Onions are good for teeth as they’re antibacterial and spinach has teeth remineralizing properties, so chomping on a few leaves is a good thing! 🥬
Have you ever thought about the worse that could happen in a situation like dental worry, but it didn’t end up so bad?… Or end up at all?
…And that’s usually because your worry prevented a bad outcome. Some worry is healthy… it’s built into our DNA human-ness.
But in society, we tend to demonize all worry when it can help us to magnify an area we should focus more on, and then put the thoughts to rest.
Worry is healthy when it prevents growing problems. And worry is healthy when it helps us come up with better solutions.
When it falls healthy short and is outta balance, is when the scales need to tip back to peace and calm.
Don’t let your worry take over your Vata mind and from living life… because long-term stress is an inflammation cause in the mind-body connection that shows up in or on the body as a warning.
When you’re conscious knowing what you’re doing and thinking, you activate your subconscious to help you out in the back of your mind.
…EVEN when you can’t connect the dots.
Your subconscious mind is like your passenger seat helper who’s providing directions even when you’re focused on what’s in front of you.
…So, when I didn’t get to the dentist because of the pandemic and several moves later, I thought I would have a bad report.
A month before I could get into the busy dentist’s office, I did everything to keep my teeth and healthy smile at their maintained best… flossing with multiple flosser types, brushing, rinsing, and even scraping. And if you have teeth and dental worry about your teeth, then you may floss more often.
These days, it’s so much more easy… we have much better dental supplies from convenience stores than we did as kids… or imagine what they did back in the Stone Ages?
And those memories and dental worry kept me magnifying on healthy habits leading up to the Big D-Day…
At that dentist chair moment, time stood still and I was pleasantly surprised with the assessment. I had nothing to dental worry about.
It was a compliment when I heard the word “good” from my new dentist, and was even asked about how I take care of my teeth.
She asked me what I did. And my response was, “I do everything!”
I shared my routine and healthy daily teeth habits that make up for the food and coffee acid, and sugar buildup. Really the best tip is to brush more often softly or with an electric toothbrush. 🪥
…There’s nothing new under the sun. ☀️
But I also told the dentist about teeth healthy foods I ate to fortify the good and diminish the bad. We add back healthy for a more neutral effect.
So often we forget that foods act as secondary toothbrushes when we can’t get to our toothbrush.
You don’t need to dental worry if you brush after eating sugary foods.
And with acidic sources… you can soften the blow. For ACV, use an eyedropper or a straw where you drop the liquid to the back of your throat.
And certain foods are teeth helpers that have Vitamin D, calcium, and other minerals that re-mineralize natural teeth enamel.
That’s double bonus points for bones and teeth. 🎯
Stronger teeth enamel helps prevent common inflammation or an infection spreading inflammation.
Because inflammation or worsened infections in the mouth can cause problems just like inflammation in other parts of the body.
To counteract, they say that flossing can add 4 years and so can eating beans. (They these days are healthy social media sources that’s common knowledge). But at worst, you won’t lose 4 years, so it’s worth the effort gamble. 😉
Anti-inflammatory food ideas are delicious and good for health prevention. Finding the right healthy pairings, spices, and flavors bring make the rainbow variety out. 🌈 Learn more in this article.
One of my favorite happy and healthy topics is probably no surprise to you, it’s food… and coming up with food ideas (yes, to eat!). And for a low-sugar but sweet treat with anti-inflammatory benefits, see the Chai Cookies below.
And I’ve probably talked about anti-inflammatory food ideas even more times, and offer a consumable anti-inflammatory food guide for grocery shopping and easy meal planning ideas.
…And so to spice up your healthy food knowledge, here are 5 Trivia Questions for you. The answers are at the bottom… but I have a hunch that you may know the answer to one or more of them, and will definitely by the time you finish reading to the end. 😉
…So here we go with the 5 questions!
What is the difference between an herb and a spice?
Which 4 vitamins are fat-soluble?
Where is gluten found in wheat?
Besides wheat, what are 1-2 starchy CROP foods we could eat? (Hint: Grown and raised in big fields)
AND…
What food category does pumpkin fall in?
I had to add that last tricky trivia question in there because pumpkin is all the rage in taste these days. It seems earlier and earlier each year. I’m still pouring coconut flavors into my beverages as it’s too hot for pumping pumpkin for me just yet… and maybe you too where you are?
In all healthy fairness though, pumpkin puree we often add to our dishes and bakes, is a nutrient-dense anti-inflammatory food loaded with fiber prebiotics good for gut health. The downside: it has a high/fair GI rating so it can raise blood sugar spikes…yikes!. But I like to focus on the positives…
And so, you’ve probably heard of nutrient-dense foods which means they’re packed with nutrients compared to calories.
