Don’t BBQ Your System

Hi, I’m back. Ready to bring some new info and great stuff on the horizon. If you have been following my words of wisdom, then you know we left off at joint health. Now we’re heating things up. Let’s briefly discuss the subtle signs that inflammation is building up in your system, before I give you tools to fight this silent adversary

1. MOOD ISSUES/SADNESS
2. LOW ENERGY /LOW STAMINA
3. CHOLESTROL RATIO OFF ELEVATED LDL (the bad one)
4. DIGESTIVE UPSETS (IBS, gas/diarrhea/constipation)
5. POOR CONCENTRATION (scattered brain)
6. MEMORY/RECALL ISSSUES
7. SORE MUSCLES/ WEAKNESS/JOINT PAIN

Do you have any of these issues? If you do, you need to change your eating habits ASAP. If you don’t make the change, things only get worse. It all starts with FOOD. Hippocrates wrote “LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE, LET MEDICINE BE THY FOOD” How can this be true you say, why do we have all these medications available to us? Why do we have all these supplements available? We are not living in the dark ages; we are in the 21st century. You don’t want to go through life popping all sorts of pills for all your different symptoms. Sooner or later your kitchen counter will be filled with bottles of stuff. Before you know it, you’re taking 10, 12, 15, or more pills daily. Sound familiar? Can you relate? If so let’s get started. We’re going back in time; we are going to eat clean and simple. Oh! I almost forgot, TASTE, we can’t forget that. If it tastes yucky, who’s going to eat it. I certainly wouldn’t and I am sure you won’t either. First a list of the foods:

VEGGIES:

Artichoke, arugula, asparagus, bean sprouts, beet greens, beets, bok choy, broccoli, broccolini, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collard greens, cucumbers, garlic, green beans, jicama, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, pea shoots, radishes, snaps, spinach, squash, sun chokes, sweet potatoes, turnips, watercress, yams, zucchini

HEALTHY FATS:

Flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, macadamia nut oil, virgin coconut oil, pasture ghee, extra virgin olive oil, virgin coconut oil, avocado oil, coconut butter

PROTEINS:

Cold water fishes, grass-fed meats, organic pasture raised chicken and eggs. If eating beans or legumes use sprouted and soaked easier on digestion, wild turkey, wild salmon only, no farmed raised. Soak your seeds, soak your nuts for cooking or eating raw. If using vegan protein powders use unsweet organic varieties.

GRAINS & LEGUMES:

Grains & legumes SHOULD BE SOAKED FOR 4 HRS PRIOR TO COOKING THEM. Cook in a bone broth for extra nutritional healing benefits. Quinoa, and amaranth provide the most amino acids. Amaranth, buckwheat, brown rice, gluten free oats, millet, quinoa, teff. LEGUMES: Black beans, white beans, pinto beans, mung beans, lima beans, lentils, kidney beans, garbanzo beans and red beans.

HERB & SPICES:

Use herbs with anti-inflammatory properties. Basil, cilantro, cinnamon, cumin, curry, dill, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, onions, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, turmeric.

CONDIMENTS:

Apple cider vinegar, chives, coconut amino, coconut vinegar, lemons & limes, live sauerkraut, mustards nori flakes, nutritional yeast. Olives, rinse off extra salts. Sea salt, cayenne pepper.

SEED & NUTS:

Nuts can be inflammatory so limit to ¼ cup daily and make sure they are raw unsalted and soaked when cooking with them. SEEDS such as chia & hemp do not need to be soaked prior to use. Other seeds such as watermelon seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, contain anti-inflammatory properties.

FRUIT:

Limit to 3 daily. Eat organic fresh fruit (1 small piece or ½ cup is = to one serving). Best varieties: apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, kiwi, lemons, limes, mango, melons, papaya, nectarines & peaches, plums pomegranate, raspberries, strawberries, marionberries.

DRINKS:

Green Juice drinks, herbal teas, homemade broth, kombucha, cold pressed veggie juices, smoothies. NO! coffee NO! alcohol. When battling chronic inflammation/inflammatory responses, coffee and alcohol increase inflammation in the system.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK:

FRITTATA: Frittata’s origin stems from the Italian roots (my heritage by the way) it means open omelet.

Remember to use organic and fresh. Use Oven safe skillet.

• Eggs 6-8 depending if medium or large
• 1 small red onion, 1 scallion, 1 white part of the leek. Clean and dice fine
• 2 tbsp. of the healthy fats on the above list (for this recipe I like avocado or olive oil)
• ½ tsp sea salt, 2 tsp fresh chopped basil (1/2 tsp) if dried ½ tsp of minced garlic very fine or paste 1 cup of organic baby spinach, 1 cup of chopped mushrooms (whatever variety you like)
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• Sauté the onions, leeks, scallions in nonstick pan until soft (5-6 min)
• Add the spinach and mushrooms and the oil to the onion mixture. Stir and let sit in the oven safe skillet.
• In a bowl beat the eggs, sea salt, garlic, and basil. When thoroughly mixed place in the skillet with the other ingredients. Place the skillet in the oven on 400 degrees for approximately 10 to 12 minute or until egg mixture is set.

This is dairy-free, soy-free and a good vegetarian option, not to mention it’s good, easy and anti-inflammatory.

Don’t like eggs, then I have another great recipe that you’ll have to wait till next week.

Till we meet again. LET HEALTH BE WITH YOU. Also, don’t forget to leave a comment below!