Essential: Kale, The Super Anti-Inflammatory

Kale is a form of cabbage and comes in both green and purple varieties. It can be found in our ‘Essential’ list of ingredients under ‘leafy green vegetables’. It has a bold and earthy flavour and is cooked in the same way as spinach or greens. Kale is full of nutrients and minerals and there are many benefits linked to the consumption of kale including:

-          Healthy digestion (one cup contains nearly 20% of the RDA of dietary fibre)

-          Antioxidants (shown to specifically fight against the formation of cancerous cells)

-          An array of vitamins including A, K and C (mainly linked to healthy bones and teeth)

-          Calcium (Kale contains more calcium per calorie than milk and is also better absorbed by the body than dairy)

-          Iron (per calorie, kale has more iron than beef)

 

And of course...Anti-Inflammatory:

One cup of kale provides about 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids that helps regulate the body's inflammatory process. A dose of vitamin K further aids to fight against excessive inflammatory-related problems, such as arthritis, autoimmune disorders, and asthma. Many believe that kale is so nutrient-dense is can actually reverse some of these conditions.

It is important to note that boiling decreases the level of nutrition; however, steaming, baking, microwaving, or stir frying do not result in significant loss.

For more information see http://www.healthdiaries.com/

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

I use the word ‘Tagine’ very lightly in this instance as the tagine is actually the clay vessel in which the Moroccan stew is cooked in. This chicken stew is cooked with Moroccan flavours and is typically cooked in a Tagine but this recipe works very well in a saucepan or crock pot.

Ingredients:

1kg chicken thighs, bone in and skin removed

1 medium onion, diced

40g sultanas

50g dried dates

70g dried apricots

¼ pint (140ml) of water or chicken stock

½ cup of chopped fresh herbs (fennel tops, thyme, parsley and coriander)

Extra coriander for garnish (optional)

For the paste: (all heaped teaspoons unless stated otherwise)

 2 tsp garam masala

1 ½ tsp ground dried ginger (or 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, chopped finely or minced)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garlic granules (or 3 fresh cloves, minced)

1 level tsp mustard (English is best for flavour and heat)

½ level tsp black pepper

½ level tsp salt

Fresh green chilli to taste (we used ½ small HOT chilli, chopped finely)

2 tbsp flax seed oil (plus some extra olive oil, enough to make a loose paste)

Method:

Mix all of the ingredients for the paste in mixing bowl and marinade the chicken for a minimum of 2 hours (but overnight is best).

Using a food processor or blender, make a paste from the onions, herbs and dried fruit. Preheat the oven to gas 4 (180C/350F) and in a large, oven-proof pan or crock pot, brown the marinated chicken for 5 minutes on each side over a low heat. Once browned, add the paste made from the onions and fruit along with the chicken stock. Stir everything well and place a lid on top. Once the mixture has just started to bubble and boil, place it in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for around 5-10 minutes before serving. The sauce should be slightly thick and the meat should be ultra tender and fall away from the bone easily.

I have served the chicken with a simple bulgur wheat couscous, made with chicken stock, lemon, herbs and pine nuts.

I would love you to try this recipe and let me know what you think! It makes a regular occurance in our house and even the non-dieters can’t get enough of it!

- Alison

Does Alcohol Affect Arthritis?

I am sure that most of us have heard that drinking alcohol in moderation can help fight off heart disease.  Moderate drinking (about 1 drink per day) is also associated with lower CRP values.  

Alcohol is proven to have anti-inflammatory effects and these may be at least partly responsible for its cardio-protective effects.  However, more frequent drinking is associated with an increased risk of conditions such as heart disease as well as higher CRP levels. 

...So in conclusion, drinking in moderation is key - as is with most things when leading a healthy lifestyle!

For more information visit http://www.buddyslim.com/nutrition/nutrition.php

Eating Out With Arthritis - Indian

·        Making the right choices is very important when choosing to eat Indian food. A very high proportion of people living in India suffer from arthritis and an extremely recent study sugested that "Arthritis has emerged as the most common ailment in the country and around 65% of the population will suffer from the disease by 2013". Indian cuisine has both exceptionally good and exceptionally bad elements for those choosing to follow the Arthritis Diet. 

