By Catherine O’Hara, REVIEW STAFF

Do you suffer from painful cramping and gas? How about joint and muscle pain? Do you find you feel crummy after eating certain foods?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, Lynden native and Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Julie Daniluk, may have a savoury solution for you – one she’ll be presenting at Waterdown’s Goodness Me! February 21.

Based on her first and recently released book, Meals that Heal Inflammation: Embrace Healthy Living and Eliminate Pain, One Meal at a Time, Daniluk serves up a healthy dose of information on inflammation of the gut – the root cause of many ailments.

“Our gut has to be in tiptop shape to allow nutrients to be absorbed,” said Daniluk.

People suffering from inflammation could exhibit a variety of symptoms that could vary from mild to severe. Daniluk experienced the latter, which inspired her to write a book.

While visiting Thailand, the co-host of Healthy Gourmet suffered a severe case of bowel inflammation caused by a bacterial infection from a shellfish dish she had consumed. “It virtually paralyzed me; I had no function of my digestive system,” said Daniluk. “I lost all my electrolytes because I had such bad diarrhea, my fever went up to 108, I was hospitalized and pumped full of antibiotics to save my life.”

The ordeal destroyed Daniluk’s gut lining and recovery took five years.

“I decided to sort of write this journey down and create this systemized plan of healing and really explain to people the science of inflammation,” said the author.

An infection in your gut as well as food allergies can have devastating effects on your health. Eliminating the foods that cause inflammation from a person’s diet is the first step to begin healing the gut lining, noted Daniluk.

Meals that Heal Inflammation offers readers a chance to learn about the science of inflammation and understand why a person’s stomach becomes inflamed. The book also offers solutions and is chock-full of recipes, facts and studies conducted on the topic.

“Every statement about a food has a wonderful study that backs up what I am saying so I am not just saying it from an old wives’ tale,” said Daniluk.

Some of this information – and much more – will be discussed during the author’s lecture at Goodness Me!

“Really, I’m going to give people a lot of hope and inspiration,” said Daniluk. “I always try to lighten up topics, so please know that we are really going to enjoy the evening.

“We are going to have fun.”

Daniluk’s presentation is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 21 at Waterdown’s Goodness Me!, located at 74 Hamilton St. North. There is no cost to attend the workshop. However, those interested in attending are asked to pre-register by calling 905-689-8402 or visiting www.goodnessme.ca/gmclasscal.php and clicking on the Meals that Heal Inflammation item on the calendar of events.

More information on Meals that Heal Inflammation: Embrace Healthy Living and Eliminate Pain, One Meal at a Time is available at www.juliedaniluk.com. The book is available for purchase at Chapters/Indigo locations as well as on Amazon.