And you’ve probably heard of polyphenols that are nutrients in plants and the orange color in pumpkin gives away its healthy advantage rich in beta carotene that’s converted into Vitamin A in the body as needed, so you can think of them as one and the same 🎃
Polyphenols protect the plant, but we get the benefit as an antioxidant (to help protect against disease) in vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, nuts, tofu, and our plant-based diet.
There are 13 essential vitamins our bodies can’t make on their own. We get them through food or supplements. They’re critical for key functions like immunity, and metabolism and digestion that help us lose weight and maintain healthy weight.
Vitamins A, C, E
These 3 essential vitamins fight inflammation or swelling. These are the antioxidants that fight cell-free radicals, to help protect against cancer. So it’s important to get these daily vitamins.
And you already know one way (eat more 100% pumpkins!).
Since Vitamins A and E are fat-soluble, it’s good to pair healthy fat in your body with them. Like sweet potatoes with walnuts or a drizzle of EVOO… or how about a healthy bake like carrot coconut oil cake? 😋
Foods like avocados and almonds are rich in Vitamin E and (monounsaturated) healthy fats, so that’s why you probably see these superfoods in the healthy news headlines everywhere you turn.
Vitamin C is easy to find in fruits, but it’s water soluble (I think of it like going down a water slide out of your body). And so, you can take more and that’s why I take a daily supplement, in addition to eating from the rainbow Vit C foods.
Vitamins B
Daily, we need our B vitamins. All 8 are essential like those listed in a B-complex vitamin, and they work in synergy with each other.
Vitamins A, E, D, K are also essential and are the fat-soluble vitamins. Sometimes you naturally take advantage of this. Like when you use EVOO to cook your salmon.
But being more intentional, you can find other opportunities like:
Carrots with hummus made with EVOO.
Spinach with walnuts.
Or an avocado smoothie with a plant-based milk.
And, here are some of my fave good anti-inflammatory food ideas:
One morning snack I enjoy is celery with almond butter that has protein and fiber. Or natural peanut butter paired with a Granny Smith apple, sliced up bananas, or in good old-fashioned PBJ (or favorite seeded jam) toast.
Another good starter is watermelon with EVOO and mint. If you have a headache, the first thing I do is drink water that’s always good for hydrating your system. And mint is good for the aches.
In fruits and veggies, the different polyphenol-phytochemical pigments are healthy antioxidants. Here are some food examples and how you can eat from the rainbow 🌈:
Red
Red Apples – If you like crisp, Fuji or Gala varieties are easy to find. Or a traditional Red Delicious that’s a softer apple and tends to bruise easier.
Tomatoes – if you find a tomato medley, they all have differing degrees of sweetness, like a green tomato is less sweet. Yellow tomatoes are less acidic and taste sweeter than a red cherry tomato. And a plum tomato usually found in an Italian dish has a deep red or red-orange color different than a slightly sour grape tomato for a Greek salad.
Both overall, tomatoes and avocados aren’t as sweet compared to other fruits. They’re botanical fruits, but we think of them as veggies in our dishes. They actually come from the flowers of plants.
Squashes are considered fruits, and pumpkin popular in September and October is considered a squash. So a pumpkin is a fruit (and that answers that trivia question).
Orange
Carrots – are underrated I think. A bag of carrots is always good to have on hand and are usually abundant year-round. You can eat them as snacks, or cook them slightly soft for better nutritional benefits.
Or you can julienne them or puree them for your carrot cake and breads. If carrots get too dry left out, you can simply add them to a bowl of water to revive them. They’re a lot like us even though their roots are different! 🥕
Oranges – are seasonal even though we see them sometimes year-round. They’re more abundant in the cold winter months like November – January in the U.S.
But, nothing is guaranteed for any food, and you may have found oranges harder to find as there has been a crop shortage, as of 2021. You can find mandarin oranges or small clementines more easily. They’re less acidic and easier to peel if you want to find their good sides.
Yellow
One of the most practical fruits we have around is a banana. Green bananas have a lower GI (glycemic index) than ripe bananas. That makes sense as they’re not as sweet. I like to eat green bananas and use the ripe ones for baking or a smoothie. If you shop around, you’ll know where to get the greenest ones in your town.
Green
Avocado – already mentioned as a superfood, besides on toast, you can make a smoothie or a mousse dessert. You can add on top of any salad. And since they don’t last long after you cut into them, you can easily make an easy guacamole dip.
Spinach – spinach is a powerful vitamin-rich food and Popeye learned this when got his strength guzzling spinach down.
But for us ordinary characters, we can get bored with the bland spinach taste in a salad. So, I have many anti-inflammatory food ideas:
One idea is to wilt with a little liquid and heat, and then add to your plate slightly cooked to keep the nutrients intact. You’ll find you can add a lot more spinach once it’s tamed down with water and heat
It’s the difference between when your hair is just blown out shiny straight, compared to a wild frizzy humid hair day. 😄
And… when you have a big bag of spinach that can last a couple of weeks in the fridge, but by then is not as fresh… here are some FRESH spinach ideas:
Smoothie: Spinach, pineapple, Granny Smith apple, and nut or plant-based milk. The tart and sweet complements the green goodness. Add your powders and seeds all day! And you can substitute with kale.
