Green Salsa Minus the Nightshades

This salsa is great if you want to avoid the nightshade plants (especially tomatoes and peppers as these appear in most other salsas). The dressing gives it a zing, the avocado is creamy and the corn adds sweetness. It is perfect for barbecues, Mexican food and great with grilled fish, chicken and seafood dishes.

Ingredients:

150g sweet corn kernels (either tinned or fresh, removed from cob)

½ cucumber, seeds removed, diced

1 medium avocado, diced

3 spring onions, sliced

Dressing:

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp honey

½ tsp garlic granules (or ½ clove, finely diced or minced)

1-2 tbsp flaxseed oil

1 tsp water (or sweet corn water if using tinned)

Salt and pepper

Method:

Simply whisk the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and once emulsified, add all of the other ingredients. Mix well. Done!

- Emma

Essential Ingredient - Turmeric

Turmeric is a plant of the ginger family native to Asia. It has long been used as a powerful anti-inflammatory in both Chinese and Indian medicine. Its active ingredient is curcumin and it has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, peppery flavour and a mustardy smell. 

It was traditionally called "Indian saffron" because of its deep yellow colour and is often used in cooking as an alternative to saffron, which is more expensive than gold (measured per gram). Turmeric can be bought in all good supermarkets in dried powder form and this way it is a lot less messy than the fresh variety (yellow fingers = not a good look). 

We use it in curries, stir fries and any dishes that can handle a touch of yellow colour (salad dressing for example). We even used it in the risotto recipe (here). Be careful not to over-do it though as less is more from a flavour perspective. Try a ¼ tsp and add more if you need to. You can take turmeric as a supplement in tablet form, but this can be very expensive so we try to get it in to our food wherever possible. 

Oven-baked Pearl Barley Risotto with Chicken Breast

This is great as an alternative to rice risotto and incorporates flaxseed oil, turmeric and garlic as anti-inflammatory ingredients. Pearl barley also makes it extremely high in fibre compared with a regular risotto. It can also be cooked on the hob on a low heat but will need to be stirred often to make sure it doesn't stick to the pan. It takes around 30 minutes to cook, either in the oven or on the hob.

 Serves 2 as a main meal or 4 as a starter

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

½ tsp powdered ginger

½ tbsp turmeric

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp picked fresh herbs, finely chopped (or use dried if fresh are not available)

4 garlic cloves, separated with skin on

2 tbsp cider vinegar

4 tbsp flaxseed oil

1 leek finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped

100g mushrooms sliced

150g pearl barley, rinsed

500ml vegetable stock

100ml white wine or water

Sea salt and Black pepper to taste

Herbs to garnish (e.g. parsley or chives)

Method:

Heat the oven at gas mark 5/190˚C.  Sprinkle the garlic cloves with flaxseed oil and place in a shallow ovenproof dish, bake for 15 minutes.  When cool, peel and chop (you may find that by cooking the garlic this way, the cloves can easily squeeze out from their skin and form a paste with a delicious roasted, but mild garlic flavour, so chopping will not be necessary).

Rub 1tbsp of the oil into the chicken breasts and sprinkle on ginger, salt and pepper (and a pinch of turmeric, optional). Place into an ovenproof dish and set aside to be cooked later.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan or ovenproof pan, using the rest of the oil, fry the mushrooms until golden. Remove with a draining spoon and set aside.

In the same pan, fry the leeks and onion over a low heat until soft and translucent. Add the turmeric and cook for 1 minute then add the pearl barley, mustard, herbs, chopped roasted garlic, sweet potato, wine or water and stock and place at the top of the oven (uncovered) at gas mark 5/190˚C for 30 minutes. The barley should absorb the liquid and be soft but still have a little bite in the centre. Cook for another 5-10 minutes if the barley is still hard and add some water if needed. Once cooked, stir in the mushrooms and season with black pepper.

When the risotto has been in for around 20 minutes, place the chicken breasts in the oven. These should take around 10-15 minutes to cook at this temperature but make sure you check that they are cooked throughout by slicing them in the centre. If they are cooked, leave to one side to rest for a few minutes while the risotto continues to cook.

Once rested, slice the breasts neatly. To serve, place the risotto on a plate and top with the sliced chicken breast.

