20 Ways to Fight Inflammation with Toast

I am a little like Ron Swanson. I love breakfast food. I love all the breakfast food you can get in a diner, except sausage gravy and grits. I love sitting down to a plate with two eggs on it, four slices of bacon, a pile of fried potatoes, and buttered sourdough toast. The anti-inflammatory diet has taken half the eggs and everything else on that plate away from me.

Except for cheat days, my breakfasts menu rotates between four meals: smoothies, oatmeal, tofu scrambles, and avocado toast. Avocado toast is my favourite of those meals. I mash up half an avocado with some organic extra virgin olive oil, a squirt of lemon juice, and a clove of garlic. I shmear the mashed avocado on two slices of toasted whole grain probiotic bread and eat it with a basted egg.

If I am out of avocado, sometimes I have peanut butter and banana on my toast instead. Though, I still wish I could be like Elvis and add bacon. All of that is about to change!

In recent weeks, I found a bread that I love for toast. Now, I want more ways to eat it. I’ve found 20 ways to mix up my meals on toast munching mornings while sticking to my diet and fighting inflammation. If you try any of these ideas, leave a comment and tell me what you think.

1. Pesto Avocado Tomato toast

One slice of toast schmeared with pesto, topped with sliced avocado, topped with a slice of tomato, and garnished with sprouts. - Dr. Weil. 

2. Avocado Pomegranate Toast

Sliced Avocado + Crumbled Feta + Pomegranates + Olive Oil on whole grain toast. - Buzzfeed.

3. Banana Almond Butter and Chia Seeds 

Sliced Banana + Almond Butter + Chia Seeds on whole grain toast. - Buzzfeed.

4. Toasty Ants on a Log Toast

Thinly Sliced Celery + Raisins + Peanut Butter. - Buzzfeed.

5. Berries Edamame and Cheese Toast

Goat Cheese + Sliced Strawberries + Shelled Edamame + Balsamic Vinegar + Sea Salt on whole grain toast. - Buzzfeed. 

6. Crunchy Hummus Toast

Hummus + Chopped Walnuts + Pomegranates on whole grain toast. - Buzzfeed.

7. Feta Almond Date Toast

Chopped Mejdool Dates + Sliced Feta + Sliced Almonds on whole grain toast. - Buzzfeed.

8. Plum Butter Toast

Sliced Plums + Sunflower Seed Butter + Flaxseed on whole grain toast. - Buzzfeed.

9. Italian Egg Toast

Marinara Sauce + Poached Egg + Parmesan + Basil on whole grain toast. - Buzzfeed.

This recipe reminds me of shackshouka, but on toast with Italian spices.

Shacksouka. 

10. My Neighbour’s Garden Avocado Toast

It's the time of year when everyone has tomatoes and basil in their backyard. Smashed avocado, schmeared on toast, topped with chopped cherry tomatoes and basil. - The Kitchn.

11. Don’t-Kiss-Me-After-Breakfast Toast

Smashed avocado, schmeared on toast, topped with crumbled feta and chopped green onion. - The Kitchn.

12. The Importance of Being Cucumber Toast

Smashed avocado, schmeared on toast, topped with thinly sliced cucumber and dill. - Little Broken.

13. Sweet Little Monkey Avocado Toast

Smashed avocado, schmeared on toast, topped with thinly sliced banana, sprinkled with sunflower seeds, and drizzled in honey. - Little Broken

No avocado? No problem! Shmear the banana instead like I did: 

14. Two Layer Dip Avocado Toast

Smashed avocado, schmeared on toast, topped with hummus, topped with thinly sliced cucumber and dill. Basically, The Importance of Being Cucumber Toast with more protein! - Kitchen Treaty.

15. Almost Like Pancakes Toast

Mashed banana schmeared on whole grain toast, topped with blueberries, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. - Healthfully Ever After.

16. Curried Banana Toast

Mashed banana schmeared on whole grain toast, sprinted with curry powder, crystallized ginger, raisins, lime zest and juice. - Healthfully Ever After.

17. Garlic Shiitake Mushroom Breakfast Toast

The name says it all. The recipe is here, I would just use olive oil, no butter, and whole grain toast.

18. Greek Chick Peas on Toast

Chick peas, tomatoes, spices, and olives. The Recipe is here and again I would use my favourite bread.

19. Masala French Toast

This sounds like it would taste like curried eggs and bread. I would use my favourite bread and olive or canola oil instead of butter. The recipe is here. 

20. Cinnamon Ginger Chilli Peaches on Toast

Exactly what is sounds like the recipe is here.

Armed with these recipes, I might be eating a toast based diet until October. Please share comments, or other anti-inflammatory friendly recommendations below.

To find out more about my journey in exploring food as medicine, like my Facebook page.