Spinach con queso dip
On medium stove heat, you can wilt the spinach with warming milk, and then add cheese to melt, while stirring. And you can sprinkle baked kale chips on top for extra anti-inflammatory food ideas.
Tortilla with melted cheese spinach (Quesadila)
Bake tortilla. I like low and slow (200°F for an hour) so they don’t burn, and then add shredded or cut-up cheese that’ll be quick to melt in the oven. Add your fresh microgreens or herbs on top AFTER you bake.
I like to add allium-healthy flavors like red or green onions. And tri-color bell peppers for a mouth fiesta 🎉. And a bean spread (with EVOO smashed pinto or cannellini beans).
That is a super anti-inflammatory food idea and you may have heard that beans are the vitamins that Blue Zone Centenarians take. 🫘
Maybe spinach ain’t so bland after all!?
Blue
Blueberries – bake well into morning bars or scones. I added banana, yogurt (no egg), and chocolate chips into these crispy ones.
Blueberries also great for smoothies, and jams. And if you’re not a fan or allergic, you could do the other common berries like strawberries or raspberries, or the newer popular berries like elderberries or red lingonberries. I think it’s interesting that we haven’t even come close to identifying all the berries around the world!
Purple/Black
Black beans – I like to bake black bean brownies or energy balls that makes these longevity bakes. You can add espresso on top of the cocoa to give some deeper flavors. Or you can make a cool beans soup. 😋
…Now that’s thinking like a Centenarian! These are worth adding to your anti-inflammatory food ideas.
Red Onions – On the outside, they’re s dark purple hue and inside they’re white. They are pretty and healthy.
Onion rings – And you can easily make healthy baked onion rings. Cut rings (parallel to the top of the onion like the latitudinal equator lines if you could imagine it like a globe). Then dip into a whisked egg, then flour, and then Panko bread crumbs. And then bake. So easy and impressive for a snack!
White/Brown
Mushrooms – these are fascinating as they have so many benefits to the earth and our immunity. The earth needs us and we need the food on the earth. And adaptogens like mushrooms help with our stress and anxiety. And they have become a whole new taste revolution, umami. So I’d say, we need them more than they need us!
What’s not to love?
Breakfast Mushroom Oats Porridge
For breakfast, there are many anti-inflammatory food ideas worth keeping:
Breakfast Quinoa – as a pseudo grain and naturally gluten-free, this is my go-to cereal. Quinoa takes a little bit of cooking time like rice, but you can batch cook in advance so it’s cool and ready for the next few mornings.
Lunch/Dinner Quinoa – It’s also versatile for your savory lunch meals and dinner salads. My favorite combo is chickpeas and quinoa with a coarser Celtic sea salt.
Warm Oats – this is definitely a morning staple. I like to eat warm with fresh fruit but that’s about Vata-me… andwhat aboutyou?
Cold Oats – You can also do Overnight Oats and just pull your cup or glass out of the fridge in the morning. Add your chia seeds, berries, yogurt, and bananas for a Pitta perfect parfait. 😊
Almonds – these are great snacks. And unlike a chip, it’s good to eat more than one. They have the healthy fat, but also vitamins, minerals, and protein.
EVOO
Besides cooking, EVOO is good for baking, dips, and on toast for some other anti-inflammatory food ideas.
I love spelt and sprouted grains that come from whole grains and have high levels of vitamins and minerals. They’re easier to digest with a lower GI (but not to be confused with gluten-free!). You can get GF versions, but those are wholesome wheat grains.
And that’s a good idea and thought to leave it on!
…Oh, and here are the answer to the 5 TRIVIA questions above (that I copied here):
What is the difference between an herb and a spice?
Which 4 vitamins are fat-soluble?
Where is gluten found in wheat?
Besides wheat, what are some other starchy crop healthy foods we could eat?
What food category is pumpkin in?
?? Trivia Question Answers:
An herb comes from the leaves of plants, and spices from the other parts (flowers, fruits, seeds, roots).
Vitamins D,E,A,K
Gluten is found in the starchy endosperm in the middle layer of the wheat cereal grain. The seed is deep inside and the bran is the outside of the grain.
Corn, rice, and millet are a few. Millet is more popular for humans to eat outside the U.S. but you can find it if you look around.
Pumpkin is a squash, and squashes are fruit. So, a pumpkin is technically a fruit. You may never look at pumpkins the same, and at Thanksgiving when you think you need a fruit pie on the table. 🥧
These delicious and simple-to-make chai bombs are loaded with antioxidants.
