Anti Inflammatory Diet Archives - Inflammation Advisor

Break something? (Like a Bone) – You Have Natural Options to Help You Heal

October 23, 2015 by info Leave a Comment

One common health problem that most of us face over a lifetime is a broken bone. Kids fall off things, athletes of all ages break bones, and the elderly, especially those with osteoporosis (with loss of bone density), deal with bone fractures. What to do about them? Of course you should seek immediate medical help after any such event, including whatever the orthopedic surgeon has to offer. But then what? Are there any natural options to help speed healing along?

The possibilities – which you should always discuss first with your own doctor – include nutritional, herbal, and homeopathic options.

First, ask for a vitamin D blood test to check your levels. Millions of people in the US and worldwide are deficient in vitamin D (e.g., 32% of the population in the US), a necessary natural steroid hormone-like vitamin that we all need to get into a good level to keep bones strong and to help them heal. The recommended form of vitamin D is D3 (cholecalciferol). This versatile vitamin has many other functions in the body – some research suggests that it can lessen risk for certain types of infections like the flu, reduce risks for cancers and perhaps some types of heart disease.

Optimal vitamin D blood levels to aim for are claimed to run 50-70 ng/ml. Some doctors suggest levels closer to 70-80 ng/ml. You don’t risk toxicity from this fat-soluble vitamin until the level runs over 100 ng/ml. While your skin can make some vitamin D, cloudy weather, modern indoor lifestyles and sunscreen lotions make it very hard to make enough on your own.

Recommended daily doses for adults run around 800 IU/day, but many experts report that their patients can need 2000-5000 IU/day to achieve the desired blood levels. Since y0u can monitor the level with simple blood tests, it is worth taking what your individual body might need and re-checking periodically. Be aware that many people may also need vitamin K2 to direct the calcium that they take for bone healing into the bones rather than into the arteries of the cardiovascular system.

A good multivitamin is essential – including B complex vitamins and vitamin C. Be aware that adequate doses of good old vitamin C help you repair collagen, which will help connective tissue recover and do what you need to hold things in place. To help with inflammation, consider omega-3 fatty acids, quercetin, and enzymes such as bromelain.

Obviously take enough calcium (citrate form may be better absorbed, but hydroxyapatite is a great source of calcium and phosphorus needed for making new bone) to provide your bones with necessary building blocks (e.g., 1000 mg/day), along with magnesium in the widely-used ratio of 2 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium (sometimes the glycinate form is less rough on the GI tract), along with trace minerals like silicon. You can usually find products to support bone health nutrition in your local health food stores.

Make sure that your protein intake is good. To heal a fracture, you can need a 10-20 gram/day increase in the amount of protein that you eat. If necessary, supplement with protein powders or liquids. You need proteins to keep muscles strong, but poorer protein status at the time of a fracture can slow down the bone healing process and leave you susceptible to complications.

In the meantime, you broke a bone. How to help bring down tissue swelling and encourage the bone to knit together well (and as fast as possible). Homeopathic remedies may help. While the research on homeopathic Arnica montana is mixed, some people report significant benefit from the remedy for the soft tissue bruising, swelling, and pain. Positive studies have emerged from the plastic surgery research literature, but not for every type of surgery.

For bone fractures in specific, remedies that homeopaths often recommend including Symphytum officinale (e.g., 6C to 30C potencies), Calcarea Phosphorica in lower potencies (e.g. 3X, 6X, etc), and sometimes Eupatorium perfoliatum 30C (Boneset) for severe bone pain. There is a research basis for recommending some of these remedies, especially the Symphytum, for bone healing.

Keeping Up with Your New Year’s Resolutions

January 5, 2015 by info Leave a Comment

OK, so you want to keep up with your New Year’s resolutions. Now what? For most of us, resolutions are hard to keep. They are good intentions – but not made with specific follow through plans. If you’re looking for a diet New Year’s resolution you will want to keep, consider these 7 top resolutions for a new year…

#1 Resolve to stop drinking soda, sweetened juices, and sugary drinks

So many people around the world drink their calories. This sugar is hard on your health. It adds unnecessary weight and it affects blood sugar levels. Resolve to eliminate soda and sugary drinks from your diet. You may be able to eliminate several hundred calories a day from this simple adjustment.