Nightshades and Arthritis

I've been enjoying a bowl full of my friend's garden fresh tomatoes over the past few days, which lead me to thinking about nightshades. Many sources will tell you not to eat nightshades as part of an anti-inflammatory diet, but what are nightshades and should I avoid them?

Tomatoes, white potatoes, eggplant, and peppers (including cayenne and paprika, but not black pepper) are all part of the Solanaceae family, commonly referred to as nightshades. With the exception of those I just mentioned, most nightshades are poisonous, like belladonna, or the deadly nightshade made famous in MacBeth. Most people have no problem digesting edible nightshades. I rather enjoy cayenne, paprika, and tomatoes, but a case has been made that nightshades can cause problems for people with autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis.

The evidence for health risks associated with rheumatoid arthritis in humans is largely based on personal reports. Although, loads of evidence exists that edible nightshades cause joint and bone problems in cows and horses because of the way that their bodies process the potent form of vitamin D3 specific to nightshades. In cows and horses, nightshades prevent the metabolization of calcium, leaving calcium deposits in the soft tissue, instead of in the bones that need it. This leads to painful arthritis and inflammation in cows and horses.

Humans aren't cows and horses. Our bodies don't process vitamin D3 the same way, but the alkaloids and lectins in nightshades do cause some people to complain of discomfort.

The term 'alkaloid' refers to any nitrogenous organic compound that has a pronounced physiological reaction in humans, including everything from morphine to strychnine. A lectin is a protein that binds certain sugars. Lectins are also thought to play a role in immune function and body fat regulation.

"Because we don’t digest lectins, we often produce antibodies to them. Almost everyone has antibodies to some dietary lectins in their body. This means our responses vary. Certain foods can even become intolerable to someone after an immune system change or the gut is injured from another source. The presence of particular lectins can stimulate an immune system response. There are some lectins that no one should consume. 

Ever wonder why you don’t see sprouted red kidney beans?" - Source.

Alkaloids developed in plants as a defence mechanism against bugs. Humans use them as medicines, addictive drugs, and as insect repellants.

'While the plant is alive, these compounds work as its home-grown “bug spray,” defending it from pests and molds that would otherwise kill it. In other words, they’re designed to be toxic. In the poisonous members of the nightshade family, these chemicals are so concentrated that they have deadly effects on humans, but in the edible nightshades, they’re present in much smaller amounts, and mostly in the leaves and stems (which we don’t eat anyway).' - Source.

Being so much larger than a caterpillar, and because we don't eat kidney bean sprouts or tomato leaves, most people experience no reaction to alkaloids. I imagine it is like eating a non-organic carrot, or anything at most restaurants. The trace amounts in the foods we eat are fairly insignificant to healthy people. But what about me? What about people with autoimmune disorders, like rheumatoid arthritis?

"Healthy guts can deal with these chemicals just fine, but people whose digestive system is already compromised by an autoimmune disease have trouble with them. For example, some kinds of alkaloids increase the power of the immune response – exactly what you don’t want when you’re dealing with an autoimmune disorder." - Source.

This can be especially problematic for people dealing with autoimmune disorders that directly effect their digestive system because the cells lining the intestinal tract are often the first victims of alkaloids. Lectins cause the same reaction for some people, but again... the evidence is based solely on personal reports. And this evidence is not as strong as what we've learned from animals, but it's harder to keep us in such a controlled setting as... say... lab mice.

The Arthritis Foundation maintains:

"They also contain solanine, a chemical that has been branded the culprit in arthritis pain. There’s no scientific evidence to suggest that nightshades trigger arthritis flares. In fact, some experts believe these vegetables contain a potent nutrient mix that helps inhibit arthritis pain." - Source.

Certain nightshades have great health benefits. Cayenne pepper, for example (also one of my favourites), is also high in capsaicin, which works as an anti inflammatory in healthy bodies. Tomatoes are considered highly antioxidant, and are believed to help fight cancer (which runs in my family).

Nightshades are like gluten, only people who have a genuine sensitivity to them need to avoid them. For people, like me, with rheumatoid arthritis, it may be worthwhile to eliminate nightshades from your diet for 30 days to see if you notice any improvement. I'd say it can't hurt, but I really love cayenne and still have a bowl of tomatoes in my kitchen.

Rather than wasting my food for something that has yet to be proven, the alkaloid content in the nightshades I east can be reduced by preparing them properly. Peel your potatoes and don't eat them when they are sprouting, or unripe. Cook everything thoroughly. Cooking your food is a good idea most of the time anyway, as cooked foods are generally easier to digest than raw foods.

To find out more about my journey in exploring food as medicine, like my Facebook page.

Tofu Mushroom Lettuce Wraps

I love tofu!

It's been a while since I've written, so I thought I would come back writing about something I love.