Course desserts
Cuisine American, Indian
Ingredients
all spice (cloves)
Ceylon cinnamon
chai tea
molasses
coconut oil
coconut flour
cardamom
Instructions
The secret to these delicious cookies is to mix the ingredient dough and refrigerate for several days so the flavors have a chance to penetrate. Then scoop into balls and bake as you would cookies.
We know a plant-based diet is one that’s rewarding for our health. With an anti-inflammatory food guide resource you’re set with a preventative food healthy lifestyle that pays in longevity benefits.
These anti inflammatory foods are alphabetized by food category for easy reference.
Vegetables/Greens/Salad Foods
1.Alfalfa sprouts
2.Artichoke hearts
3.Arugula
4.Asparagus
5.Avocado
6.Beets
7.Bell pepper
8.Bibb lettuce
9.Broccoli
10.Brussels Sprouts
11.Butternut squash
12.Cabbage
13.Capers
14.Carrots
15.Cauliflower
16.Celery
17.Chards
18.Cole slaw
19.Collard greens
20.Corn
21.Cucumber
22.Edamame
23.Eggplant
24.Endive
25.Fennel
26.Garlic
27.Grape leaves
28.Green beans
29.Green peas or split peas
30.Hearts of palm
31.Iceberg lettuce
32.Jicama
33.Kale
34.Kimchi
35.Leafy greens
36.Leeks
37.Mushrooms
38.Mustard greens
39.Okra
40.Olives
41.Onions (all)
42.Parsnips
43.Pickles
44.Potatoes
45.Pumpkin
46.Radicchio
47.Radishes
48.Red bell pepper
49.Red cabbage
50.Romaine lettuce
51.Rutabagas
52.Sauerkraut
53.Shallots
54.Shredded cabbage
55.Snow peas
56.Spinach
57.Spring mix salad
58.Sundried tomatoes
59.Sweet potatoes
60.Tomatoes
61.Turnips
62.Pickled Vegetables (unpasteurized)
63.Winter squash
64.Yams
65.Yellow peppers
66.Zucchini
67.Spaghettii squash
You can add tasty flavors with anti inflammatory foods in healthy oil, vinegar, butters, broths, and condiments.
And adding prebiotic veggies such as asparagus, onions, and garlic help the gut.
Additives – Flavor for Anti Inflammatory Foods
68.Almond butter
69.Apple cider vinegar (organic with the mother substance)
70.Avocado oil
71.Bone broth
72.Coconut oil
73.Cod liver oil
74.Ghee
75.Grape seed oil
76.Horseradish
77.Miso
78.Mushroom broth
79.Olive oil
80.Peanut butter (all-natural)
81.Salsa
82.Sea salt
83.Sesame oil
84.Sunflower oil
85.Tahini
86.Vegetable broth
87.Vinegars (white, red, balsamic, etc.)
88.Walnut oil
89.Wheat germ oil
Nuts have healthy fats, protein, fiber, minerals that make them anti inflammatory foods and make great snacks.
Nuts/Seeds
90.Almonds
91.Brazil nuts
92.Cashews
93.Chia seeds
94.Flaxseeds
95.Hemp seed
96.Macadamia nuts
97.Peanuts
98.Pecans
99.Pine nuts
100.Pistachios
101.Poppy seeds
102.Pumpkin seeds
103.Walnuts
As anti inflammatory rich foods, seafood and fish are good sources of minerals. And certain lean proteins as well as eggs help with daily energy.
Seafood/Protein
104.Anchovies
105.Chicken
106.Chili
107.Cod
108.Fatty fishes
109.Flounder
110.Pasteurized Eggs
111.Grass-fed beef
112.Grass-fed lamb
113.Mackerel fish
114.Organic chicken
115.Oysters
116.Salmon
117.Sardines
118.Scallops
119.Shrimp
120.Shellfish (clams, mussels, crabs, lobster)
121.Tempeh
122.Tofu
123.Trout fish
124.Tuna
125.Turkey (uncured)
Fruits contain Vitamin C which is an antioxidant and water-soluble to the body. Tropical fruits like kiwi and citrus fruits are highest in Vitamin C.
Fruits
126.Acerola cherry
127.Apricot
128.Bananas
129.Bitter melon
130.Blackberry
131.Black currants
132.Blueberry
133.Boysenberry
134.Cantaloupe
135.Clementines
136.Coconut
137.Cranberry
138.Dates
139.Dragonfruit
140.Elderberry
141.Figs
142.Gooseberry
143.Grapes
144.Grapefruit
145.Green apples
146.Guava
147.Honeydew melon
148.Kiwi
149.Lemon
150.Lime
151.Mango
152.Melons
153.Nectarine
154.Oranges
155.Papaya
156.Passionfruit
157.Peaches
158.Pears
159.Persimmon
160.Pineapple
161.Pomegranate
162.Plums
163.Prunes
164.Raspberry
165.Red apples
166.Red currants
167.Rhubarb
168.Spelt berry
169.Star fruit
170.Strawberry
171.Tangerine
172.Watermelon
Whole grains are anti inflammatory foods and good sources of B-vitamins that we need daily, and that work together for our complex bodies to function. Whole grains keep the bran (fiber), germ (vitamins such as B and E), and starchy endosperm. Look for minimally processed and “whole” in packaged ingredients.