#2 Resolve to eat fruits and vegetables with every meal and snack

If you add a fruit or a vegetable to every meal and snack, you’re much closer to meeting your daily requirement. It’s not as difficult as you might think. You can have fruits or veggies for your snacks. Add an apple or berries to your breakfast. A smoothie can have as many as three servings of fruit or vegetables. Sneak in some spinach or kale in your smoothie with the fruits.

Add greens to lunch and dinner and you’re well on your way to getting the nutrients your body needs each day.

#3 Resolve to try a new fruit or vegetable each month

Scientists have found that people who eat a variety of fruits and vegetables are healthier. Many people become stuck in a rut with their fruits and vegetables. When you add a new one to your diet each month, you’re broadening your nutritional horizons.

#4 Resolve to switch to whole grain bread

Swap your white bread for whole grain bread, possibly a gluten-free bread (brown rice, millet, corn based). This is an easy change to make and it’ll add more healthy whole grains to your diet. You can amplify this whole grain change and switch to steel cut oats and brown rice instead of instant oatmeal and white rice. Little changes make a big difference.

#5 Resolve to eat fewer sweets

If you’re like many people you probably have several sugary snacks each day. Resolve to cut back. That may begin by tracking how many snacks you normally eat each day. Cut back to one snack each day or one sugary snack or dessert each week.

#6 Resolve to drink a glass of green tea each day

Green tea has been shown to provide fantastic health benefits. Add a glass of green tea to your day. Drink it in the morning or have a glass in the afternoon. If you’re sensitive to caffeine then don’t drink it in the evening. Green tea does have a small amount of caffeine. Or get decaf green tea and give it a chance.

#7 Resolve to stop eating in the evenings

People often make poor eating decisions in the evening. Drink a glass of water. Find something interesting to do to distract yourself. If you must eat due to hunger, then eat something high in fiber like a banana or whole grain cereal.

As you’re looking forward to your New Year and contemplating resolutions, be specific. Help yourself achieve success by setting specific goals designed to help you lose weight and get healthier. Then fill in specific plans on how to keep those resolutions.

Protecting the Heart of the Mediterranean Diet – Olive Oil Tips

July 6, 2014 by info Leave a Comment

At the heart of the Mediterranean Diet you will find olive oil for reducing inflammation naturally. This is one of the healthier oils. But what protects this natural product from things can can damage its value in your diet?

A high-quality extra virgin olive oil is a must-have staple in many kitchens, partly because its delicious flavor and versatile nature allow it to be used in countless ways. For starters, extra virgin olive oil is perfect in homemade salad dressings, on roasted vegetables and as a key ingredient in a wide range of recipes.

In addition to tasting great, olive oil is also good for you. Naturally low in saturated fat, it is a healthy alternative to butter, margarine and many other oils. Versatility, great taste and a healthy profile make it easy to see why many cooks and chefs always have a bottle close at hand.

What many people do not realize about olive oil, however, is that it is actually a perishable fruit juice with some finicky preferences. This mean proper care and precautions must be taken in order to keep your olive tasting and smelling the way it should.

4 Natural Challenges for Olive Oil

1. Time. Because it is a perishable fruit juice, olive does not have an unlimited shelf life. Try to choose bottles with a clearly marked “harvest date” and make sure that date occurred within the last 18 months to 2 years. It is also recommended that you only buy as much olive oil as you can use within 15 – 30 days of opening.

2. Temperature. Heat will cause olive oil to degrade quickly. Therefore, do not store your olive oil near your oven or cooktop because the higher ambient heat in those areas will cause it to break down faster.

3. Oxygen. Like a fine wine, exposure to oxygen for any length of time will cause your olive oil to turn rancid. To prevent this, store your olive oil in an airtight container with the lid securely fasten whenever it is not in use.

