Alison’s recipes to suit special dietary needs
AWOMAN whose husband underwent a bone marrow transplant has published a new cookbook for people who have undergone chemotherapy or have a low immune system.
Alison Coates, 50, has been inspired to write The Neutropenic Cookbook to help families who find themselves in a similar situation.
She also hopes it will have something that will appeal to everyone.
Some of the proceeds from the volume will go towards the AIMS charity.
The work features over 100 tasty, low-microbial dinner recipes for low immune systems and post-chemotherapy.
Alison said: “My new cookbook is especially for people who have undergone chemotherapy or who have a low immune system, and a percentage of the sales will go to AIMS charity, which I cofounded in 2018.
“I’m hoping that the book will help a lot of people.”
The mum-of-two had the idea to write the book after her husband, James, was in hospital seven years ago. The couple live in Tarleton.
She is a speech, debate, presentation skills and drama teacher - working for Noisy Classroom and runs her own business, Speaking Solutions, as well as founding and running AIMS.
The keen chef loves cooking, reading, and travelling.
Alison and James have two grown up daughters aged 24 and 29. James is medically retired, but has seen his MS halted since undergoing HSCT nearly seven years ago.
Alison said: “I wrote the book because I couldn’t find anything that fitted this brief when my husband had a bone marrow transplant in 2016.
“The recipes are mainly just family, comfort food type recipes, but planned so they are totally safe for someone who could be at risk of infection.
“I’ve had some lovely feedback from some of the world’s top doctors in regard to the book, and also from the BBC journalist Caroline Wyatt, who had the same treatment my James had.
“I hope that the book will be something that will appeal to everyone and not just people who have to take care to avoid infection.
“I’m a keen cook and the recipes are really just adapted versions of my family’s favourite dinners.
“I would say the style is definitely ‘comfort food’. It also includes a lot of gluten free recipes, or suggestions on how to make a recipe gluten free, as my eldest daughter follows a gluten free diet.
“The charity is www.aimscharity.org and people will be able to buy the book from there and also from Amazon. It’s available as a digital download, paperback and hard cover.
AIMS strives to preserve and protect the health and wellbeing of UK patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and autoimmune disease, in the provision of signposting, support and grants.
AIMS strives to preserve and protect the health and wellbeing of UK patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and autoimmune disease, in the provision of signposting, support and grants.