- Alison

Nightshade plants – to Eat or Not to Eat on an Arthritis Diet

Nightshade plants consist of;

• potatoes (not sweet potatoes)
• tomatoes
• aubergine/eggplant
• sweet and hot peppers (including paprika, cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce)
• huckleberries
• cape gooseberries

And some of the more exotic plants; 

• tomatillos and tamarillos
• naranjillas
• pepinos
• pimentos

These are in our ‘limited’ foods list as we found this was the best place for them to appear as they are such controversial ingredients in the world of Arthritis and healing. Here are just some snippets of research that give some very differing recommendations:

“The primary chemical compound in nightshades, Solanine, may interfere with the production of enzymes in your muscle tissues, increasing pain, inflammation and stiffness associated with rheumatoid arthritis”.

http://www.livestrong.com/

“People with arthritis are often advised to avoid nightshade plants because they supposedly aggravate joint pain. But nightshade plants aren’t a problem for everyone, just a small number of people who have a particular sensitivity to Solanine.  It’s a little bit like an allergy…some have a noticeable reaction while others have no reaction at all”.

http://nutritionovereasy.com/

 “According to the University of Washington website, "No foods have been definitively shown to cause or exacerbate arthritis in most individuals. A variety of diets and hand-me-down information exists about certain foods and arthritis, in particular the night shade plants, but none of it has been proven." The effect of foods on arthritis symptoms vary greatly from person to person. It is an individual decision whether or not to avoid nightshade vegetables”.

http://arthritis.about.com

It really is a case of trial and error, as with many other ingredients (goat’s diary, gluten and sugar to name a few) and it is down to the individual to determine whether these particular ingredients suit them or not. We found that it is best to limit or completely avoid them at first (for at least one week), and then gradually introduce them one at a time and simply see how your joints react. You may find that any foods that do not agree with you will aggravate your joints and cause pain either immediately and/or up to the day after they have been eaten. It is not an accurate Science, but you are the best person to determine the best diet for you.

Eating Out With Arthritis- Thai

After my post on Thai chicken soup I began to think about eating out and the best options for the Arthritis Diet. I thought it would be best to start with Thai cuisine and move on to others in following weeks, and start an ‘Eating Out’ series. 

I mentioned that Thai cookery incorporates many of our ‘essential’ ingredients and here is a list of dishes and options that work best on the diet:

·      

·     Phad Thai Noodles are perfect as they are made with flat rice noodles (not wheat) and are sweet, nutty, tangy and delicious. You may wish to ask for the dish to be prepared without egg. (Any other noodle dishes with the word ‘phad’ are likely to be flat rice noodles but double check with the person taking your order).

·     Any of the curries (green, red, Massaman) are ok to eat as they incorporate coconut milk (limited) with vegetables, herbs and spices. These curries also contain quite a bit of chilli so bear in mind that chilli is also a 'limited' ingredient. 

·     Steamed fish or barbecued chicken makes a regular appearance on Thai menus and are often served with Green Papaya salad (with dried shrimps and peanuts, but again can be spicy)

·     Soups such as Tom Yum and Tom Kha Gai (see our recipe) are great options for starters and full of flavour. 

·     Any griddled meat such as Satay chicken is another great starter option and is often not too spicy. 

·     Avoid starter platters, unless they contain Satay chicken as many of the nibbles are fried and contain wheat (e.g. sesame prawn toast, spring rolls, wontons/dumplings). 

When eating out at restaurants that offer food that is spicy and cooked with chilli, it is always a possibility to ask the waiter or waitress if the chilli can be taken out or reduced. I have found that most restaurants are happy to accommodate this request wherever possible. 

Chilli is only a 'limited' ingredient (from the nightshade plant family) and you might find that you are not effected by it, but I'm afraid that only trial and error will tell. Eating out at restaurants and at dinner parties are times when you are likely to eat 'limited' ingredients as you don't have total control of the ingredients and preparation.

Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Coconut Soup)

This is a dish that I love to eat at my local Thai restaurant and in fact, Thai cuisine is good for the Arthritis diet as it encorporates some of the 'essential' ingredients such as fish, nuts, green vegetables and ginger. 

