension eases; I am in control of my situation; I can cope with it; and sometimes I feel I may have averted an attack.

I know it is difficult to give up some of the foods you enjoy and replace them with new ones, but none of the recipes contains anything difficult to obtain or unpleasant. On the contrary, most of the ingredients are enjoyable. The dishes are simple to prepare, which is important, for neither you nor your carer will want to spend too long cooking. In following the help given in this book you should steadily begin to feel a wonderful sense of recovery and freedom from pain or discomfort.

I wish you good eating and renewed good health.

Marguerite Patten OBE