4. Light. Exposure to light will also cause olive oil to degrade more quickly. Avoid storing your olive in clear bottles or out on your counter tops. Dark green bottles are the best for blocking out sunlight, but other dark bottles will also work. Storing bottles inside a cabinet when not in use can also prolong the life of your olive oil. A cool, dark place is your best bet to prolong the life of your oil.

Avoiding these four natural challenges for olive oil will keep it fresh and full of flavor for a longer period of time. With a little bit of effort, you can preserve the delicious natural flavors of your quality olive oils — and promote your health.

Benefits of a Gluten Free Diet

May 9, 2014 by info Leave a Comment

When it comes to eating a healthy diet, the latest buzz has been over the benefits of a gluten free diet plan. This trend has caught on with the public as a fad, but this one has real implications for people who have been diagnosed with celiac disease or other non-celiac gluten intolerance problems. Gluten avoidance may also be the first step toward finding the specific set of foods that trigger your particular chronic symptoms to flare.

So, it can make the difference between health and a lifetime of pain and serious illness. Lots of gluten free recipe books can help you get started. You can have delicious wheat free meals with just a few easy steps. You can even find gluten free food online at sites like the Gluten Free Mall.

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a lifelong condition. It is believed that certain genes cause this condition to manifest itself in children and adults alike. In the presence of gluten, a protein found in certain grains, an abnormal immune response causes damage to the small intestine. The absorption of vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals occurs here. This process is impeded when the surface area (small projections called villi) are destroyed.

Doctors have several kinds of tests that they can run to known if you have celiac disease per se. These tests include a type of blood test for anti-gluten protein antibodies. Another more invasive test is to do an endoscopy to look at the state of the villi in the small intestine – and even do a biopsy.

Still, some people have other reasons for adverse reactions to wheat or rye or barley. In the end, an elimination diet is the final test of whether or not this approach can help you.

In most cases, when gluten is removed from the body, this immune response does not occur and the small intestine functions as normal. The problem is discovering that gluten is the culprit in the first place. To get support and even more information, the Celiac Disease Foundation is an excellent resource.

Benefits of the Gluten-Free Diet

What is a gluten-free diet? Essentially it is removing all traces of the gluten protein from the body. Gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye). For those of us who are big bread and pasta eaters, this can be the biggest struggle, especially if you are an asymptomatic celiac disease sufferer.

For people who suffer abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, anemia and other symptoms of celiac disease, the immediate benefit of a gluten-free diet is relief. Removing all gluten will gradually health your system and help stop the symptoms (in most cases).

It may take several months for the intestines to recover from damage depending on how long the disease process was present. But, it will return to normal when further injury is prevented.

A word of caution for celiac disease sufferers: Gluten can hide in plain sight under assumed names on food labels. Become acquainted with the aliases it uses so that you are not reintroducing this dangerous protein into your diet. Two common names are: hydrolyzed vegetable protein and malt.

Be aware that food companies in the US are adding information to their nutrition labels that will tell you if a food that could be gluten free is made in a manufacturing plant where wheat is also processed. This is important for highly sensitive people who must avoid every trace of the offending foods or risk continued gluten-related health problems.

Other benefits include:

Eating dairy again – Many sufferers are misdiagnosed with having a lactose intolerance. The damage done to the intestines as a result of gluten makes it harder to digest dairy products. Once the intestines have healed, introducing dairy again might be possible.
Fewer processed foods – Breaded foods might be hiding gluten in the batter. Avoiding anything like this reduces the amount of bad fats and trans fats in your diet. Include traditionally made cakes, pies and cookies in this category.
Increased energy – For sufferers, lack of proper absorption of nutrients leads to weight loss, vitamin deficiencies and anemia, all of which can sap your energy even if you are eating a healthy diet.
Reduced inflammation – The inflammatory process can cause skin rashes, joint pain and muscle cramps. Eating foods that don’t contain gluten like berries, olive oil, fatty fishes and green veggies also can reduce inflammation in the body. If you want the whole scoop on diet, supplements, mind-body methods, and holistic therapies to overcome inflammation in the body, check out our complete program here.

