EAT YOURSELF WELL

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The Most Delicious Anti-Inflammatory Herbs and Spices

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Anti-inflammatory Herbs and Spices

Inflammation is healthy when it’s a response to a specific threat – it’s the body’s healing response to injuries and some illnesses. But our modern diets and lifestyles introduce persistent stressors, including emotional stress, environmental toxins, and foodborne chemicals, that can keep our bodies chronically inflamed.

Chronic inflammation is increasingly being implicated in studies as the root cause of many serious illnesses – including heart disease, many cancers, memory diseases like Alzheimers, and autoimmune diseases … as well as being seriously taxing on our energy levels and mood.

A diet rich in fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables, especially when combined with anti-inflammatory herbs and spices like the ones shown above, can help heal your body, and help it preserve your inflammation response for those times when it is needed to fight specific, acute, stressors like injuries.

And – it’s a delicious way to eat … notice that you have all the spices for a pumpkin pie in this chart! Need a recipe? Try this one: Pumpkin Pie Baked in the Pumpkin.

Simple lunch: Pita with Hummus + Sprouts

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Pita with Hummus and Sprouts

I thought I’d share my version of yesterday’s Food Challenge lunch … which was a little bit of a riff on the recipe for the day. When I went shopping to get wraps, the store had handmade whole wheat pita for half off, so I bought those instead; on this budget you get creative with what’s on sale, for sure!

And, since I keep sprouts growing on my windowsill, I tossed those in for extra flavor, crunch, nutrition, and beauty. It was SO simple and delicious – I will do this again and again anytime I need to grab a quick, simple lunch that’s also healthy!

Ingredients
Gluten-free or Whole Wheat Pita
Organic Hummus (homemade or store-bought, any type)
Sunflower sprouts (or any other greens or veggies you have on hand)
Turmeric
Black pepper

Instructions

Cut the pita in half and spread hummus on both inside surfaces. Toss sprouts into the pocket, sprinkle with turmeric and black pepper (or any other spices you like), and eat!

Would REALLY like to hear from you – how is your challenge going?

Shopping List for the REAL FOOD $100/4/7 Challenge!

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OK, we’re just a couple of days away from the start of the REAL FOOD Challenge! As promised, I’ve worked out a shopping list for a week of meals that will feed REAL FOOD to 4 people for 7 days, for under $100. You won’t find a lot of frills in here, but you also won’t find processed, packaged fake foods.

You’ll note that I made some assumptions (Pantry items) that you have some spices on hand, and some olive or coconut oil. Spices can be mixed/matched, so if you don’t have one thing, feel free to sub your favorite in its place. And if you’re missing something entirely, I left a few dollars to cover it. If you don’t need to buy anything else, use those few dollars for something special just for you – an avocado, a bit of dark chocolate, or whatever makes your heart sing.

The menu is pasted below, and the recipes will be coming shortly, in the next post – but first, here’s the link to your shopping list for the week: REAL FOOD Challenge Shopping List

REAL FOOD Challenge Menu

Note: Vegetable pricing may vary widely in your area – I used the current USDA numbers as a reference to compile this. Feel free to sub in similar items – acorn squash for butternut, etc. – if they are on sale and less expensive.

The Power of the Plate

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The Power the PlateResearchers spend hundreds of millions of dollars on medications and other medical interventions for diseases that your body is already fighting every single day. To quote from one of my favorite Ted Talks, William Li, “Can we eat to starve cancer?“:”Autopsy studies from people who died in car accidents have shown that about 40 percent of women between the ages of 40 and 50 actually have microscopic cancers in their breasts, about 50 percent of men in their 50s and 60s have microscopic prostate cancers, and virtually 100 percent of us, by the time we reach our 70s, will have microscopic cancers growing in our thyroid. Yet, without a blood supply, most of these cancers will never become dangerous. Dr. Judah Folkman, who was my mentor and who was the pioneer of the angiogenesis field, once called this ‘cancer without disease.'”

For the most part, our bodies can handle foreign invaders and internal threats, as long as:

1. They are identifiable as an invader – meaning they aren’t some new bacteria/virus/compound that the body can’t identify, or to which it hasn’t developed a response. This is why new chemicals, GMOs, and such have the potential to be so problematic.

2. The body isn’t already so compromised from dealing with known invaders, injuries, etc. that it is too taxed to fight back. This is why it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, including clean foods, regular exercise, stress management, etc.

Right this very minute, probably the best thing you can do to support – and thank! – the amazing systems that keep your body healthy is to go find the darkest, greenest, leafiest organic vegetable around, and eat it. Then in an hour, do it again – and throw in some cooked tomatoes – and blueberries for dessert. The beautiful thing is that you have 3-4 opportunities to do this every day, and every one can be health-supporting, beautiful, and absolutely delicious!

Stress-Less Salad

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Stress-Less Salad, Eat Yourself Well

When you’re feeling stressed, you’ll want to give your body extra whole, natural, beautiful food love … with a special focus on the B Vitamins, Vitamin C, and potassium, and other nutrients that have a calming effect.

For this salad, add the following ingredients in whatever quantities seem right to you – and based on what you have on hand. For best presentation and the joy of eating, make sure that all pieces are smaller than bite-sized in the salad, so you can get a few various veggies in each bite. And experiment with what you have on hand – sweet peppers and avocados make a great additions.

For the oil and orange juice, use about 1-2 Tbsp of each per serving – less is more, and lets the flavors of the vegetables shine through!

Spinach: Vit.C, B Vits, and glycoglycerolipids (anti-inflammatory)
Broccoli: Vit. C, B Vits, Vit. K, and Potassium
Almonds: B Vitamins, Potassium
Black Beans: B Vitamins, fiber, complex carbs and protein
Celery: Potassium, B’s, C, and phthalides – see note below
Strawberries: Vit C., anthocyanins
Red Onions: Vit. C (plus phytochemicals that boost the working of Vitamin C in the body), Flavanoids, Polyphenol, Quercetin (all address oxidative stress in the body)
Orange Juice: Vit. C
Olive Oil: monounsaturated fats

Why B’s?

B vitamins protect the nervous system and sooth the body and mind, combating anxiety, irritability, tension and insomnia. They help your body fight chronic stress, as well as supporting your body’s response to immediate, “fight or flight” extreme stress. There are eight vitamins composing the whole vitamin B complex: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12. They are best taken together in whole foods.

Why C?

Vitamin C strengthens our immune system, which our body’s hormones attack when under stress. Researchers at the University of Alabama fed rats 200 milligrams of vitamin C twice a day and found that it nearly stopped the secretion of stress hormones. Vitamin C can be found in many fruits and vegetables, particularly in citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwis, guavas, oranges, tomatoes and red pepper.

Why potassium?

Potassium helps our nervous system deal with chronic stress, and is necessary for proper muscles and heart function. Insomnia, nervousness and depression can be symptoms of potassium deficiency.

Why fats?

Oils support healthy brain function (your brain is 80% fat by dry weight!), and reduce oxidative stress throughout the body, reducing inflammation and irritation. Olive oil is a great source of monounsaturated fats, which have been shown to actually slow brain aging.

Special Celery note:

Celery has a high level of potassium, and the vitamins C, B 1 and E, which are all important nutrients in fighting stress. Celery contains phytochemicals called phthalides, which some studies have shown reduce stress hormones and work to relax the muscle walls in arteries, increasing blood flow. As a result, it has long been used in Chinese medicine to help control high blood pressure.

Posted by Jennifer Silverberg, Eat Yourself Well

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