Grains
173.Barley
174.Bran cereals
175.Brown rice
176.Buckwheat
177.Bulghur
178.Cous cous
179.Farro
180.Grits
181.Millet
182.Oats
183.Popcorn
184.Quinoa
185.Sorghum
186.Sourdough
187.Spinach pasta
188.Sprouted bread
189.Tricolor pasta
190.Wheat berries
191.Wheat tortilla
192.Whole grain pasta
You’ve probably heard that you can add years to your life if you eat beans weekly. Plus, they’re easy and inexpensive anti inflammatory foods to find. Beans are types of legumes as are lentils, chickpeas, and peas are healthy additions to any diet. There are 20,000 different species, most of which we don’t see in the grocery places we shop.
Beans/Legumes
193.Black bean
194.Black-eyed peas
195. Cannellini white beans
196.Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans)
197.Kidney beans
198.Lentils
199.Lima beans
200.Navy beans
201.Pinto beans
Spices are considered high anti-inflammatory foods. Many have polyphenol compounds and some work together like black pepper and cardamom. Within their tiny molecules, within the spice and herb aroma are the potent fighting antioxidant compounds that fight cell free radicals. Spices are usually the dried parts of the plant while herbs are the fresh parts like leaves.
Spices/Herbs for Anti Inflammatory Dishes
202.Allspice
203.Anise
204.Basil
205.Black pepper
206.Cardamom
207.Cayenne pepper
208.Chili pepper
209.Cilantro
210.Cinnamon
211.Clove
212.Coriander
213.Cumin
214.Curry
215.Dill
216.Ginger root
217.Marjoram
218.Mint
219.Nettle leaf
220.Nutmeg
221.Oregano
222.Paprika
223.Parsley
224.Rosemary
225.Saffron
226.Sage
227.Sumac
228.Tarragon
229.Turmeric
Dark chocolate is a nice anti inflammatory food treat. Look for over 70% dark chocolate. And if you pair with raspberries, you’ll have superfood healthy benefits.
Dairy
230.Dairy that has probiotic, benefits the gut such as some cottage cheeses
Healthy grocery food shopping 🛒is a weekly top of mind chore for many of us. It’s one I actually enjoy coming from a foodie work background planning parties and catered events.
…And you can find your happy and healthy reasons or get inspired in other ways. 🎉
On that mission, doing your own shopping, meal prep, and cooking/baking can be just what you need for your busy lifestyle and can save you $$ in your wallet and waistline.
…And btw, if you want a weight loss healthy tip and make healthy lifestyle moves that also saves you money, you should check out this easy way in this free guide.
You can use “make your life easy” mantra, and that’s why we we love our easy cooking tools and food prep hacks. Amen?
Like this one: I’m using my ice trays for scrambled egg cubes…
(Along with a little homemade ice cream sandwich love to cool things off the hot seasons we’ve been experiencing! ❤️)
Little things like these help to make up for this past week in food, where I couldn’t find common healthy grocery food list staples like bananas and milk. I shopped online on different days, but I can only imagine how empty the produce section must’ve looked.
…In other weeks, it was eggs, oranges, or meat shortages. And I’m sure you’ve seen similar, so it’s good to stay flexible these days!
It’s practical to stock up on some goods when possible, and especially if you want to save money and time from food shopping. Also be open to what’s abundant and on sale.
And if you want to make it quick out of a store, shop around the store perimeter where you also find the fresh healthy grocery food items. The aisles is where you can get lost a little.
Growing up, for healthy grocery food we had “gourmet foods.” I remember a test Gourmet Giant store near us. They had these great big barrel bulk bins lined up with every gourmet food you could think of. I was in food heaven as a young, picky food eater that’s pretty normal today for us in our modern 🌈 variety.
Back then, the idea of “organic” wasn’t popular yet, but gourmet variety foods like strawberry brie could be found (and probably worked on me as I went into catering planning years later when I had tasted the food possibilities early on 😋).
Food changes are a ‘lil fun (even though it’s a wee bit frustrating looking for specific items that you fell in love with that are discontinued).
But in the positives, you focus on other foods. Last year, I saw an abundance of Cara Cara oranges. And where you’re at, there could be other types or a new breed of organic strawberries as an example. That’s something to get excited about. 🤸♀️
Healthy Grocery Food Storage
But one thing that hasn’t changed is the freezer. A refrigerator is irreplaceable as there’s nothing else like it. When you’re young, it’s where you store happy ice cream and popsicles that sit in front of the frozen uncooked foods.
And freezers not only keep your food from spoiling but also preserve food so you can actually plan meals further out than one week. You can buy in bulk and not waste money.
