Breakfast with no Inflammation

Breakfast, for years, has meant nabbing whatever my son hasn't finished, or a bagel, or maybe frozen chocolate-chip pancakes if I was wanting sugar.  My husband often spoiled me with a scone and some sausage from Whole Foods in bed on a Sunday morning.

I never once considered how badly I was inflaming my gut, right from the start of the day.

Breakfast has changed a lot this past week, and I am feeling a lot better for it.

My options for breakfast now:

1/4 cup steel cut oats with cinnamon
a handful of dried cranberries, apple-juice infused
1 tbsp of wildflower honey
8 oz tart cherry juice
Probiotic yogurt

My whole body is thanking me.  All of these foods are known for their anti-inflammatory properties.
Steel Cut oats have a wide variety of health benefits.  You've got to love the fiber content. They enhance the immune system, help stabilize blood sugar, lower the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack, lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, and lower cholesterol.  They have unique antioxidants and, like the other foods on this list, are anti-inflammatory.  The list of benefits goes on and on.

Cranberries have been shown to reduce inflammation in the gums and the gut, the large intestine, and the cardiovascular system.  Anyone who ever had a UTI knows they are helpful in defeating those infections.  Cranberries are also shown to help reduce bad cholesterol and improve good cholesterol.

Tart cherries (sweet won't do it) are one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods around.  1.5 cups, or 8 oz. of tart cherry juice, is recommended.  We buy a concentrate and mix it at home to taste.

Honey has been beloved throughout history for its anti-inflammatory properties.  It is one of the few foods that never spoils, and can be used for wound care, as it has anti-bacterial properties.  Stipulation: never give it to anyone under age 2, as it has been linked to botulism.

Cinnamon is still being tested in laboratories to define its properties, but is widely regarded as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.  There are some claims that cinnamon helps ward off cancer and reduce the effects of diabetes, but these are not empirically proven claims.

Probiotic yogurt is still being evaluated for its usefulness in fighting inflammation.  I'm not making any specific claims here, but personally, I do find that when I have gut inflammation, eating probiotic yogurt tends to reduce my symptoms quickly.

Share your experiences and tips below!

Lyme Disease News: Link

Lyme Disease Play

I'm Really On Day Three.

Two weeks ago, my body went into a powerful arthritis flare.  I felt pain in every joint; as if I could track where a joint was by noticing where I hurt.  Within a few days, I wasn't able to fully close my right hand.  I had trouble walking, because the joints in my feet were so irritated.  My hips and lower back kept me awake at night, sending pulses of agony up my spine and down my legs.  There were no comfortable positions to be in; no matter where I was, it hurt.

I have had plenty of flares before, but this one was by far the worst.  It lingered; three days, then five, then ten.  It was just too much.

I made the decision, with help from my rheumatologist and my chiropractor, to make the change to an anti-inflammatory diet.  Food is medicine, I have been told.  I struggled against this idea for decades, not wanting to give up the tastes and textures I love best (hello, white flour and sugar, I'm talking to you!)

I can't do that any more.

The good news was, I am already doing a lot right.  We cook mostly with olive oil (and I prefer extra extra virgin) in our house; I lean towards Middle Eastern spices, many of which are anti-inflammatory.  I drink quite a lot of water and green tea.

The bad news was, it wasn't enough.  If I wanted to make long-term improvements, long-term changes had to happen.

When something like this happens, the first step I take is research, research, research.  There is a lot of information out there about anti-inflammatory foods and practices.  Much of it, I quickly found, is conflicting.  That's frustrating.

It seemed that culling out the most commonly cited, agreed-upon foods and making a list of what I would eat would be the way to go.  I'm a notoriously picky eater, and some foods I can't tolerate, but I came up with a reasonable list within a day.

I also came up with a list of "villains", food that are linked to increased inflammation.  There were not many surprises on the list; red meat, white flour, white sugar, fried foods.  You know, all the stuff your doctor always wants you to stop eating.  Naturally, all the stuff I like best.

The purpose of this blog is NOT to tell you what to eat.  I'm NOT a doctor.  If you are looking to make changes in your life, please consult a medical professional.

What I do hope to do is share information, encourage others, and honestly just give myself support as I document my journey.

I wish you the best of everything in yours!

Holly

Here's the First Post

Welcome to the Anti-Inflammatory Life Blog!
If you're reading this, you probably have problems with inflammation.  I feel you. I do, too.My body changed radically after battling with Lyme Disease.  I was diagnosed via Western Blot and ELISA tests twice - first, in May of 2007, and then again in June of 2013.  Both bouts were painful and a brutal struggle for my mind and body; the second bout left me with chronic illness.
I have been diagnosed with three kinds of arthritis - Lyme arthritis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.  While the Lyme arthritis was expected to fade away, the other two are life sentences.  I will never be without pain again, and I'm in my early 40's.
It was a lot to process.
Since my diagnosis, I have gone through the five stages of grief, and finally arrived at acceptance.  This blog is my way of documenting my journey.  I hope to reach out to others who also deal with chronic pain.  Share your stories, your advances, the things you learn.
I wish you healing.
Holly