Food Balance Your Body Type Archives - Page 39 of 48

Anti-Inflammatory Food Ideas (With Fun Trivia Questions)

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 about anti inflammatory foods in this article.

One of my favorite happy and healthy topics is food as I have a catering and food event planning background… and so, coming up with home food ideas to eat is both meal planning practical AND super fun.

And learning to satiate sugar cravings with low-sugar desserts was a smart anti-inflammatory lifestyle move to help prevent eczema flare-ups and health complications down the road.

A printable 200 anti-inflammatory food grocery shopping list helps. Plus some additional healthy food charts you can learn about below.

But first, 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 but still good for an anti inflammatory meal plan idea.

And so, you’ve probably heard of nutrient-dense foods at the core of anti inflammatory food which means they’re packed with nutrients compared to calories. And they have few ingredients. Often they’re whole foods like fruits.

They’re preventative protectors to help fight inflammation that’s recurring, ongoing, or chronic inflammation. Inflammatory properties often have at least one of these symptoms: redness or irritation, heat, swelling, or pain.

Those are earlier signs that can lead to certain chronic diseases such as heart disease, Diabetes 2, certain cancers, and cognitive decline diseases. So one way to handle is to reduce inflammation occurrences with a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating.

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. These are also good for weight loss meal plans.

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, metabolism, and digestion that help us lose weight and maintain healthy weight.

These are essential nutrients on the anti inflammatory diet and anti inflammatory food ideaas for your food plans.

Vitamins A, C, E

These 3 essential vitamins fight inflammation or swelling. These are important antioxidants that fight cell-free radicals, to help protect against cancer. 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 olive oil that’s common in a mediterranean diet… or how about a healthy bake like carrot coconut oil cake? 😋 That’s one of my anti inflammatory recipes.

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 green 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 leaves or mint tea is good for soothing aches.

In fruits and veggies, the different polyphenol-phytochemical pigments are healthy antioxidants. SEE THE PRINTABLE rainbow food chart and learn learn about your natural body’s antioxidant and glutathione production benefits.

But here are some foods to include in your daily food variety, 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 smoothie 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!?

And one food that hasn’t been mentioned yet is fatty fish oils found in fish. Good healthy eating ones are small fish like sardines or wild fish like wild salmon. They would be good to add to any meal planns.

Blue

Blueberries – bake well into morning bars, balls, or scones.

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 – oh, mommy!

Cauliflower – they are a good source of Vitamin C and low in calories for healthy weight loss. You can bake them into your pizza crust or eat my favorite ways, as Crudite. That’s raw on a veggie plate we always had when I worked in hotel catering.

Breakfast Mushroom Oats Porridge

What’s not to love?

For plant based breakfasts, 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… and what about you?

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.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or EVOO)

Besides in cooking, EVOO is with baked goods, dips, and on toast that are Mediterranean diet ideas, that’s a type of anti-inflammatory food diet.

Spelt and sprouted grains 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! I hope this helps you on your food healthy lifestyle!

…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:

1.An herb comes from the leaves of plants, and spices from the other parts (flowers, fruits, seeds, roots).

2.Vitamins D,E,A,K

3.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.

4.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.

5.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. Idea: You can make an easy pumpkin pasta sauce (especially if you can’t eat tomatoes).

And that’s a wrap (corn wrap?)!

Kapha Metabolism and Losing Weight Optimization

Kapha metabolism is one of the barriers to losing weight. This article explains why and what you can do.

…Which btw, we all have these imbalanced needs (Kapha metabolism, Vata anxiety, and Pitta irritated moods for example) from time to time, if not all the time, as we are made of all the earth, wind, and fire elements.

That’s how I like to describe it anyway.

First things first…

An avocado smoothie is in tall order to bring me back to my usual routine… and maybe good inspo for you and your healthy living. This is a great way to break a fast or start your breakfast.

kapha metabolism avocado smoothie drink — deliciously healthy avocado smoothie 🥑

I needed it because last week I was moving (and why you may have missed me last week).

EASY is what we all need more of! One thing that’s never easy is moving that I just did but necessary to reach a new destination in life.

Let me just say, if you’re planning to move, try to avoid the summer when everyone else is moving! Spare yourself the hassle and do it earlier or later in the year.