     Here are some helpful points to follow:

 

      A great amount of ‘essential’ turmeric and ginger are used in all Indian dishes.

·     Tandoori or Tikka options (cooked in a tandoor) are great as main or starter portions as they are tasty, yet aren’t covered in cream or tomato sauces. They are simply dry portions of meat and fish that are pre-marinated and full of flavour, try Tandoori king prawns or Chicken Tikka. These dishes are often served with salad and a lemon wedge.

·         If you like a particular sauce (Rogan Josh, Tikka Massala, Korma) then a good tip is to order a side of this and have a small amount with your Tandoori dish – you will feel satisfied but won’t overdo it on the tomato/butter and cream.

·         Saag dishes are made with a thick spinach sauce but be sure that they don’t also include cream (some do and some don’t so ask your waiter for help). Do remember that most dished are cooked in either vegetable oil or ghee/butter so have all sauce-based dishes sparingly.

·         Opt for a chapatti over naan bread as this is made with wholemeal flour and has little, if any butter or ghee.

·         Any of the rice dishes are also fine but go for steamed rice if you want to avoid the oil or butter that pilau rice is cooked in.

·         Avoid onion bhaji’s or samosas for a starter as these are deep fried in vegetable oil. Some samosas are however baked in a very thin pastry similar to filo so these can be a good option but be sure to check with the waiter.

Curcumin - The Natural Anti-Inflammatory

We use turmuric in lots of our recipes as turmuric is a long-established anti-inflammatory spice.  There is lots of research available about the benefits of turmeric but more recently the most active ingredient in turmurmic, namely curcumin, has been researched.  The most effective element of curcumin has been isolated as is sold under the name of BCM 95.  Studies show that BCM 95 stays in the blood stream much longer than ordinary turmeric and more is absorbed into the bloodstream. 

I have been taking Curcumin BCM95 for two months now and feel that it is doing some good so shall carry on taking it along with using turmeric wherever possible to cook with. It is more expensive than turmeric or turmeric supplements but I only take 1 tablet per day and there are lots of good deals available on the internet.

 Lots of information is available on www.BCM95.com.

Thanks to everyone for your interest,

Alison 

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Low GI, Omea-3...Carrot Cake.

This was a tricky recipe to develop, but one that works. The oil makes it dairy-free, and when combined with the eggs make the recipe very high in Omega-3 fats. The choice of sugar and sweeteners mean that it is low-GI and then there is the addition of gluten-free flour. It is a cake for everyone! 

 I have used omega-3 eggs as these appear to arthritis friendly but because the mixture makes around 16-20 servings, you are only eating around 1/6 of an egg in each piece of cake, so ‘normal’ eggs may be fine depending on your tolerance to eggs. 

Ingredients:

• 90g light Muscavado sugar
• 40ml raw honey
• 20ml black strap molasses
• 150ml flaxseed oil (this can be expensive so you can use a mix of olive oil and flax)
• 3 Omega-3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 210g grated carrots (about 5 medium)
• 100g raisins
• grated zest of 1 large orange
• 160g gluten-free flour (can be tapioca, rice or a blend)
• 1 ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¾ cream of tartar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg (optional, but freshly grated will give you the best flavour)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment, double lining the base. I love to use silicone moulds which don’t need lining at all!

Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, then pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon and stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.

Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar and spices, then sift into the bowl (sifting will ensure that the raising agents are evenly mixed throughout the flour). Lightly mix all the ingredients until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture is almost runny. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. I test cakes my inserting a skewer in to the middle for just a few seconds, if it comes out clean then the cake is cooked throughout.

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. (You can also freeze the cake at this point.

This recipe can be adapted to make other versions such as:

·         - apple and parsnip

·         - courgette

·         - sweet potato 

Let me know of any other variations I could try and please give them a go and let me know how they turn out!

-    

    - Emma