My Tofu Mushroom Lettuce Wrap recipe is one of the simplest least expensive meals that I make and we usually gobble them up so quickly that I don't get a photo.

Tofu Mushroom Lettuce Wraps
10oz frozen shiitake mushrooms
1 14oz package extra firm tofu
1 small white onion
1 head of your favourite lettuce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbspn canola oil
Sriracha (to taste) 

1. Cut tofu so that the cubes are roughly the same size as mushroom slices. Finely chop onion.
2. Pre-heat oil in large frying pan (or wok) over medium heat and divide twelve crisp lettuce leaves across four plates.
3. Add tofu to hot oil and sauté. Add the onion when the tofu begins to get crispy at edges. Add the mushrooms when the onion begins to turn clear.
4. Cook mushrooms for about three minutes, then add two tablespoons of soy sauce. Cook for 3-5 more minutes.
5. Pour remaining soy sauce into a medium bowl. Add vinegar and Sriracha to bowl and mix to make dipping sauce.
6. Spoon tofu mushroom mixture into lettuce leaves and serve!

Everything, but the soy sauce, is included on the anti-inflammatory diet. Luckily, Wellness Mama has a simple recipe for a soy sauce alternative. This meal is vegetarian, unless you use Wellness Mama's soy sauce alternative, but then it won't work with the anti-inflammatory diet. I've been cheating and using regular soy sauce, but will try Wellness Mama's and report back to you soon!

To find out more about my journey in exploring food as medicine, like my Facebook page.

Green Chef review

I tried Green Chef for the first time this week. Green Chef is a food box delivery program. They send you three dinners for two once a week. All of their food is organic and sustainably sourced.

Although you don't get to pick which meals they send you in a given week, you can select from a limited range of dietary preferences (vegetarian, omnivore, vegan, gluten-free, paleo), you can see what recipes they will be sending you ahead of time, and skip weeks whenever you want.

FedEx sent the first box that I ordered from Green Chef to the wrong address, leaving me hugely disappointed. I didn't realize how much I would be looking forward to it, especially because I was taking care of a sick husband that week. The mix up wasn't Green Chef's fault and I was not billed for that order, but I got a FaceBook message about a week later from a guy who lives on a different street in my town with the same building and apartment number, claiming the box had been sitting in front of his apartment door for about a week.

I let Green Chef know. They are very friendly, but I was still sad that so much food got wasted.

When my first box finally arrived, this is what was inside:

There are three recipes and all of the ingredients needed to cook them. Everything is measured out to prevent food waste and everything is colour-coded to match the recipe cards. All of the food is fresh and has kept well in my refrigerator. Most of the recipes are compatible with the anti-inflammatory diet. All are low calorie. I've cooked two so far.

First, I made buttermilk-brined chicken, mushrooms, potato & peas, arugula & fig salad.

I think this was the most delicious chicken dinner that I've ever cooked. Because they sent me the recipe card, I can make it again whenever I want!

I was too excited to eat the Memorial Day Mozz Burger & bacon slaw to take a picture, but I kind of wish that I had. I don't think the burger buns are compatible with the anti-inflammatory diet (so I was cheating by eating one). This was a really good burger made from really good beef! However, my husband and I wound up throwing away most of the bacon slaw.

The fact that we hated the bacon slaw is probably not Green Chef's fault either. Bacon just tastes wrong in cole slaw. I felt like I wrecked the two things by mixing them together.

Tonight, I'm looking forward to making Buffalo-Blue Sweet Potato, blue cheese, black bean & corn salsa, spinach.

Based on this experience, I definitely recommend Green Chef. If you are interested in giving them a chance, click here to get four meals (two recipes and all of the ingredients) for free.

To find out more about my journey in exploring food as medicine, like my Facebook page.

Food as Medicine: course review

I've just completed a three week course called "Food as Medicine." I thought the course would have me blogging more than I have over the past three weeks, but it seems I've barely written anything at all.

In week one the course introduced learners to the concept of evidence-based medicine, which seemed pretty basic to me.

Evidence based medicine is the “conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients” and/or more broadly applied to populations.

The course presented this concept as the alternative to traditional-based medicines.

In the beginning, I thought I was all about evidence-based medicine in my approach to health care, but, in conversations with other learners, I quickly realized that I use food as medicine all the time -- even before I started the anti-inflammatory diet. When my husband is sick, I buy ginger ale and immediately begin making chicken noodle soup. If I am anxious, I have a cup of tea. If I have diarrhea, I drink lots of fluids and eat plain rice. These are habits I learned throughout my life.

The course teaches the difference between macronutrients and micronutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidants, prebiotics and probiotics, before sticking a pin in the myth of superfoods. I will have to write a separate post on the myth of superfoods.