So to bring me back to this week’s calm, and to please my Vata palate, cool down my Pitta,

AND wake up my Kapha, I took it one step further with an inspirational in-between summer and fall season inspiring quinoa morning bowl that’s loaded with plant-based goodness (great for burning calories and Kapha metabolism).

I recommend this for everyone and anyone looking for anti-inflammatory eating lifestyle ideas! 🫐

Avocado, blueberries, dried papaya, cranberries, walnuts, bananas, and organic quinoa 🥣

…And just to catch us up here… last time I talked about Vata body needs, and before that I posted a summer series that included baking yoga, travel yoga, and chair yoga moves. I’d recommend all these stretch moves year-round.

Because if it ain’t broke, it can be restored with yoga that you can do at home… and I wish I learned this sooner! I can’t say enough about yoga, but will keep it hush-hush this time to focus on the Kapha losing weight topic at hand.

It’s funny this week… I ended up making homemade pretzels. 🥨 Below is a recipe for sourdough pretzels that I fell in love with growing up with Pennsylvania Dutch pretzels. We had jumbo soft pretzels in the school cafeteria I got excited about and maybe you love those too!

Bonus points are gained 💕 when healthy foods taste good PLUS have body health benefits. Like, Himalayan sea salt is known for its detoxifying properties, and you’ve probably seen or heard of the large crystal lamps or sea salt spa rooms.

We all want to feel more energetic, lighter, and healthier. And cutting down on sugar is another way (and still enjoying low-sugar desserts).

And you and I both know that weight is just one measurement of health… and btw, whatever your measurements happen to be, it should not define you.

If weight loss is on your agenda that’s usually with a slowing metabolism body, here are some reasons why it can be SUPER challenging:

There’s an abundance of (tempting) convenience food available around us 24-7.
Eating isn’t just something we do for sustenance. It’s reward gratification, a social activity, and soothing comfort. It’s an emotional activity and many foods send us back to our childhood roots and happy-sad memories.
Computers, cars, and technology have contributed to a much more sedentary lifestyle—we don’t all need to be physically active farmers to survive anymore, so we don’t prepare our own wholesome meals.
Reducing daily calorie counts is HARDWORK and it’s not easy to change habits in our busy lifestyle.
Diets are hard to maintain and they can work in the short-term, but fail long-term because they’re simply unsustainable and leave us feeling discouraged with diets.
And as we age, typically our metabolism slows down, but you can help yourself out!

How?

First, Focus on the Kapha Metabolism Positives

Be easy on yourself so you can feel good about your changes.

And we want to keep our minds hopeful and stay encouraged that we can get our weight and fitness under our belts.

Personally, I’ve found that when trying to make goals, focusing on the positives is going to take you further so you don’t end up beating yourself up…

Accentuating what you’re doing right is sustainable to healthy living, so you can successfully create life-giving habit-forming eating plans daily and year-round.

And so you can get back up from where you left off. Your mind doesn’t forget what worked.

Plus, you can make up for any current deficits you feel, in other healthy ways like cleansing or detoxing, as you work on your sustainable eating routines.

Focus on the daily activity and keep the goal in the back of your mind. You can start with a healthy green smoothie or probiotic-friendly shake.

Staying consistent and away from tempting situations is what I often hear is a common body struggle. That’s what it was like when I worked in, out, and around food careers in catering sales that are not usually focused on healthy foods as a #1 priority. It’s happy over healthy.

And the way I found worked best for keeping consistent in weight (for my body that I manage) is focusing on staying on an eating healthy routine and schedule 5 days a week, versus burning calories (see “it’s hard work” 😭 bullet point above).

Plus, I believe an anti-inflammatory healthy eating plan is the best food planning way to stay fit and healthy.

Because inflammation is an early body warning sign. When left unattended, can lead to complications down the road. So best to change up any food-causing culprits that can show up one day.

The main point is to make healthy changes as needed and not get stuck in: this is what I’ve always done. So many people do this.

And dominant Kaphas (and those with high Kapha mind imbalances) can stay stuck in these stubborn patterns.

Try and stay objective to what works or is the truth (vs. how you feel).