Eating a gluten free diet might be a fad for some folks but it can mean a much better quality of life and health to those suffering from celiac disease and other gluten intolerance conditions. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist and see if this might be right for you.

Foods that Help Inflammation – Overcoming Irritable Bowel Syndrome

May 4, 2014 by info Leave a Comment

Yes, there are foods that help inflammation and can help you in overcoming irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. As you well know, IBS is a chronic gastrointestinal condition with abdominal pain and diarrhea or constipation. The inflammation may not be as obvious as it is in other GI disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, but there is obviously significant dysfunction. The gut is not working correctly. If you have IBS, you may also suffer from migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, or temporomandibular joint disorder.

Here is a basic 1-2-3 punch to fight IBS and any associated inflammation and dysfunction:

1. Hidden food allergies, intolerance, sensitivities and addictions – Foods May Be the Answer to Your Question of What Causes Irritable Bowel

Is there some common thread or threads that can help you find answers? One of those common threads is a kind of delayed food allergy or sensitivity that plays a role in IBS and other conditions. Are some foods more likely culprits? Maybe.

What are the most common food allergies? In modern societies, foods like wheat, yeast, milk and other dairy products, corn, eggs, beef, and white potato may be offending foods. Sometimes chicken, fish, or shellfish can be an issue.

The bottom line is that you need to test and find the unique set of offending foods that set off your symptoms. Once you find them, you will find that total elimination from the diet for at least 3 months is the best way to decide if they were contributing to the problem.

Many people with these types of food allergies have IgG antibodies to the various foods that are problematic. They may or may not pick up the specific mechanisms in your body that are set off by your problem foods. Alternatively, you can get blood tests for food intolerances or for IgG food allergies, even without your doctor’s order.

Research suggests that these types of IgG or food intolerance blood tests are a useful starting place (Guo et al J Int Med Res 2012; 40(1):204-10; Aydinlar et al 2013 Headache 53(3):514-25). The real test for you is to eliminate the foods for several weeks or longer – and it is usually a lot more than one food – for enough time to give your body a chance to heal. This is the ultimate drug-free solution. For people with even more complex health problems that include IBS, fibromyalgia, or other tough chronic conditions, you may want to take a look at more comprehensive specialized testing from labs that know about what to test for body biochemistry problems.

2. Anti-inflammatory foods and supplements – omega 3 fatty acids, prebiotics, and probiotics

Are there foods that help inflammation that might accelerate the recovery?

If you are not having adverse reactions to foods like fatty fish, eating wild salmon, sardines, mackerel or other fatty fish may help with their anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Or, take fish oil capsules if you don’t like to eat fish.

You may not be able to eat yogurt if you are milk-sensitive, but perhaps you can take good bacteria — that is, probiotic supplements. In children, one study found that an gut imbalance in intestinal microflora was associated with regular IgE types of allergies. In short, the researchers found too many lactobacilli/enterococci and not enough bifidobacteria (Gut 2002; 51(1):51-5). One lesson from this study is that “probiotics” is a big general label for good gut bacteria. But, as with many other things in the body, you need the right balance. That would be where a skilled physician with special expertise in functional medicine might be able to help you a lot. They can order specialized tests of your stools and then select from a wide range of possible products to choose the right probiotic bacteria for your situation.

Prebiotics are indigestible fiber-containing foods like oligofructose or inulin. In foods, you can get this type of fiber from apple skin, bananas, beans, onions or garlic, chicory root and more. Of course, just because a food potentially has food fiber in it does not mean that it is going to be something you tolerate…or that you can get enough of. For that reason, you want to make sure you include tolerated fiber sources as a general part of your healthy anti inflammatory diet plan. But you may even need to consider supplements of prebiotic fiber as well.

3. Melatonin and other regulatory supplements

Wondering what else to take for IBS? Taking any hormone should be a carefully considered decision between you and your own doctor, including melatonin. Many over the counter supplements give you a lot more per dose than the body would naturally make, even if everything were working well. However, recent research suggests that taking melatonin in 3 mg bedtime doses may help lessen abdominal pain in IBS (Siah et al 2014; World J Gatroenterol 20(10):2492-8). So, with consultation with your doctor this may be another option. A good bonus is that this may help you sleep better if you are having trouble with insomnia.

