Anti-inflammatory Foods
| Compound | Foods containing | Action | Incorporation into diet |
| Omega 3 fatty acid
Epa/dha/ala
|
Fish, nuts, seed, flaxseed | These essential fatty acids can steer the body away from pro-inflammtory pathways. | Increase consumption of these foods
Flaxseed meal or oil in smoothies |
| Ellagic Acid | Berries, walnuts | Anti-oxidant | Eat ¼ cup of berries daily |
| Sulforaphane | Broccoli sprout, broccoli, Brussel sprouts | Antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory | Broccoli sprout have very high amounts of sulforaphane. |
| Curcumin | Turmeric | Anti-inflammatory | Golden milk (Link) or add spice in cooking |
| Ergothioneine | Mushrooms, oat bran, beans, | Reduces swelling (inflammation) in the lungs and damage in the liver, kidneys, and brain. | Sauté mushrooms and spinach as a side dish or in an omlette.
|
| Epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) | Green tea | Anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory | Make a pot of green tea and besides drinking it,use it instead of water to make your oatmeal, rice or quinoa. |
| Carotenes-
Lutein |
Pigmented veggies
|
Supportive for eye health and vascular health | Eat your rainbow of veggies and fruits |
| Querctin | Highest in skin of red onion | Anti-histamine
Anti-inflammatory |
Make some pickled red onions and use on salads or as a condiment |
Basic Golden Milk Recipe
Golden milk has become all the rage, but this traditional Ayurvedic recipe has a long history in supporting health. To make the curcumin in turmeric more bioavailable, it’s important to use a little fat and black pepper. Interestingly, turmeric has often been combined with some kind of fat, like milk or coconut oil, as well as black pepper in many traditional Indian preparations. This recipe for Golden Milk is delicious and super easy to make. The perfect after-dinner treat!
Ingredients
1 cup organic milk of choice
1 tsp organic unrefined coconut oil
1/2 tsp organic turmeric root or powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
5 cardomen pods
2-3 slices of ginger.
pinch of organic black pepper
raw local honey to taste
Directions
In a sauce pan, heat all ingredients for 5 minutes. Strain out ginger and cardomen. The coconut oil should be melted and the milk warmed through, but not boiled. Strain and sweeten with honey or sweetner of choice.
QUICK PICKLED RED ONIONS
INGREDIENTS:
Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few notes about the ingredients you will need to make this quick pickled onions recipe…
• Red onion: One large red onion or two small red onions, which I recommend slicing vertically as thinly as possible. (If you happen to own a mandoline, this would be a great time to put it to use! Otherwise, you can just thinly slice the onions with a chef’s knife.)
• Vinegar: I prefer the sweeter taste of apple cider vinegar when pickling onions. But you could alternately use rice vinegar, white vinegar or red wine vinegar (or a combination of vinegars) instead.
• Sweetener: White (granulated) sugar is traditionally used to make pickled red onions in Mexican cooking, but feel free to use maple syrup, honey, or agave as a more natural sweetener instead.
• Salt: We’ll add in just a touch to help bring out all of those delicious flavors.
• Water: We will also add just a bit of water to the brine. And if you would like your onions to have a milder flavor, you are welcome to par-blanch the onions with some hot water before brining as well. (More on that option below.)
• (Optional) Extra seasonings: See note below for optional extra seasonings that you are welcome to add to your brine too.
HOW TO PICKLE RED ONIONS:
Detailed instructions are included in the full recipe below, but here’s a brief overview of the process for pickling onions:
1. Simmer the pickling mixture. First, combine the vinegar, water, salt, sweetener, and any additional seasonings that you would like to add and bring the mixture to a simmer — either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
2. Thinly slice the onion. While the vinegar mixture is heating, slice your onion as thinly as possible either using a chef’s knife or a mandoline.
3. Pickle. Combine the sliced onion and the hot vinegar mixture in a mason jar, cover and shake to combine. Then let the mixture rest for about 30 minutes, being sure that the onion is completely submerged.
4. Serve. Then…your pickled red onions will be ready to serve and enjoy!