And while health trends keep changing, certain anti-inflammatory foods like broccoli or Brussels sprouts aren’t likely to ever go out of healthy style anytime soon. A grocery list of 200 anti-inflammatory foods for ideas and reminders can be helpful

And if you don’t like those or the taste of certain healthy foods, you can pick others you like in the same category. Or make them creatively tasty and more exciting. Like sprinkling cauliflower or broccoli on top of your food to avoid the bland tastes and cruciferous textures.

It takes a little thought, but as a side benefit, you also get more choosy about what you put into your body.

And if you’re in a stressful season now where eating healthy is a challenge, you’re definitely not alone!

It’s so easy to slip a little. The idea is to still focus on the positives and get in the good stuff 🥦, while you enjoy some comfort foods. 😋

Just don’t give up!

And the foodie in me wants to help encourage losing weight in a healthy way without compromising good-tasting foods. 😉

So figuring out how to make healthy foods palatable to your tastes is one smart strategy.

Remember the upside: when you change your tastes, your tastes change gradually. So start with one healthy flavor you like. Maybe it’s a spice, herb, or accouterment.

And as long as you personally WANT to go in the right direction and turn that desire into daily reality, you WILL make it happen.

Making habit healthy lifestyle changes today can make all the difference in the world for you.

One reward is you develop better habits, AND the habits you create develop a better lifestyle and quality of LIFE. When you can rewire your body’s metabolism through foods, you can have a better life.

And, here are some key Kapha metabolism things to know that make the difference.

Besides food and calories, your weight is based on genetics, family history, hormones, medications, stress, and sleep amount. There are so many things that your body does at rest: breathing, pumping blood, detoxing, etc. You start each day new and reset.

The amount of energy (calories) your body uses to perform these essential functions is your basal metabolic rate (or metabolism). Overall, your metabolism accounts for about two-thirds of the calories your body burns every day.

The Kapha metabolism is influenced mostly by your body size and composition. This means that people who have bigger bones and more muscle mass burn more calories at rest. Like men usually have more muscle, so they start with a higher metabolism (Kapha dominant or not).

And young people have this advantage too. As we age, bone and muscle mass naturally decrease (and fat mass naturally tends to increase).

Weight training (e.g., using weights or pushing your body against gravity) builds your muscles which increases your metabolic rate. And yes! certain yoga poses can help in this way. This is also where eating more healthy proteins can really give you an upper edge.

And if you struggle with a slow metabolism that Kapha bodies often do, here are some weight loss tips and reminders:

Set specific, realistic, forgiving goals

Instead of a goal to “lose weight,” try smaller and more specific goals that you can attain.

Daily or weekly goals can be, for example, to add more plant-based foods or lean proteins. This focuses on the positives.

Try to stick with a new habit for at least a week or two to start making it routine. Then when one habit becomes consistent, add another one (and habit stack).

It’s not uncommon to take 6 months to lose 5% of your body weight, so that may be a more realistic goal to aim for than the first few pounds that are easier to lose.

Ditch the “diet” mentality and focus on making lasting improvements for sustainable health.

-Focus on improving your food choices and food shopping for overall health or anti-inflammatory living, rather than “dieting” for weight loss. Food choices start with your grocery store cart and how often you go out to eat.

-Ditch traditional eating and try whole and plant-based foods (eating from the rainbow 🌈) in different ways and see what works for you. Like, you could make dinner your smallest meal or change up your cereal to prebiotic overnight oats or a probiotic healthy smoothie.

-Enjoy your food more and listen for fullness cues that subtly signal when you’re getting satisfied and it’s time to stop eating.

-Eat more mindfully by focusing on and enjoying what you’re eating while you’re eating it. Pay attention to your food’s smell, taste, and texture as you’re eating it. Try to eat without drinking anything that can help you focus on the food more.

-Using your nose helps. Healthy foods that smell favorably strong to you in the moment, are healthy for your body as the fresh food molecules have more healthy-rich goodness. And since your body is intelligent and intuitive, it’s looking for the flavors it needs to restore your body balance. So go for the spices that your nose likes!

-If you have a habit of snacking in front of the TV or computer screen, try getting used to replacing the habit with a glass of water or herbal tea instead. Or better yet, do a ‘lil yoga and get another entertainment view!

