Anti-Inflammatory Diet

So as some of you know I had a serious issue with my back this year... I believe it started in March and stayed with me up until June...

I saw doctor after doctor after doctor, x-rays, muscle specialists, chiro, pain meds, stretches, nothing seemed to help.

Until... come in Dr. Lynch from Northampton Wellness Association.  He did blood testing to make sure I was getting all the proper vitamins I need, as well as food allergy testing to see if that could be a trigger.  He also suggested a book for me to read... Breaking the Viscous Cycle (which is a great one for those of you struggling with IBS, Crohn's, Colitis, etc).

His suggestion to help me with my back issues was to go on an anti-inflammatory diet.  He said I should try it out for 3 months and then we would reevaluate after that and see how it helped and if it is something I should stick to the rest of my life, or if I need to do it periodically...

He explained to me that certain foods, have inflammatory properties which can cause arthritis, allergies, back pain and so on.  So by eliminating these foods from your diet, helps decrease inflammation, and if you do it long enough, it is possible to eliminate inflammation completely from your system all together and down the road some people can actually eat those foods again occasionally.  He even said that he has had people with Crohn's and Colitis do this "diet" for a full year and their horrible symptoms vanished all together.  I wish I had known about him and gone to see him before things got so bad that I had to have surgery, but what is done is done.  

Dr. Lynch said I could gradually start cutting things out of my diet, or do it all at once which was more difficult.  Well, at the time I wanted relief, so I quit eating all the foods and drinks I wasn't suppose to cold turkey.  And to make a short story long... after 6 weeks I had started to feel a huge amount of relief!  It gave me encouragement to continue being strict through the 3 month period.

When we reevaluated things, he suggested I try and stay as strict as possible but not to beat myself up if I occasionally go off course.  So that is what I tried to do... well, one "cheat" turned into another, and another and then I was eating badly again.  Now with the move, it took a toll on my diet and my weight.  I had two kitchen but neither one of them were functioning, so it was takeout... pizza, chinese, grinders, you name it, we ordered it.  I have gained 12 lbs in the process, my jeans do not fit anymore and now my back has been killing me again.

We have lived in our house 2 weeks now, and I have been eating healthier now that I can grocery shop and have a kitchen, but it is still not helping my back.  So I decided it is time to go back to my strict diet to get my figure and my back in shape!

Here is what it consists of in case you are wondering...

Try to eat organic and try to eat any one food no more than 5x/week.

Veggies:
Any and all veggies (except potatoes and corn)
Raw, steamed or stir-fried in olive-oil
Eat lower glycemic veggies if possible

Non-Wheat/Non-Flour Grains:
1-2 cups cooked grains (wheat/flour products not allowed, because VERY inflammatory.
Allowed: amaranth, barley, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal, quinoa, basmati or brown rice, rye, teff, rice crisps and wasa crackers.

Legumes:
Any and all that you can tolerate.

Fish:
Poach, bake, steam, or broil deep-sea ocean fish (cod, haddock, halibut, mackerel, sardines, summer flounder, salmon).  Shellfish is okay unless known to be allergic.  (Note: I always try and eat fresh water fish, farm raised is a NO-NO in my book).

Meat/Chicken/Turkey/Eggs:
Only the meat and NO skin of high quality free-range or organically grown chicken or turkey.  Bake, broil or steam.  Eggs are fine unless allergic.
Venizen and other high quality meats are fine, but not every night (I try not to eat meat anymore though!).

Fruit:
Eat periodically any fruit except citrus.  Low carbohydrate fruits if possible.

Sweeteners:
Real maple syrup, rice syrup, barley syrup, raw honey or stevia OCCASIONALLY and with meals ONLY.
NO sugar, nutrasweet, or any other artificial sweetener.

Seeds and Nuts:
Unsalted seeds and nuts (no peanuts- as it is a mold and not healthy).
Butter nuts are fine too (except peanuts).

Butter/Oils:
Mix 1lb butter and 1 cup EVOO.  Whip at room temp and store in fridge.  DO NOT USE MARGARINE.
Use EVOO for all other situations requiring oil.  Do not use other vegetable oils.

To Drink:
Drink a MINIMUM of 6-8 glasses of spring, bottled, filtered or reverse-osmosis filtered water every day. Try to drink one glass per hour.  You can add lemon.  NO distilled water.
Rice milk, oat milk and small amounts of soy are allowed (I don't drink soy).
Green tea is great!!

Use whatever spices you enjoy except salt.  Eat plenty.

STAY AWAY FROM:
all animal milks
fatty meats (ground beef, etc)
all wheat grain products
citrus fruits
peanuts/peanut butter
all animal cheeses
potato- red/white
caffeinated black teas/coffee
all fruit juices
any processed food
all corn products
alcohol
all white flour grain products
all dried fruit
fried foods


XOXO- B