The main point to remember is that you can do something to help yourself with IBS and other symptoms. Get started today!

Wheat and Gluten Free Recipe – Applesauce Bread

May 3, 2014 by info Leave a Comment

If wheat gluten is a food that you need to avoid to reduce inflammation naturally, then this wheat and gluten free recipe may be a welcome treat for you. Sometimes you just want a comfort food to start your day or to eat as a snack.

This recipe does require eggs (look for substitutes if that is an issue for you), but it completely avoids using wheat flour.

The secret ingredient is yams or sweet potatoes. Great taste and texture!

Applesauce Bread – Flourless

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup almond butter
2 eggs
1 1/2cups mashed yams or sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey or equivalent agave syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine all ingredients in food processor, mixing until smooth.
Pour batter into greased pan (size 13 by 9 inches).
If tolerated, add some pecan or walnut pieces over the top.
Bake for 40-45 minutes
Test with toothpick in center – if it comes out clean, it is done.
Cool before eating.

Very Healthy Recipe – Asparagus Salad

April 26, 2014 by info Leave a Comment

If you are always searching for an interesting way to get your daily veggies, check out this very healthy recipe for asparagus salad. If you tolerate wheat products, you can use couscous. If you are living gluten-free, then substitute quinoa. Wheat is often a food that people prone to inflammation do not tolerate. You can be careful about your food choices and still enjoy what you eat.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen organic green peas

12 asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium organic carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick-size strips

2 ounces snow peas, trimmed and cut diagonally in half

1 onion, finely sliced

4 cups uncooked couscous (or quinoa)

2 organic tomatoes, diced into small pieces

4 tablespoons virgin olive oil

2 cups vegetable stock or organic vegetable broth

Directions

Combine the frozen peas, carrots, and asparagus vegetables in a pan of boiling water and cook 4 minutes. After cooking the vegetables, drain them.
Hold the snow peas on the side for now.
Next, heat the olive oil before adding the onion slices. Let the onion cook for 2-4 minutes to get tender.
Use the vegetable broth to cook the couscous or quinoa to add flavor to the salad.
Combine all ingredients together.
Season with low sodium soy sauce and/or lemon juice (no more than 1 tbsp). Add sea salt and pepper to taste if desired.

If you are into healthy eating and want a great cookbook full of more than 350 delicious recipes that focus on paleo eating (even less carb but lots of flavor and variety), check this out here.

5 Steps to a Healthier Inflammatory Response

January 25, 2014 by info Leave a Comment

Many people think that their chronic health problems are fixable with a simple magic bullet. While there is no such easy-button way to get to a healthier inflammation response, there are basic steps that you can take if your suffering motivates you enough. Let’s look at what causes inflammation and talk about action steps to take care of these issues. And, if you don’t tolerate a lot of medications or the drugs make you feel even worse, your body is telling you to pay attention. With that reality check in mind, here are 5 steps to healthier inflammatory response:

1. Clean up your personal environmental act.

Drink filtered water, eliminate major chemical exposures such as pesticides, toxic cleaners and solvents, and synthetic materials from your home and work environments, use air filters, buy organic cotton clothes and bedding. Many people with inflammatory conditions have chemical sensitivities and allergies. If you want relief, you are likely to have to look at not only dusts, molds, pollens, and grasses, but also pollutants in and around your home and workspace. Not sure where to start? Discover how to replace toxic products and medications in your life with over 215 healthier natural alternatives with this living natural plan.

Stop having routine pesticide treatment of your home. Find natural nontoxic alternatives to herbicides for dealing with keeping your yard in good shape. Buy real wood, glass, or metal furniture, not pressed board. Install tile rather than carpet. Do you commute on a congested freeway for hours every day? Live near a freeway? These kinds of things can make a big difference in your long term health.