Enjoy these sourdough pretzels on your feasting days. Sourdough has a lower glycemic index so it’s an anti-inflammatory good food.

It also has probiotics good for gut health, so it helps boost good moods in the gut-brain connection.

And sourdough helps absorb some B vitamins and bone health minerals that regular bread is not.

Sourdough occurs like a simple science project. The air and room temperature create the bubbly rise. You simply leave your flour and water mixture covered out in room temperature for a couple days depending on temperature and amount.

That’s where the pet starter starts. 🐶🐱🍞

You don’t use commerical yeast like instant or active yeast packets like regular breadmaking. And that’s it. You can add your dough that becomes sour into any bread, pizza crust, or pretzel dough.

I like to use after about 2 days, when the dough aroma is balanced and smells more like bananas as 3-4 day old sourdough in the making is repelling to my Vata senses. And you and your body have your preferences.

You can also use any type of flour you like to make sourdough. Whole wheat has more protein and fiber than regular bread. I like to combine with bread flour for a balanced taste.

Try these in a nice sourdough pretzel snack.🥨

Intuitive Eating Vata + RD Recommends

Intuitive eating can be a reframing way to develop a healthy relationship with food and greater food appreciation.

Intuitive eating is mindful eating thta can open up personal tastes to more healthy food variety that helps our bodies.

When your body is running well, intuitive eating can be a sustainable non-diet approach. 🧡 It can be more automatic than programmed into our day. We don’t need to count calories and other nutrition data content.

As daily eating routines, you listen to what your body wants and needs. This is where intuitive eating and Ayurveda meet. Ayurveda is body and mind listening for balancing and learning what your body is telling you by its wants. You can discover more about this with a body balance quiz you can take to get results.

In healthy terms, Ayurveda is more specific in what works for each type of imbalance, whereas intuitive eating is a general description for eating with when and what feels natural and healthy.

That would include a diet balanced with proteins, healthy fats, and good carbs (both veggies and minimally processed grains and starches).

Below, I share some valuable nuggets from a Vata (body) perspective who doesn’t need to lose weight… along with some RD thought weigh-ins.

For most of us as we age, we need more proteins that help build muscle. If you’re a natural Vata especially, you need more filling foods that give you the most energy like proteins with amino acid building blocks.

Intuitive eating refocuses our attention on what our bodies are telling us, rather than hard and fast, food “rules” that are imposed on us from diet culture and other external forces.

Vatas tend to get hungry easily (and can lose weight even faster), and we’re more likely to get close to the 23 servings per day Food Pyramid diet than the other body types, just to feel full.

Food is fuel and as a Vata example, realized I wasn’t getting enough proteins… because I wanted to tone muscles and despite doing the same toning exercises I couldn’t make a dent. That’s normal after age 40.

So the change I made is trying to get 50 grams of protein in per day. I work in the yogurt, seafood, legumes, nuts… and eggs that have a smidgeon of protein. Like an appetizer plate of shrimp doesn’t hurt 🍤

Many of us Vata bodies are lean (or have a small frame) and need to eat more, not less… and more often. For many Kapha metabolisms, that would not work well.

In either body types, it’s easier to get daily full-satisfied with proteins. Where a Vata can easily gravitate toward comfort starchy carbs that’ll help satiate hunger, while a Kapha body could lean into veggie carbs.

Vatas can also get a skinny-fat build if eating too many sweets (that’s a natural Vata body trait) or processed foods, and if they don’t work on moving and exercising like everyone else.

And while this is the profile of a typical Vata, whatever body type you have, you want to figure out what works for you.

Protein and plant-based are a good combination for most people. With most healthy eating habits, healthy intuitive eating is about getting enough good healthy foods in the diet.

While I do like some food rules, the RDs I collaborate with who promote intuitive eating, describe it as a way to make peace with food and prioritize your physical and mental wellbeing.

So, it’s intuitive eating is like another piece of the puzzle for heathy eating.

“It’s a way to get back in tune with your body and refocus your mind away from “food rules” that can be good for certain people.”

Intuitive eating de-prioritizes weight as a primary measure of health, while inviting you to eat the foods you want when you’re hungry—and to stop eating when you feel full.