And frozen veggies are a great way to always have low-calorie, nutrient-dense green foods around. You can always find occasions to use a frozen bag of kale or peas.
The fridge top shelf is your next coolest ally. That’s where the cool strawberries belong in peak season.
Morning strawberry quinoa cereal and light angel food cake are two ways I’ve been optimizing strawberry dishes…
That’s one fruit you don’t want to freeze if you want to keep them fresh and plump. 🍓
But for just about everything else 😉, optimizing your freezer for preserved food hacks is still one of the best grocery money-saving tips. Freeze bread, meats, smoothie fruits, and so many other healthy grocery food items.
You can freeze those extra tubs of yogurt and have frozen yogurt. Now that’s smart…and takes no prep work!
If you have ripe bananas, you can freeze them, so you don’t have to grocery backtrack (and that’s what I did in the banana shortage).
They’ll look frozen and scary brown or black in appearance, but they are good and taste as good in a smoothie, and even better in a baked banana bread recipe.
Just remember to prep the food before you freeze it. Like cut the bread loaf into slices, scramble the eggs, and remove the fruit peels.
7 Healthy Grocery Food Money Savings
✅Stay flexible with fresh and frozen produce. Sometimes the same items are abundant or about to expire and cost less than frozen items. And sometimes frozen items are less.
✅Stock up on some cans. Sometimes canned items are less expensive than other times. But I don’t sub fresh/frozen vs canned as they don’t usually translate the same. Such as, frozen or fresh peas are great, but canned, not so much. And canned beans are great, but frozen beans, well… we can move on…
It’s also hard to predict what will run out on the shelves, so you can keep some cans available that stack nicely, and free up your freezer space that’s in high demand.
You can also always find some happy mediums. Like applesauce works for many baking recipes instead of storing refrigerated apples.
And to save money, you can do an apples-to-apples comparison online where grocery is usually priced per ounce, lb, or count.
Shopping online makes this easy to do as you’re not distracted. And also so you don’t have to drive all over creation to compare costs between stores…
These days, that’s super smart as sizes have gotten smaller, so using basic quick math tools help.
Sometimes healthy grocery food store chains have found a way to be the lowest cost store for a specific food item you’re looking for.
One like Whole Foods you would think is more pricey is often less costly than other chain grocery stores on certain items. When there’s abundance, the goal of the store is to sell the abundance of produce as fast as possible to maintain top freshness, and competitive pricing is the best strategy.
✅Wherever you shop: one smart item to keep on hand is a shelf-stable milk substitute. Such as milk powder packages, nut milk cartons, and/or evaporated milk cupboard cans. They can come in handy for a recipe or shortage, and they last a long time.
✅Look for your holiday baking items after the holidays. If you look for pumpkin puree or chocolate chips online around the holidays, good luck. You may find them at an astronomical price.
You’ve probably already experienced that before (and today is a good time to start looking 👀).
✅Another option for fresh alternatives and self-sufficiency is growing your own garden greens, herbs, fruits, and veggies.
That’s what many of the American Blue Zoners do (in Loma Linda, CA) that we can learn from. These are the Adventist Health community-goers. They’re the largest group of oldest Americans that have celebrated 100 with flying colors.
But if you don’t plan to have a garden in the city or have a brown thumb, then you can still support those who do. You can get fresh “in season” from a local farmer’s market stand where you shop.
✅Save at ethnic food stores that have cropped up everywhere metropolitan. And when you get curious about exotic foods, then you open your palate and become to variety that’s good for your gut. Ethnic grocery stores often carry more healthy ingredients. In America and other western world grocery stores, we tend to have an abundance processed foods staring us in the face and in the check out lines.
✅And finally, when you find one good item from a brand, search the brand itself as they rarely just stop at producing one item that you love.
They learn to leverage economies of scale, so they add more products to their portfolio. And then you can be a customer for life (or as long as their shelf life).
One that comes to mind, is a money-saving club like King Arthur flours for those who do a lot of baking. Then there are the local cost-saving clubs we all know that are packed any given weekend. I avoid those bulk places for many reasons. They’re warehouse-size for a reason.
And instead of jumbo stocking up on and eating the same items, you can switch it up. That pleases this Vata (…and maybe you too?)
For more healthy goods, anti-inflammatory recipes and planner all-in-one, check out my shop.
After many moons and decades, anti-inflammatory eating has caught on like wildfire for the health-conscious. I remember when gyms cropped up like micro greens, and healthy living in the U.S. was focused on getting fit through cardio exercise.
…And was less focused on healthy eating to prevent inflammation and disease.
…While all along heart and cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers are still the leading causes of mortality in the U.S. (CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm)
So, then we shifted to a healthy diet as the core strategy for preventing diseases, providing energy and nutritional medicine, and the #1 answer to losing weight.