The key to this recipe is to get the right balance between the spices, Thai cuisine traditionally consists of spicy, salty, sweet and sour. You can adapt this recipe to suit your tastes but you should be able to taste all of the flavour elements.

There are other versions of this soup made with seafood (tom kha thale), mushrooms (tom kha het) and tofu (tom kha taohu).

Serves 2

 

Ingredients:

1/2-1 can coconut milk

600ml chicken stock (or 600ml water with a chicken stock cube)

3 tbsp red curry paste

1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, sliced

1 chicken breast

1 tbsp tomato paste/puree

5 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced (optional)

1 small bunch chopped fresh coriander

1 ½ tablespoons lime juice

1tsp fish sauce

1 tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F (gas 2). Bring coconut milk and stock to a boil, add thinly sliced ginger, coriander, sugar and red curry paste to the broth and simmer on medium for 10-15 minutes.

Place the chicken breast on a tray and cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove when cooked through and leave to rest for a few minutes. Slice the chicken thinly and add to the broth. Turn the heat off and add the fish sauce and lime juice.

Check for seasoning and taste. It should be spicy, sweet, sour, salty and creamy all at the same time! Every version is different so adjust it according to your taste, you may want to add more sugar or curry paste. Serve hot, either by itself or poured over rice or noodles.

- Emma

Why Rhubarb Can be a No-No on The Arthritis Diet

Rhubarb is one of those tricky medicinal plants that provide us with a great amount of conflicting research and evidence. It has some great benefits that include soothing cold sores as well as easing digestive complaints but there are also a string of negative side effects linked to the consumption of rhubarb (not to mention that the leaves are considered highly poisonous).

 

When talking to the owner of the Health Food Shop where we buy most of our ingredients, he advised us that rhubarb was a bad food for arthritis sufferers but he didn’t go in to any specific detail. We decided to do some research of our own...

From combing through an abundance of studies and articles we have concluded that Rhubarb should only be avoided on the arthritis diet if you are also taking anti-inflammatory medication and here is why:

Some medications for inflammation are known to decrease potassium levels in the body. Taking rhubarb along with these medications might be dangerous as rhubarb is a type of laxative called a stimulant laxative, these laxatives may also decrease potassium levels.

So taking them together could cause a great drop in your body’s level of potassium, which in turn can lead to a number of symptoms including muscle cramping, nausea and bloating.

It is however important to note that symptoms from low potassium are usually very mild and it would be best for you to consult your doctor or dietician if you have any further questions. But for us, it stays in the category of foods to AVOID. 

For more information please visit http://www.webmd.com/

Kisir (Turkish Bulgar Wheat Salad)

Kisir is a Turkish bulgar wheat dish, similar to couscous. However, it is important to note that bulgar is natural cracked whole grains where as couscous is made from white flour (in the same way as white pasta). So bulgar is a great substitute for couscous in the arthritis diet.

It is a great recipe for a BBQ or picnic as it is cold and can be made well ahead of time. It goes well with all meat and fish so make plenty for everyone! It is the kind of food that is so full of flavour that everyone will enjoy it without realising how nutritious it is.

This recipe uses tomato puree, which is a ‘limited’ ingredient from the nightshade plant family (see diet basics). If you have tried nightshade plants and they agree with you then great! Others will need to bear in mind whether they have eaten any other limited foods that day. You could of course leave the tomato out and have it as more of a Tabouleh style salad. Remember this is all about the foods that work best for you!

 

Ingredients:

200g bulgar wheat (large grain is best)

300ml boiling water

1-2 tbsp tomato puree

1 onion, diced

2 tbsp lemon juice

1tbsp cumin

1 tsp salt

½ tsp garlic granules (or 1 fresh clove, finely chopped)

2 tbsp chopped herbs (I like to use parsley and mint)

Method:

Pour the boiling water over the bulgar wheat and leave covered for 5 minutes. In a pan, fry the onion for 5 minutes on a medium heat until beginning to turn translucent. Add the cumin, tomato puree and garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Drain the bulgar wheat and add this to the pan, stir constantly and cook for 5 minutes until the wheat is tender and has soaked up the flavours. Transfer to a bowl and once cool add the lemon and chopped herbs.It is normally serves as a cold salad dish and is great for mezze.

- Emma