In week one, I also started keeping a food journal (it starts on the week I am celebrating my husband's birthday, then my eating habits improve) and gradually I forgot to maintain it. Eventually, I just stopped, but that was fine because the course didn't seem to mention it again.

In week two, we began learning about what controls our appetites, which got me thinking about the factors in my life that make it hard for me to stick to my diet (like celebrating my husband's birthday).

Week two also had a bunch of information on our genes and diet during pregnancy, which I found boring. My baby is grown up already! However, when they started talking about measuring obesity, I paid attention.

I think weight is a bogus way of measuring a person's health. I was in very good shape at age 14 weighing an athletic 158 lbs, which, some years later, is what I weighed when I was 9 months pregnant. I won't tell you how much I weigh now, but since then, I have consistently stayed between a size 10-14 (I am 5'7"). At age 40, I have a 32 inch waste, but the BMI says I am borderline obese... I call nonsense.

Week two of the course taught me about approaching the anti-inflammatory diet as a lifestyle change that will keep me healthier in an ongoing way.

In week three we learned about media literacy in relation to food as medicine and sensationalized health headlines. It also introduced me to Behind the Headlines: your guide to the science that makes the news. Behind the Headlines investigates popular news stories about health sciences, tracing them back to their origins and analyzing the science at their root.

With many thanks to the course's lead educator Helen Truby, I recommend the Food as Medicine course to anyone with an interest in my blog.

To find out more about my journey in exploring food as medicine, like my Facebook page.

Diet & Privilege

One in nine people on this planet don't have enough food to eat to lead an active lifestyle. People all around me don't know if they have enough food to get through the week. Here I am, like a spoiled little princess, saying I don't want any ice cream.

As a volunteer at the food bank, many years ago, I asked one of our patrons whether he was vegetarian. "Only when I can afford to be," he answered, opting for the omnivore's kit. That didn't make any sense to me at the time; this food bank catered to vegetarian and vegan diets. I understand now that special diets are a form of privilege.

Privilege is a special right or advantage available only to a particular person or group of people. The term is commonly used in the context of social inequality, particularly in regard to age, disability, ethnic or racial category, gender, sexual orientation, religion and/or social class. Two common examples would be having access to a higher education and housing. Privilege can also be emotional or psychological, regarding comfort and personal self-confidence, or having a sense of belonging or worth in society. It began as an academic concept, but has since become popular outside of academia. Source.

Even special diets for health are a form of privilege in a world where you are lucky to have something to eat.  Special diets are a form of privilege even when access barriers to special diets is imagined, like the man who couldn't afford to be a vegetarian at the food bank.

A community food bank in NJ

Now that I know I am exercising a form of privilege by eating and sharing a special diet to benefit my health, how do I address this social inequality?

One way might be by sharing inexpensive recipes that are consistent with the anti-inflammatory diet, like my turmeric tofu scramble, which uses left-over vegetables. I should be looking for lots of those in the future because I'm not rich, just self-entitled: privileged. There have been many times in my life that I had no reservations about buying the organic macaroni  and cheese with my last five dollars, instead of saving $4.50 with the non-organic generic brand.

To find out more about my journey in exploring food as medicine, like my Facebook page.

Food Journal

I've been asked to keep a food journal for the next three weeks, so I am going to keep it here. I will try to update it every day. It's probably the worst week for me to begin because we are celebrating my husband's birthday this week. I predict it will look like I've really shaped up next week.

Monday 2nd of May

Breakfast:

Multi-grain oatmeal with fresh strawberries and vanilla almond milk.

I also had a cup of coffee.

Lunch:

I like to try to use up leftovers at lunch and had some salad left from the night before, but needed soy and protein.

Tossed spinach salad and a turmeric tofu scramble.

Yes, that is grated cheese on top, but it looks like more than there is.

I also had a glass of water and a glass of vegetable juice. Mid afternoon, I made some spicy chai tea too - no milk or sugar.

Dinner:

I was too busy serving dinner to take a picture, but we had a veggie and humus plate with a bowl of my homemade pita chips. I know pita chips aren't on my diet, but my husband really wanted them and its his birthday (soon). We also had a curried cashew and carrot soup, which you wouldn't think goes well with Greek food, but it does. We crumbled a few of the remaining pita chips into our soup and it was delicious.

Also, I had a glass of red wine.

Dessert:

I don't usually eat dessert, but like I said this is a special time. Picked up this strawberry shortbread interpretation  of an empire cookie. It was so sweet that we shared the one.

I had another glass of red wine.

Snack:

Maybe it was the wine, but I caved and had a couple handfuls of potato chips and a cup of green tea before bed.

Tuesday 3rd of May

Breakfast:

An orange and some strawberries.

Also had a cup of coffee.

Lunch:

I almost forgot to take a picture of my lunch, so here it is... almost gone.