I watched daily the evolution of this through my management lens working in catering and as an event meal planner… kinda like subscribing to and watching a YouTube channel, except social media didn’t exist back then.
Today, the health-conscious are tuned into anti-inflammatory eating, with plant-based whole foods, quality protein, healthy dairy, and good heart oils. Just in time as cognitive decline and diabetes rates are on the fast rise.
A food’s nutritional composition, low glycemic index, and synergistic food impact on the mind-gut connection have never been so celebrated.
And, that makes me happy because I’m a foodie who loves good-tasting healthy food… and maybe you do too!? 🎂
Whole, plant-based foods are greatest when they’re at their seasonal best and the star in a flavorful-exciting meal.
Today we know our energy in old age (longevity) is heavily influenced by our lifestyle and healthy eating pattern choices. (Harvard Study: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/following-a-variety-of-healthy-eating-patterns-associated-with-lower-heart-disease-risk/)
Through lifestyle choices, we get to play a big role in our physical and mental health destiny, and in the mind-body connection. It’s realistic to aim for a goal of being active at 💯. 🎯
Anti-Inflammatory Eating Goals No Matter What Age or Body Type
Anti-inflammatory eating works for all ages and body types. It’s a healthy eating lifestyle that embraces food variety (biodiversity) and includes sustainable everyday foods where you’re rewarded with feeling good and a body you’re comfortable with… and that helps so you don’t have to switch into different clothing sizes in-between seasons.
You can have food sensitivities and substitute those food items or brands with another highly nutritional equivalent.
Anti-inflammatory isn’t a diet, but it can be a lifelong food plan and THE DIET you stick to, to maintain a consistent healthy body.
…And It’s probably the only anti-anything I live for these days as I believe in peace when at all possible. 😊
In anti-inflammatory eating, there’s generally not a need for elimination diets when the body is running smoothly; and if it’s not, specific anti-inflammatory foods can help restore you back.
Meal planning with daily anti-inflammatory foods (as top of mind), you support your efforts to prevent preventable health issues down the road and chronic inflammations that can mysteriously show up one day.
When you’re younger you may not think about these maturing signs, but older and wiser, we feel our internal body changes by the quality of our daily life activities.
No matter what AGE you are, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory can be your healthy targets, as you look and feel your best today and in your bright, promising future.
We know it’s never too early to start naturally reversing any damage.
There is no downfall to anti-inflammatory eating…
I suppose you can eat too many carrots, but you’d probably grow bunny ears too. 🐰
…Anything is possible, but not likely.
And if you’re on the Vata body side of the spectrum, you appreciate all the variety 🌈, and not eating the same thing every day.
And if you’re on the Kapha end, your healthy, lighter food moves can usually get heavily rewarded, spilling over into other complex body systems winning you bonus points.
Below are the different body types according to Ayurveda in case you’re not sure what your type is.
You can see which one (and sometimes a cross between two) of the Ayurvedic body types you most resemble. By going through each of the 10 statements, you choose the one that most accurately describes you and your body.
Then total up the count for each column seeing which one you have the most check marks in. That’s your dominant body type.
It’s your natural way and the body you’ve gotten used to. Usually, one type is more dominant, but you can have a close second or a tie.
Plus, the types fit more like in a circular pie (or percentage pie if you like math descriptions), where the 3 fit as 3 slices.
Everyone has traces of all 3 types even if one type is just a small sliver or a few crumbs (…can you tell I like food descriptions?).
And this is good to know …especially if you don’t like your body type diagnosis here. I’m sure you also fall into some of the descriptions in the other types or in different times of your life 😉
These come from the learnings I had back in 2008.
No matter which BODY TYPE you have, each one of us can benefit from daily anti-inflammatory eating.
Eating anti-inflammatory is like cardio exercise. …in that, we reap healthy benefits as we have a heart that runs better with our healthy moves.
So, then armed with this information, you can better plan your daily anti-inflammatory “eat from the rainbow” meals that can become your established eating-being way.
Enter The Healthiest Combination: Ayurveda Habits and Anti-Inflammatory Eating
In my relationship with food, I choose anti-inflammatory foods when grocery shopping, and then make easy home meals based on what balances my dominant Vata sweet tooth-to-salty craving body.
And I use food as natural “medicine” to help restore my Ayurvedic imbalances—Kapha, Vata, Pitta, or a combination of them that get out of whack for any of us at any time.
Think of the 3 body types in us like colliding earth, wind, and fire (…and like the timeless rock band who still plays in harmony… and just this past weekend).
…Do you remember (the 21st night of September)?… 🎸🎺🎤🎶
…So anyway, with all the chaos brought into our bodies, layering anti-inflammatory foods and balancing them with Ayurvedic food choices is a good way (and I think the best way!) to smooth out undesired moods like anxiety, depression, anger, and any shades in between.
These mood types that linger as undercurrents or that are obvious to us (and others), can cause chronic stress leading to inflammation and debilitating diseases already mentioned.
