Nightshade Veggies

Photo by:  David Crehner/Photoxpress.com

I made a horrible mistake when I had company for dinner on Sunday. I ate potato salad. Nightshade vegetables, such as potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant , and peppers are known to be great contributors to inflammation. I have found that I cannot eat potatoes without suffering greatly. Why did I do it? Lack of discipline! Potato salad is so good with barbecue ribs that I simply could not resist. Two days later the swelling and inflammation in some of my joints has finally gone down.

While potatoes certainly need to be out of my diet, I find that tomatoes and peppers (any variety) do not affect me in an adverse way if they are cooked first.

I have found a great substitute for french fries now. Sweet potato fries are becoming more popular all the time in restaurants. You can also purchase them at grocery stores in the freezer section at your local grocery stores. They are packed full of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin A, just to name a few.

Now that I am thinking about it, I may try making potato salad with sweet potatoes. If it works out...I will post the recipe.

Organic

In my quest for complete health and wellness, I have decided to fill my refrigerator with organic foods. I drove up to the South Hill and did my shopping at the local organic market. I haven't eaten any of my purchases yet so I cannot say if I am noticing a difference. I can say that I feel better when I open the refrigerator and see those healthy, colorful, and very expensive vegetables, eggs, and milk filling up the shelves.

Discipline

Why is it so hard to stay on track with healthy eating? My body feels so strong and healthy with no inflammation when I eat properly. I manage to do really great for a while and then suddenly I have company or travel somewhere. Those two things are almost like a get out of jail free card for me. In my mind there is some sick rationalization saying "go ahead....you are celebrating life. Enjoy your travels, companions, and good times with lots of food. You can get back on track right after this". Due to that line of thinking I have more pain and stomach aches than I care to admit. Does that change my behavior? Naturally it should, but, NO...absolutely not. Where is the discipline in all of this? Having said all of this I should let you know.....we are having company tonight!

Changes

When I decided to change my diet, it had to be a whole hearted, one hundred percent committment. I have talked to people who have said that changing their diet did not work for them. I found out that they only cut out a couple of things and were still in pain. That just does not work. I went through my cupboards and cleared out all oils that were high in omega 6 (inflammatory fats) white flour, white sugar, processed foods. To my diet, I added generous amounts of salmon, whole grain, fruits, and vegetables. I also added good Omega 3 fatty foods such as avocado, olives, flaxseed, and whole wheat pasta with added Omega 3's.

For me, sacrificing flavor and delicious satisfying meals was not an option. In my family food is not just fuel for survival,but an event. We love to eat and food is the focus of every family gathering.

I have been creating delicious and nutritious anti-inflammatory recipes.
There are so many ways to add foods that fight inflammation to your daily diet. It is my hope to share these ideas with you as I learn and develop more recipes.

One very simple idea is adding some ginger to your first cup of coffee in the morning. Ginger in an anti-inflammatory. I notice about a half an hour after my coffee that my fingers are less stiff and I feel much better. Great way to start my day.