Cheddar, carrots, mushrooms, celery, cucumber,
red pepper humus, and a glass of water.

Snack:

I had a cup of chai green tea and some Ona maple pecan cookies. Ona maple cookies are healthy little cookies that come in a pack of two. They are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and soy-free -- not that I'm trying to avoid ALL of those things. I just got them for free!

They do contain: almond flour, honey, maple syrup, pecans, coconut oil, vanilla extract, sea salt, cinnamon, and are mostly organic.

Dinner:

On the eve of my husband's birthday, I told him he could have anything he wanted for dinner. He chose KFC. I will behave better next week. I promise!

Wednesday 4th of May

Breakfast:

Today was my husband's birthday. He woke me up excitedly and asked me to go out for breakfast with him. Here's what I ordered:

Raspberries, kiwi, blackberries, blueberries, granola, banana, pineapple,
and a big dollop of yogurt in the middle.

Also, had two cups of coffee.

Lunch:

I made my lunch at the salad bar and brought it home.

Roast chicken on top of "summer pasta salad" (tomatoes, mozzarella, farfalle,
olive oil, garlic, oregano) on top of the "calcium boost salad"  (spinach, five
kinds of beans, red onion, balsamic vinaigrette).

Also had chai green tea.

Dinner:

I didn't have time to make my lunch at home because I was getting ready for company and made a big roast beef dinner (one of the birthday boy's favourites). This included roast beef, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, potatoes, carrots, steamed asparagus, and Yorkshire pudding (made from scratch). Also had a couple glasses of red wine.

Dessert:

Cake, of course! Chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, a chocolate buttercream filling, and half a scoop of Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.

Birthday cake! I was playing the Beatles' Birthday Song on my iPad, which
also served as a tray for the cake. lol

Thursday 5th of May

Breakfast:

Cup of coffee and...

Avocado toast with a basted egg.

Lunch:

For lunch I had chicken tortilla soup. There were no tortillas and very little chicken in my soup. I got it on my way to the museum at the market by my house. It was vegetable broth, tomatoes, corn, peppers, black beans, kidney beans, white beans, and Mexican spices. Two cups of pressed apple-pomegranite juice.

Dinner:

Left-over pot roast from the night before, with a couple glasses of wine. No dessert for me.

Friday 6th of May

Breakfast:

I was bad today and didn't eat breakfast. I had a glass of probiotic blueberry pomegranate juice before I left the house, then got a small frappuccino and Starbucks. I've been reducing the sugar in my diet so much that this tasted like pure syrup!

Lunch:

I made my self a delicious salad at the salad bar on campus today and ate it in the sunshine!

Romaine, spinach, beets, mushrooms, half a hard-boiled
egg, black beans, kidney beans, feta, flax seeds, cherry
red peppers, tomatoes, and sunflower seeds.

Snack:

Not eating breakfast left me hungry all day (I think).

Tandoor Chef cilantro pesto naan pizza.

And sparkling water with fruit juice.

Dinner:

For dinner, I made this platter to share with hubby and enjoyed some red wine.

Homemade pita chips, popcorn shrimp, carrots, cucumber, mushrooms,
celery, red pepper hummus, guacamole.

Saturday 7th of May

Brunch:

We had a pretty jentacular weekend, wrapping up my husband's birthday week. Saturday we went to First Watch, where I ordered:

See the menu here.

I didn't like the ciabatta (doesn't suit my diet anyway), so I mostly had the eggs, cheese, and veg. I also had two and half cups of coffee.

Dinner:

My husband made a yummy stir fry for dinner.

Beef & mushroom rice noodles, fried vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower,
carrots, peas, onions, soy sauce, and spices.

I also had some red wine.

Sunday 8th of May

Breakfast:

Back on my diet, I went out for breakfast, ordered the granola bowl and a cup of coffee.

Kiwi, blackberries, blue berries, pineapple, granola, banana, and a
scoop of yogurt.

Lunch:

Whole grain crackers and cheddar, a glass of water.

Dinner:

Tofu burger (mostly soy flour) - no bun - bacon, sautéed
mushrooms, avocado, and a salad of mixed greens, red &
yellow peppers, cucumber, kidney beans, and black beans.

Of course, I had some red wine.

Monday 9th of May

Breakfast:

Basted egg, whole grain toast with olive oil, garlic, lemon, avocado, and
two slices of bacon.

I barely ate half of that and my puppy looked like he really needed some of that bacon. I also had two cups of coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice.

After breakfast, things didn't go so well. I had health issues for over an hour, then I began feeling very nauseous.

Lunch:

I thought this and a cup of chai would be easy enough to eat.

Curried carrot and cashew soup.

A few hours later, I nearly threw up.