Eating intuitively means being curious about what and why you want to eat something, and then enjoying it without judgment.

It’s about trusting your body’s wisdom without external influences. When you have a healthy body, it’s a reliable way to see what’s missing in a diet.

These were the original 10 Intuitive Eating principles that Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch (practicing registered dieticians) came up with decades ago:

Reject The Diet Mentality

Ditch diets that give the false hope of losing weight quickly, easily, and permanently. You are not a failure for every time a diet stopped working and you gained the weight back. Until you break free from the hope that there’s a new diet around the corner, you cannot fully embrace intuitive eating.

Honor your hunger

Your body needs adequate energy and nutrition. Keep yourself fed to prevent excessive hunger. By honoring the first signal of hunger you can start rebuilding trust in yourself and food.

Make peace with food

Stop fighting with food and give yourself unconditional permission to eat. Stop fostering intense feelings of deprivation by denying yourself a particular food, as these can lead to cravings and bingeing. You don’t want your “giving in” to lead to overwhelming guilt.

Challenge the food police

Confront the thoughts that you as a person are “good” or “bad” based on what and how much you eat. Diet culture has created unreasonable rules. The food police are the negative, hopeless, or guilty thoughts you can chase away.

Discover the satisfaction factor

Pleasure and satisfaction are some of the basic gifts of existence. By allowing yourself to feel these when you eat, you can enjoy feeling content and fulfilled. When you do this, you will be able to identify the feeling of “enoughness.”

Feel your fullness

Trust that you will give yourself the foods you desire. Pause in the middle of eating and ask how the food tastes. Listen for the signals that you’re not hungry anymore. Respect when you become comfortably full.

Cope with your emotions with kindness

Restricting food can trigger a loss of control and feel like emotional eating. Be kind to yourself. Comfort and nurture yourself. Everyone feels anxiety, loneliness, boredom, and anger. Food won’t fix these feelings—it’s just a short-term distraction. Ultimately, you have to deal with the uncomfortable emotions.

Respect your body

Everyone is genetically unique, whether it’s shoe size or body size. Respecting your body will help you feel better about who you are. Being unrealistic or overly critical of your shape or size makes it hard to reject the diet mentality.

Movement—feel the difference

Feel the difference activity makes. Not militant or calorie-burning exercise, but simply moving your body. Focus on how energized it makes you feel.

Honor your health—gentle nutrition

Choose foods that honor your tastebuds and health. Don’t focus on eating perfectly. One snack, meal, or day of eating won’t suddenly make you unhealthy or deficient in nutrients. Look at how you eat over time. Choose progress, not perfection.

The science behind intuitive eating

Studies show that people who eat intuitively tend to also have lower body mass index (BMI) and higher levels of body appreciation and mental health.

They are also associated with lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and inflammation.

A review of eight studies compared “health, not weight loss” eating styles with conventional weight-loss diets. While they found no significant differences in heart disease risk factors between the two types of diets, they did find that body satisfaction and eating behavior improved more for people in the “health, not weight loss” groups.

Another review of 24 studies of female college students showed that those who eat intuitively experience less disordered eating, have a more positive body image, and greater emotional functioning.

Overall, there is a growing amount of research that shows the benefits of intuitive eating for both physical and mental health.

The non-diet approach of intuitive eating fits within the concept that there can be health at every body size.

It’s good to come up with your own sustainable healthy habits so you’ll stick with them, finding the foods that satisfy you and your body.

Removing the “good” or “bad” labels on food and ditching the guilt or pride about eating a certain way is at the heart center of peaceful eating.

Taking care of our bodies and embracing what we enjoy eating as balance are healthy ways to live.

Flow Yoga Poses In 10-Minute Baking ⏲

Flow yoga is something you can add to your practice 10 minutes while you’re waiting and working on baking.

For the next few weeks, I’m focusing on a new flow yoga mini-series to help you go from one pose to the next easily. Yoga means “union” and is the mind-body-spirit connection that we all can use.

And If yoga is intimidating (or it’s better) to you, you can call it modified stretching or something similar so you can remove the mental blocks (…and yoga blocks if you choose 😉).

Stretching is needed to reset our tight and daily working bodies. So I hope this will help you through the rest of the year whether you’re traveling or staying put where you are.

