Anti-Inflammatory Food

Anyone who knows me realizes that I read and research nutrition. That is one of my passions, though I have to admit that I rarely put any of the good information to use. The reason being I am overwhelmed with the amount of hard work, dedication, and commitment it takes to actually do everything that is correct for my body at all times.
I am doing better than I once did. I have illuminated certain foods from my cupboards and fridge, such as candies, cakes, and sweets and only buy them in small quantities when I have the cravings of a ravenous lunatic. No Costco size bundles of sweets for this lady at all.

Every once in a while I get a surprise that opens up my eyes to my body and how I should incorporate those grand eating plans into my life. I recently realized I need to go anti-inflammatory free due to my auto-immune disease (whatever one they decide I have). This month I received the Vasculitis Foundation newsletter with a wonderful article by nutritionist Bethany Smith about anti-inflammatory foods. What caught my eye is the sheer volume of those foods. She quotes “While we don’t have a lot of evidence when it comes to food and its relationship to disease, my philosophy is there are no guarantees that it will help, but it definitely can’t hurt!” I like her philosophy. I agree with her.

Smith provides a great list of the foods to include in your eating plan and that is amazing to me. I love the list. Her list of anti-inflammatory foods: Apples, almonds, arugula, artichoke, asparagus, avocado, bamboo, banana, barley, basil, beans, beets, bell peppers, black beans, blackberry, blackeyed peas, black pepper, blueberry, bok choy, broccoli, broccolini, brown rice, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, capers, star fruit, carrots, cashews, yucca, cauliflower, cayenne pepper, celery, cherries, chives, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coconut, collards, corn, cranberries, cucumber, cumin, dandelion greens, dates, dill, eggplant, endive, fennil, fig, flaxseed, garbanzo beans, garlic, ginger, grapefruit, green grapes, red grapes, green beans, guavo, hearts of palm, honey, horseradish, huckleberry, jalapeno, jicama, kale, kidney beans, kiwi, kohlrabi, leeks, lemon, lentils, lettuce, limas, lime, lychee, macadamia, mango, maple syrup, honey dew melon, mint, mushroom, navy beans, nectarine, oats (steel cut), okra, olives, oranges, papaya, parsley, parsnip, passion fruit, peach, peas, natural peanut butter, pear, hot peppers, persimmon, pimiento, pineapple, pinto beans, pistachios, plantains, plum, pomegranate, pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, radicchio, radish, rhubarb, raspberry, romaine lettuce, rutabaga, sage, seaweed, sorrel, soybeans, spinach, sugar snap peas, summer squash, strawberries, sunflower seeds, sweet potato, swiss chard, thyme, tomatillo, tomato, truffles, turmeric, turnip, turnip greens, walnuts, water chestnut, watercress, watermelon, winter squash, yams, yellow squash, zucchini.

What a lot of great choices, right? There are a few items on the list I am not sure what it is, since I have never seen or tasted them. I am an adventurous eater and I am not afraid to try something new. Having the Internet is a valuable resource to finding great recipes to cook those unknown vegetables, spices, or fruits.