Snack:

To calm my stomach, I had some whole grain crackers and water.

Dinner:

Chicken noodle soup and green tea.

Dessert:

Coconut cream ice cream.

Tuesday 10th of May

Breakfast:

Coffee and...

Banana and peanut butter yogurt.

Lunch:

For lunch today, I made myself a strength enducing sandwich because my husband is sick and I felt I really needed something substantial that fitted my diet to be able to continue taking care of him. I had green tea, as well ad fruit juice with sparkling water and:

One piece of multi-grain toast with half an avocado, half a chicken breast,
some cheddar, and some mixed greens.

Dinner:

By dinnertime, I felt my husband was beginning to recover himself somewhat, but lacked appetite. So I whipped myself up something that would quickly satisfy, which was wise because he was craving chips and chocolate; and I avoided those. 

I had fusilli with tofu, zucchini, green pepper, mushrooms, and garlic sautéed in olive oil, cayenne, and an Italian spice mix. I also had red wine... it was a long day...

To find out more about my journey in exploring food as medicine, like my Facebook page.

History of Food as Medicine: Introduction

If you have ever had a cup of tea with honey to sooth a sore throat, or a bowl of chicken noodle soup, when you were sick, you've used food as medicine. As far as I can tell, food has always been used as medicine.

In 400 B.C. the Greek physician Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine” said, “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates realized that food impacts a person’s health, body and mind to help prevent illness as well as maintain wellness.
In Hippocrates’ Greece, as well as across pre-modern Europe and Asia since ancient times, foods were used to affect health. For instance, the juice of liver was squeezed on the eye to treat eye diseases, connected to Vitamin A deficiency. Garlic was used to cure athlete’s foot, and eating ginger was thought to stimulate the metabolism.
In 1747, a British Navy physician, Dr. James Lind, saw that sailors were developing scurvy, a deadly bleeding disorder, on long voyages. He observed that they ate only nonperishable foods such as bread and meat.
Lind’s experiment fed one group of sailors salt water, one group vinegar, and one group limes. Those given limes didn’t develop scurvy. And although Vitamin C wasn’t discovered until the 1930s, this experiment changed the way physicians thought about food, creating a market for nutrition careers. Source.

From curing scurvy with limes to promoting better health with the latest fad diet, there has always been a lot of experimentation in the field of nutrition science. Not surprisingly, the advent of vitamin, or dietary, supplements (I hate supplements) was an advent of the 1930s, when scientists began isolating those properties of food and documenting the ways in which nutrients interact with the body. As with the long history of anything, it is tempting to look for progress and evolution in the narrative, but Dr Andrew Weil and Dr Oz are the John Harvey Kellogg and Frank Orth of the industry today.

The disinformation charlatans contribute to the culture of nutrition makes skeptics like me see nothing but fad diets, when I might actually benefit from making changes to my lifestyle and eating habits.

Dioscorides' Materia Medica, c. 1334 copy in Arabic,
describes medicinal features of cumin and dill.

Do herbal remedies count as food? Is a remedy medicine?

What is medicine? For the purposes of this blog, I will define medicine as a preparation that you participate in, or ingest, to prevent, or treat, sickness. For example, I'm sick... almost in a general way, but it has become overwhelming, so I am experimenting with the anti-inflammatory diet to feel better. The diet itself is prepared by others and I am both participating in it and ingesting it. I am treating the diet as medicine, but I am also treating each meal as medicine, which I prepare (or someone else prepares for me, lucky me).

In doing so, I am participating in the long history of using food as medicine. Even chocolate as medicine has a long history.

The earliest evidence for the medical use of chocolate are to be found in Mesoamerican civilizations: iconographic works and fragments, writings and remnants in the pottery suggest that cacao was prepared in beverage form at least as early as 600 B.C.

But before you bite into that Hershey bar, read the ingredients. Food can hurt you! For centuries, the history of food as medicine tells us we should be careful of what we eat. Morning cartoons were teaching us this in the 1990s.

Moreover, Hershey has played an insidious role in the history of food as medicine for its use of child labour. Nestle is worse with its scandalous baby formula history.

So, while the history of food as medicine is long, it has become most interesting in the last 100-200 years. We've learned a lot about what food can do to improve health, while encountering some cautionary tales. Like the video says, we shouldn't eat food from strangers, like Hershey and Nestle. Read the labels. Has it been approved/inspected by the FDA? Treating food as medicine means not ingesting it, if we don't know what it is!

To find out more about my journey in exploring food as medicine, like my Facebook page.

Chronic Inflammation Quiz

Answer eleven questions to find out if you should be worried about chronic inflammation.

To find out more about my journey in exploring food as medicine, like my Facebook page.