Ask your medical doctor or naturopathic doctor to test you for heavy metal toxicity. If your levels of lead, mercury, cadmium or others are too high, find a health care provider who is experienced in helping people detox heavy metals safely with natural approaches. You may want to add in a program of bentonite clay or zeolite in water or cranberry juice to catch the toxins in your gut and carry them out of your system.

If you do not do this and hope that supplements alone will be enough, you are sadly wrong. It would be like not bathing for a month and expecting a high quality cologne or perfume to make you smell OK.

2. Revamp your daily diet.

This is not a crash diet. You have to find out which foods are your personal triggers and get them out of your diet. And you want to replace them with healthier foods that promote a healthier pH in your system that will countact the inflammation-causing effects of the junk foods and pollution that you do encounter. It will probably mean a gluten-free, sugar-free existence, but if you check things out, you are likely to discover many good alternatives to these types of foods. In the end, you will not feel deprived – you will just feel healthier. And if you happen to need to lose some weight, it will happen as a delightful “side effect” of eating healthier.

3. Boost your vitamin C levels.

While there are many outstanding antioxidants out there these days, vitamin C is a fundamental building block. If you have trouble with diarrhea if you try to take enough to matter, then look for either of two different forms of vitamin C that are easier on your GI tract. Those include buffered vitamin C (Ester-C is one good brand) and a special form that lets you get in thousands of milligrams per day – Bio Energ C. People who want to support their system with vitamin C every day through the challenges of a bout with cancer may need to try the special form.

4. Add a multi-herb antioxidant-antiinflammatory supplement.

Many companies offer products of from one to a dozen different herbs that have both antioxidant and anti inflammatory effects on many different tissues of the body. You want whole herbs when possible to take advantage of the fact that herbs are different from drugs in many ways. A key difference is that herbs can gently modulate the function of more than one biochemical function at a time. In other words, you get a bigger bang for your buck. One of the best such combination herbal supplements for inflammation is a brand called Zyflamend. You will find all of its ingredients in lists of beneficial antiinflammatory herbs. This is a natural supplement by a well-established company that has a commitment to putting out a good product. Another option is also based on a combination of several well-known herbs in a natural anti inflammatory product – it is called Defense Anti-Inflammatory Support Dietary Supplement.

5. Support your gut health with probiotic supplements.

Even mainstream doctors are beginning to recognize the importance of the good bacteria in our guts for maintaining immune and inflammation health. Most of the better products need to be refrigerated to keep the bacteria alive until you take them. There are many different good products on the market for this purpose, but likely you will want to take over 20 billion live good bacteria in a mix per day. Some are formulated specifically for children, seniors, pets, or people with certain types of GI disorders. If you have a serious inflammatory condition such as inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn’s disease, you may want to look into the medical probiotic supplement called VSL #3. Odd name, but a solid product with research related to its effects — and it delivers one of the highest amounts of good bacteria found in these types of products. This may be particularly important if you have any of a number of GI and related health problems associated with a “leaky gut” because of the losses of nutrients and beneficial bacteria that your health problems may cause.

Concluding Thoughts

If you think this is all optional, then the program is not for you. But if you are suffering from chronic pain, GI problems, fuzzy thinking, low energy, allergies and/or autoimmune conditions, including hypothyroidism, then your body has already made the choice for you. You can take more drugs and burden your liver and kidneys with the drugs themselves, or you can work through a drug-free program at your own pace – and notice the difference.

Given yourself 3-4 weeks and see how you feel. Then ask yourself what price you pay for saying that changing your daily habits is “just too hard.” It is up to you. You can do this. Get started today.

Anti Inflammatory Diet Recipe — Thai Style Chicken Wings for Slow Cooker

January 4, 2014 by info Leave a Comment

Cooking an anti inflammatory diet recipe that tastes good is actually very easy. Making these recipes in a crockpot or slow cooker makes it even more simple to do, busy or not in the rest of your daily life. When you slip in anti inflammatory foods such as fresh ginger and garlic, you go a long way toward promoting a healthier inflammatory response. Remember to choose better forms of the ingredients, such as organic chicken, peanut butter, and other low-sugar and pesticide-free ingredients, whenever possible.

