The 27-year-old hopes the "part encyclopaedia, part manifesto, part recipe book" will help others struggling with common digestive issues and allergies, with its strong emphasis on gut health.

"It's the book I would have liked to have been given when I first had trouble with food and needed to change my diet," Ms Flack said.

"My symptoms started when I was about 15 and by the time I reached the HSC, I was skipping class to go to the doctor's.

"I'd been fine as a kid, but I think the hormonal changes during puberty changed things and I started to suffer terribly from stomach pain, sleep problems and shoulder and neck pain."

Ms Flack was eventually diagnosed at 18 with a dairy allergy, lactose and gluten intolerance. Milk, cheese, yoghurt and ice-cream, pasta and bread, were some of the items off the menu from then on.

She also started to take an active interest in naturopathy - which she is now studying - while completing a psychology degree at the University of Wollongong.

"I started to explore the link between the food we eat and our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing," she said. "Edible is the result of that journey."

The weighty guide - 436 pages long - offers a naturopathic, wholefood approach and focuses on local, small-scale organic farming.

"A clean, organic, local plant-based diet helped my body recover," she said. "So in this book I have included more than 200 recipes, along with discussion on nutrition and health.

"There's also more than 1500 references to scientific journals. A lot of people won't go looking through these journals but they're a great resource, and I've just repackaged the research in a fun, accessible way."

Ms Flack wrote the tome while staying at The Artists Outlook in Austinmer and now she's busy running workshops across the state.

On August 8, she'll run a workshop at Thirroul Railway Heritage Hall featuring lemons as part of the When Life Gives You Lemons festival supported by Wollongong City Council.

For tickets, visit trybooking.com

Edible is available from selected health food stores or online at www.ediblethebook.com.

lwachsmuth@fairfaxmedia.com.au