Arthritis Food Myths

Yesterday, a friend asked me about what foods I missed, since I started the anti-inflammatory diet. Thankfully, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I do love pasta. I love Italian food in general. I've had a mad craving for pizza ever since I started this crazy diet! “That must suck,” said my friend, because a lot of what is good about Italian food is tomatoes and those are an anti-inflammatory no-no. Or are they?

The common belief is that tomatoes and other nightshades are bad for people suffering from arthritis. According to this belief, I should also be avoiding green and red peppers. Or should I?

People believe nightshades are bad for arthritis because they contain solanine. No research has ever confirmed solanine’s dangerous role in arthritis and inflammation. Although a 2011 study suggested the opposite was true in men. Moreover, many nightshades contain essential nutrients. A single tomato contains 20% of your recommend daily dosage of vitamin A and 28% of your daily dosage of vitamin C. Unless you have some other problem with tomatoes, eat them up!

While I found a lot of supportive information for the anti-inflammatory diet through the Arthritis Foundation (AF), the AF also provides a warning against certain myths about using food as medicine. They debunked the tomato myth for me and warned me about other myths.

I didn’t even know that a dozen gin-soaked raisins per day is supposed to provide pain relief, and a moment after I read that, I didn’t care. According to the AF, no scientific study has ever supported that claim.

People may have been doing this for centuries,
but it still doesn't work.

People are even drinking apple cider vinegar to ease pain because it contains beta-carotene, but the amount of beta-carotene in apple cider vinegar is nothing compared to the amount of beta-carotene in a carrot. Eat a carrot!

We’ve known since the 1980s that dairy can slow the progression of osteoarthritis, but people suffering from arthritis pain are still warned away from it. If you don’t have a problem with the dairy industry (blood and puss), choose lower-fat dairy products. I haven’t been avoiding dairy all together, but I have been replacing some of it with almond milk and soy cream (for my coffee).

The raw food diet, famously touted by Woody Harrelson (I love him), might make digestion more difficult and has been found to cause nausea and diarrhea, while offering little more than a placebo to those suffering from chronic-inflammation related problems. The AF recommends switching to a raw food diet slowly, if you are determined to make the change.

Some people think that coffee causes gout. This is silliness. Research has shown it actually lowers the risk and has many other health benefits. Drink up!

Also, people with chronic inflammation are often encouraged to avoid citrus fruits for no good reason. Citrus fruits are an excellent source of vitamin C, which can reduce arthritis pain.

To find out more about my journey in exploring food as medicine, like my Facebook page.

Fat and Inflammation

“Obesity in animals, including humans, is not dependent on the amount of body weight, but on the amount of body fat - specifically adipose tissue.” 

Adipose, or fatty tissue has an important role to play in the body in terms of cushioning and support, as well as storing nutrients, but excess deposits of fat are vulnerable to attack by immune cells. Inflammation is a process created by these immune cells to protect the body from infections and keep us healthy. Chronic low-grade inflammation can occur, when our immune systems are chronically attacking excess fat deposits. As we already know, chronic inflammation makes us vulnerable to a list of other ailments.

Diet and exercise can help us control the amount of excess fat we carry on our bodies. Exercise can also be used to reduce pain, encourage healing, and prevent diseases.

I use yoga to maintain core strength. Increased core strength, my doctors have told me, will naturally reduce the pain in my lower back by building up muscles that support the spine. As my arthritis has grown worse, I have also begun to see how much of an impact that gentle exercise has on the pain in my feet and knees.

Now I wonder if I should be exercising harder to reduce excess fat on my body. If I do, I might start out with something like this, or I might just join a soccer team, in addition to continuing to practice yoga for the continued benefits I get from doing it.

Any other suggestions?

Turmeric for breakfast

This turmeric tofu scramble recipe is one of my kid’s favourites and fits perfectly into the anti-inflammatory diet. I could eat this with a piece of whole grain toast every day and be happy.

With all of my health problems, my mom has been trying to get more turmeric in me for ages. Turmeric belongs in the ginger family and originated in southwest India, where farmers harvest the roots annually. The roots are processed and ground into the deep-orange-yellow powder we are all familiar with. “One active ingredient is curcumin, which has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot peppery flavor and a mustardy smell.”  Along with supporters of the anti-inflammatory diet, my mom will be happy to know that science is starting to take turmeric seriously too.

Scientists are especially interested in curcumin’s affect on the body. Basic research is still underway to study its potential to heal kidneys, arthritis, cancer, irritable bowls, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, as well as its basic anti fungal and antibacterial properties. Last year, Scientific American’s Everyday Einstein even talked about turmeric, if only to point out how much we still need to know about curcumin. How much turmeric is needed to have a medicinal impact on the body? How much is bad for you?

Really the only warning I’ve found on turmeric for your health is about its vulnerability to adulteration in the marketplace, which consumers have been aware of and have developed tests for. 