…And a flow yoga routine is something easy you can practice and do year-round and anywhere, so I’ll give you a flow yoga sequence below for someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen (myself included).

This time I’ll focus on yoga for those who do regular cooking or baking. If you know anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, you could share this with them.

Body Balance Quiz

Even if you don’t think you’re good at yoga, the benefits to your body outweigh the few minutes spent… and some benefits can’t be achieved with other exercises, as you’ll not reach those hidden body muscles and crevices.

We tend to use the same few muscles for everyday use like our biceps and legs, when in fact we have about 600 muscles.

And whether you’re in the kitchen, traveling, or in an office, it’s good to plan to have a yoga mat or towel nearby, so you can stretch every day.

A mat can be a good reminder, as we take for granted that our bodies work for us every day without missing a beat. 🫀

We can all use a stretch once in a while where we let our hair down and take off our shoes and socks.

So grab your mat and here we go!…

If you’re working in the kitchen often, you’re looking down most of the day at the kitchen counter or the baked items you’re preparing. This puts a strain on your neck and all the nearby muscles running down your shoulders and back.

This mini-series of poses, or flow yoga, would be great to help you unwind and restore as you wait for your timed baked goods to bake in your oven.

You gotta love the oven for that reason!…

And last time I mentioned how great your freezer is for storage (another great piece of equipment to be grateful for). And this week it’s all about optimizing your waiting on your oven.

With an oven, you can set and forget your food cooking for a few minutes. So you can get to your other tasks… and a few resetting yoga poses while your food is baking evenly.

What flow yoga will help you do:

🧡 Undo the tension and strain you put on your body from preparing your food and bakes, even if you don’t feel it in the moment.

🧡 You may realize you need more stretching which is exactly what your body wants. Note: you can’t do too much yoga, but you can overwork parts in yoga. And if you ever do, you realize how delicate and resilient your body is.

🧡 And the best part of yoga (I think) is you will feel like a million bucks when you get back to the rest of your day.

Most poses you can do while you’re watching television, but after you already know the correct posture and alignment. That’s why it’s good to get proper instruction from a studio. But if that’s not possible, then use this general rule:

1) If it feels like a good stretch to your body in the moment, then you need more of it. It should never hurt (where you bite your lip in wincing pain).

Yoga is individualistic. Everyone has different bodies and nuance tolerances, so you have to use how YOU specifically feel as a guide and not what others tell you they feel when they’re in the pose even from one Vata to another (or from Pitta to Pitta, or Kapha to Kapha)…if you get my drift?

2) If you’re in a pose carrying any body weight, then do not move the body part that is carrying the weight if it’s a weak area.

For example, in Plow pose laying down where your legs go behind your head, your neck carries the weight of your legs and parts of your torso, so you wouldn’t want to move your neck when you get in the pose (and it’s easiest to stare at one distant spot or a light in the ceiling above).

Yoga is totally a personal journey where you get to know your body after you get the basics down.

Yoga has good body benefits even if you don’t get into your zen (and that’s a good mind benefit).

Determine Your Weak and Strong Areas

For each of us, we’re physically stronger in some areas and weaker in others, and that can be specific to specific poses.

For example, my strength is flexibility and balance. And the more I do yoga, the stronger the muscles become to support my weight (like in a Plank). It can be the same for you or you could be strong and want to work on balance, like in a Tree Pose. Or flexibility and balance in bird yoga poses. It’s all just practice.

And in yoga, endurance of how long you can stay in a pose is mostly determined by your patience and the strength of specific muscles.

If you’re newer to yoga, find out what your strong areas are. And what the weak ones are. We all have them and sometimes we don’t know what they are until we make a small mistake in yoga that shows up as a ‘lil pain a day or two later.

…That teaches us for the next time and also lets us know we’re alive!

Baking Flow Yoga Poses

So to start, practice some Cat-Cows to loosen up.

Then you can rest in a Child’s pose (or Hare pose if you want to really tuck in). There’s no hurry in yoga (except when your buzzer goes off for your bakes! ⏲)

…And so when you’re ready, then lie on your front like you would on a beach towel laying face down or reading a book.

Then reach back and grab your ankles if you can, or just alternate one ankle with the same side arm at a time, if that’s too much of a stretch initially.