But the good news is… subtle food changes can change our subtle moods (…nice tongue twister there 😊).
This is true for all ages, types, and sizes as we all can carry off-balance moods seasonally or from time-to-time.
Even though my size is usually consistent year-round, I have a big Vata sweet tooth and too much sugar irritates my skin. That’s a sign of a Pitta body imbalance.
With The 2 A’s (Anti-Inflammatory and Ayurvedic) approach I know I’m doing everything I can to support my prized health and honor the body that was given to me… and that can be your intention too.
So, I put together a list of 200 anti-inflammatory foods so you know easily what to grocery shop for (and shortcut to the checkout line).
The healthy and anti-inflammatory shopping lists help you decide what to grocery buy and fill your kitchen with when you’re lazy or feeling a ‘lil Kapha… and you want to make easy choices… and not have to search high and low in your fridge and cabinets trying to figure out your next meal when it can be made deliciously in minutes or in one bowl with ideas on-hand.
Plus you can overlay the Ayurveda food lists provided, so you have all the researched nutritional food knowledge and references, food lists, and meal ideas all in one place and at your fingertips…. and have the food knowledge I acquired from my decade of event meal planning working with chefs. You can use the list of ingredients and take the flavor ideas to make similar simple, tasty meals that impress you and those you’re feeding.
Another benefit to anti-inflammatory eating that I’ve learned is that your at-home healthy practice can change your sugar.
What do I mean by this?…
At home, you can control the ingredients you eat.
Since 2020, I took up baking regularly. I built a deeper relationship with ingredients and food. I learned to modify bakes without refined sugar (or any white sugar-type substitute) that irritates the skin. And in other body types, sugar can add to insulin resistance and wreak other body havoc.
I do make a few exceptions, but pretty much I’ve learned to enjoyably swap what I once loved (sugar!) with sweet anti-inflammatory ingredients that I now prefer the taste of… because taste is super important to me, as it is to you! 😋
These days, I’m choosier with flavors and I think that makes for better-tasting and healthier bakes.
I’m sure if I got a taste of something super boozy sweet now like in a restaurant dessert with an oozing middle, I would probably only be able to take a small bite without thinking it was too sweet.
So, what you eat regularly changes your body desires and tastes to match your diet.
You are what you eat (and you can become what you eat).
…So that’s another benefit of making the healthy switch!
Your healthy desires catch up to your habits and routines.
That’s good hope for sugar cravings or any other unhealthy weak-in-the-knees food cravings (like the FF word 🍟).
…And if you were to offer a diabetic person, a sugar-free yummy cookie, they probably wouldn’t want it, but if they did, they wouldn’t enjoy it the same way they would if they had the taste of sugar regularly.
So, our tastes also change to help us out.
That’s some good inspo if you want to cook or bake more today or into this year.
And, I’d add... if you have pantry ingredients close on hand, you’re more likely to pick up this handy life skill sooner if you want. You can decide to keep a good shelf-life food pantry, in addition to shopping regularly for fresh ingredients or meals.
You could also keep a secondary “food as medicine” kitchen cabinet that includes spices like I do.
If that’s far from what you do today and you’re not there yet, but wanna be… be encouraged that your desires change. Like in my home cooking journey…
I rarely turned on the oven or stove at home when I planned menus all day at work as a catering sales manager. I came home tired and had a couple boxes of pasta and tomato sauce in my cupboard… nothing for me to get excited about even after I re-charged my energy.
Grocery store shopping was my personal foodie food event. Cooking was the last thing I wanted to do being around food conversations all day.
And in your case, you may be dead dog tired by the end of the work week, overwhelmingly busy season, or just had a Pitta day, that all cause you to want to stay away from the stovetop oven… yes/right?
But you could change your mind and ways when you get used to sniffing and reading ingredients that you have on hand at home a few steps away from the couch that you can check out on your way back from the bathroom or reaching for a snack 😉… and that way you can see that you can actually make your own this-and-that just as easily as going out or to the store.
A factory doesn’t need to supply all the combined ingredients in a package for you to enjoy. Food was available before we had modern machinery.
So you can put ingredients together yourself in seconds or minutes and without all kinds of convenient gadgets and kitchenware.
And those mindful minutes can be very therapeutic.
That can lead you to want to learn more about different types of interesting ingredients available out there.
That’s when cooking or baking starts getting fun! 🎉
And can inspire you to experiment …plus then you’ll have all this extra energy from your enhanced healthy anti-inflammatory eating lifestyle you’ve adopted, that can take you to explore the local farmer’s markets for seasonal produce.
That can be as enjoyable as your other travel excursions without all the hassles. I LIKE TO DREAM HEALTHY BIG…and you can too!
Btw, Happy International Yoga Day today (as awareness mentioning)! As planners, we love when dates stay the same every year like this June anniversary. 😊
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