Canadian cookbook gives food-for-

thought on autism

By Liem Vu, National Post
June 3, 2010

Karen Dubrofsky was 23 when doctors diagnosed her with Shulmans syndrome, a rare
autoimmune disease that can lead to inflammation of the skin and fascia.

It was the last thing she expected as a newlywed en route to a successful accounting
career. It took seven doctors to discover what was ailing her and even then, the steroids
prescribed did little to curb the chronic pain that she was sure would leave her
wheelchair-bound.

It was in her late-thirties when she overhauled her diet by completely eliminating wheat,
dairy and sugar, a choice that allowed her to alleviate her symptoms and get off of the
medication.

Today, Mrs. Dubrofsky is 50 years old, married and has three children. She has overcome
Shulmans syndrome and her struggles have given her a renewed perspective on life and
charity.

When I started fundraising about eight years ago, it [had] to be something for medical
causes. If I believe in it, I give 150% of my time, said Mrs. Dubrofsky.

The mother of four has edited two cookbooks to raise awareness and funds for two
medical issues: cancer and autism.

Her first book Montreal Cooks was published in 2007 and has raised $750,000 for
Womens Oncology at the McGill University Health Centre.

Cooking with Canadas Best is Mrs. Dubrofskys latest book and was released last
September with 100 per cent of the proceeds going towards the Kilee Patchell-Evans
Autism Research Group at the University of Western Ontario. The research collective is
the named after David Patchell-Evans 14-year-old daughter, who is diagnosed with
autism. The two met in the Fall of 2008 at a natural foods convention and paired up for
the new book.

What [the book] does is make [autism] a topic of conversation, said Mr. Patchell-
Evans, CEO of GoodLife Fitness.
Autism Society Canada, a charitable organization founded in 1976, estimates that 1 in
150 Canadians have autism but like the cause of the disorder, the specifics are unknown.
A healthy diet goes a long way for Mr. Patchell-Evans, who not only helped sponsor the
book but also went on a wheat-free diet with his daughter. It helped relieve his arthritis,
he says.

Although Cooking with Canadas Best includes some recipes with wheat, Mrs.
Dubrofsky made sure to include healthy selections. The book has a no deep-fried and no
creamy rule but sweet-toothed foodies need not fret. She says desserts were the
exception.

If the dessert doesnt have butter in it or something, forget it, its not worth eating, she
said.

One of the desserts is a pain perdue with strawberry-rhubarb puree, a dish from Jason
Bangerter, the executive chef of Auberge du Pommier in Toronto. Mr. Bangerter
provided an additional four recipes including the Auberge salad and seared tuna, Tagine
of roots vegetables with minted yogurt.

When asked why he decided to contribute to the cookbook, he said: [It's a] great charity
to support].

The remaining recipes were provided by other chefs like Chuck Hughes of Garde-Manger
and Thierry Busset of CinCin in a 11-month, cross-Canada search.

Mrs. Dubrofsky is currently working on a new cookbook with recipes that may play a
role in combating Alzheimers. Its not a surprising direction for the philanthropist
considering how large food played a role in her recovery.

When I didnt have my health, there [was] nothing important she said. It was really [in
my late-thirties] when I discovered different foods and then changed my diet. It helped
me tremendously. It saved my life.