Take a look at this excellent snack or meal…

Ingredients

3 lbs chicken wings (halves, preferably organic chicken or antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken)

1/2 cup good salsa

2 Tbsp natural peanut butter (sugar-free organic)

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp grated fresh ginger root

Dipping sauce:

1/4 cup natural peanut butter (sugar-free organic)

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp water

1 garlic clove, grated

Directions

Put chicken wings in your crockpot or slow cooker.

In a bowl, whisk together the next 5 ingredients, then pour over the chicken wings in the crockpot, stirring to coat chicken evenly.

Set crockpot to LOW, cover, and cook for 6 hours.

To prepare dipping sauce, put remaining ingredients in saucepan over low heat, whisk to combine. Heat, whisking, over low heat until mixture gets hot and bubbly and smooth.

Remove sauce from heat and let cool slightly before serving. The sauce will thicken a little as it cools and you will need to stir it before serving as it will separate as it sits.

Use tongs to remove chicken wings from crockpot when they are done cooking, leaving what’s left of the cooking sauce behind.

Serve wings with dipping sauce you made in saucepan.

You can round this dinner out with some shredded cabbage stir-fried until just crispy tender and served alongside with some of the dipping sauce drizzled over.

Yields about 24 to 36 appetizers or will feed 4 to 6 a full meal.

Need a great slow cooker to make this delicious recipe? Check out the Crock-Pot Stainless Steel Cook N Carry Portable Slow Cooker here. You can make enough to serve 7 or more people.

If you are cooking this dish as your special pot luck contribution at a friend’s house, you can make the meal and transport it in the same container! With removable stoneware, your serving dish is built right in. Perfect for the busy person who still wants that healthy home cooked meal with a lot less clean up…at home or at a pot luck party.

Wouldn’t you love to put this meal into your personal food diary? Great healthy choice to support a healthier inflammatory response.

Anti Inflammatory Foods: Building Blocks of Your Inflammation Diet Plan

December 24, 2013 by info Leave a Comment

Anti inflammatory foods are the building blocks of your inflammation diet plan for improving your health for the long term. Reducing chronic inflammation is an essential goal for reducing your risks for developing various chronic conditions and for limiting complication risks if you already have a chronic health problem involving inflammation.

Here is a short list of foods that can help your body shift toward an anti inflammatory mode:

* Omega 3 fatty acids – These essential fatty acids are found in healthy oils and cold water fish. Better oils include olive oil. It is a great source for fatty acids that not only help reduce inflammation but also improve cardiovascular health. Use it in salad dressings and also to cook meals. Salmon is a cold water fish that is full of fatty acids. Try eating wild caught salmon, sardines, and other fish high in omega-3 fatty acids at least twice a week. If you do not like salmon, try mackerel.

* Protein – Look for lean sources of protein like skinless chicken, turkey and trimmed pork. Even better still are non-animal plant-based sources of protein like nuts, legumes and beans. You get the bonus of good fats and excellent protein sources without saturated animal fats. A more vegetable-based diet is healthier than one heavy in animal sources (heavy in saturated fats that can promote inflammation) because of the differences in the types of fats they provide.

* Carbohydrates (including vegetables) – Try whole grain gluten-free breads. If you are already used to eating gluten-free oatmeal, try other grains like quinoa. Tapioca and arrowroot are often tolerated starch sources if you need some additional carbohydrates for your diet plan.

Vegetables also contain some carbohydrates and lots of anti inflammatory nutrients: broccoli, cauliflower and spinach. If there is any inflammatory condition such as arthritis, do a trial of avoiding plants from the nightshade family — tomatoes, eggplant and white potatoes. Sweet potatoes and yams are in a different food/plant family and are usually tolerated even by food-sensitive people who are otherwise prone to inflammation. Most other veggies are fair game to try.

Eating wisely with anti inflammatory foods can go a long way toward reducing chronic inflammation and preventing flares of conditions such as arthritis, colitis, and other related health problems.

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