I know what I want for breakfast.

Why I hate supplements

“Very expensive urine” is the Sheldon Cooper quote I use to describe vitamins and supplements. Every time I think of taking a supplement I am reminded what a terrible idea it is.

Part of me wants to take supplements, that part of me that remembers the love in my grandma’s eyes as she gave me my Flintstone’s chewable. She did what she did out of love and I did the same with my kid. People take vitamins; it is what one does. But are we really risking our health and the health of our children?

The law defines dietary supplements in part as products taken by mouth that contain a "dietary ingredient." Dietary ingredients include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbs or botanicals, as well as other substances that can be used to supplement the diet.

As an adult, I haven’t regularly taken any dietary supplements. I used to eat some of my kid’s Flintstone chewables and I bought a supplement recently that was recommended by doctors for reducing the symptoms of arthritis, but I hated the idea and my memory problems made it difficult for me to keep up the habit.

People take supplements for all kinds of reasons according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

People use dietary supplements for a wide assortment of reasons. Some seek to compensate for diets, medical conditions, or eating habits that limit the intake of essential vitamins and nutrients. Other people look to them to boost energy or to get a good night's sleep. Postmenopausal women consider using them to counter a sudden drop in estrogen levels.

I wouldn't be trying the anti-inflammatory diet, if I didn't hope that I would get some benefit from the right kinds of vitamins etc. However, study after study is finding that we can't be sure over-the-counter supplements contain the ingredients listed on the bottle. The University of Guelph found that one in three supplements on the market are fake. The FDA has had similar findings, but there’s still little consumers can do about it.

 

The FDA even says on their website that the law doesn't require supplements to be proven safe before they are marketed, which means that what these little capsules contain could be seriously harmful to you.

The researchers from the CDC and the FDA analyzed representative surveillance data from 63 hospital Emergency Rooms over a 10-year period (2004-2013), and their statistical analysis projected about 23,000 ER visits annually resulting from ingestion of supplements, about one-tenth of which led to hospitalization. 

According to the authors, “Such visits commonly involve cardiovascular manifestations from weight-loss or energy products among young adults and swallowing problems, often associated with micronutrients, among older adults.” But because of irresponsible, two-decade-old legislation, the answer to the critical question, “How many Americans are killed each year due to ingestion of so-called dietary-nutritional supplements?” cannot be answered. 

The culprit is the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). Congress virtually exempted supplements from oversight under DSHEA, which bars federal authorities from requiring evidence that herbal remedies are safe or effective, or even that the dosage information on the label is correct. Since 1994, these products have not been subject to the same regulatory requirements as prescription drugs—or in fact to any meaningful regulation at all. Source.

You can read the details of the DSHEA here.

Imagine you get one of the two in the three bottle of vitamin C that actually contain the 500 mg of vitamin C promised on the bottle. Some vitamin C supplements on the market contain 1,000 mg. An adult only needs 65-90 mg of vitamin C per day. Taking that much extra vitamin C rarely causes adverse reactions, like diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps, rarely. Luckily, vitamin C is water soluble, which means that the excess 910 mg of vitamin C become expensive urine.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case with some other vitamins, like vitamin A, which can build up toxic levels in the body. A 2001 study by the National Cancer Institute found that men who took vitamin E supplements were 17% more likely to develop prostate cancer. Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study found that vitamin A increases a smoker’s chance of developing lung cancer by 18%.

The third most popular supplement in the US is fish oil. Fish and fish oil are recommended by Dr Weil as part of the anti-inflammatory diet. Manufacturers of fish oil supplements even put a nice lady in the grocery store near my house, who gave me free samples. As I’ve told you before, I'm sick and I want to feel better. It is so tempting to believe in the magic pill, especially if that pill seems natural and inexpensive, but I’m glad I didn’t take those fish oil supplements.

As long as it’s not rancid, fish oil isn’t bad for you. Norway is one of the world's largest producers of fish oil. However, one study in Norway found that 95% of non-prescription fish oil on the market is rancid. When fish oil goes rancid, the omega-3 oxidizes creating free radicals. Free radicals actually encourage inflammation and cancer.

A study different than the Norwegian one found between 11%-62% of over-the-counter fish oil pills showed oxidation. Source.

I don’t want to take supplements that cause inflammation, especially not when I’m on an anti-inflammatory diet. I’d rather have a burger and fries, but I won’t.

Fish are a reliable source of fish oil, just like carrots are a reliable source of vitamin A, and oranges provide plenty of vitamin C.

I’m not saying that you should never ever take a supplement. In certain circumstances, you may benefit from taking a supplement. In those circumstances, your doctor will prescribe one to you and you should buy it from a pharmacist from a supplier that has been regulated. Otherwise, who knows what you’ll be ingesting?