You’d be surprised that you can change pretty quick in flexibility after a few minutes or sessions! The longer you hold the pose, the easier and better it is and becomes.

…Remember when you tried the splits and you could stretch even more the longer you stayed in the pose? …And don’t raise the bar too much, like a gymnast who’s built for that!

So then after grabbing your ankles, look up and peel your shoulders and thighs off the floor if you can. Lift off. Look upward. This is really good for your back and neck. And this pose is called Bow pose. Stay there for as long as you can and let go and then try again a few more times.

And from there you can move into Pigeon pose, where your forearms are perpendicular (straight up from the mat), and then hinge one leg forward, and the other leg straight back behind you.

You’ll feel a nice stretch in your thigh, back, and legs that withstand so much weight when you’re standing. In your pigeon, look up slightly. And whenever you have the opportunity.

Pigeon pose is a really good stretch for your neck, back, butt, and legs. One side tends to be tighter than the other. And you’ll feel it as you alternate sides.

You can then get into a neutral Downward Dog as a flow yoga step for transitioning.

Then flip or turn over to your back on the mat (so you’re facing up).

It’s tempting to take a nap. And if you have time, go for it! But don’t forget about your oven if it’s on!

And then lift your bottom up off the mat into Bridge pose. You can feel relief in your back. This is a good one to use a yoga block.

You can insert the elevating block where your back ends and meets your tail bone. And then just comfortably rest on the block without doing anything. How nice!

The block isn’t preventing you from reaping yoga physical benefits as it helps you get stretched further in height. So it helps you and isn’t a crutch in case it feels that way!

You go higher (literally) than you would normally. Yoga is all about making your life easy… gotta love that! 🧡

And finally, when you come back down, get into your Happy Baby pose where you grab your big toes with your forefingers and thumbs (something monkeys can’t do!).

Happy Baby can leave you feeling relaxed without a care in the world for a few minutes and is a great way to end your yoga session. And you may just want to come back for more!

…And your bake should be about ready now or ready for you to check on. 😉

For more inspiration, take a look at these 100 yoga poses.

If you want to get more awareness about what your body is telling you, or would like to learn more about the Ayurvedic perspectives in the mind-body connection, you can take the body balance quiz.

Anti Inflammatory Grocery Foods – 200+ Printable List

Anti inflammatory grocery foods are especially good for prevention of chronic inflammation that protect against chronic diseases.

Whether you want to add glutathione foods for gut health or prevent eczema, we know a healthy diet with protein and plant-based foods is one that’s rewarding for our anti-inflammatory health.

These rainbow anti inflammatory grocery foods are alphabetized by food category for easy reference. 🌈

Below are more available printable food lists. Plus, some anti-inflammatory recipe and dish ideas.

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.

These are some prebiotic food ideas along with fall apple bundt cake recipe. Also enjoy anti-inflammatory vegetable soup, healthy Game Day potato skins, an easy veggie breakfast frittata, and homemade zucchini fettuccine.

Additives – Flavor for Anti Inflammatory Grocery 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/Seeds

Nuts have healthy fats, protein, fiber, minerals that make them anti inflammatory foods and make great snacks.

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

Seafood/Protein

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.

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)

You can try salmon salad (no mayonnaise), seafood paella,

Fruits

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.

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

Here are a few cool fruit recipes:

Watermelon mint salad

Rainbow Meringue Pie or Pavlova

For a sweet tooth, you can also try low-sugar desserts like a gluten-free Pumpkin Pie and other desserts that use natural honey, maple syrup, and fruits as light sweeteners. And an oven grapefruit brûlée bowl is delightful!

Grains

Whole grains are anti inflammatory grocery 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.

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 (with vegetables) like zucchini 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 kinds, 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 grocery 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.

You can enjoy this baked garbanzo bean pie.

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.

This is a list of rainbow spices 🌈 to choose from to brighten up your meals.

Also, these are some of my favorite spice ideas and for the holidays.

Dairy

230.Dairy that has probiotic, benefits the gut such as some cottage cheeses

231. Reduced fat yogurt (2%)

232.Greek yogurt

cottage cheese cheesecake easy baked. — …Or turn cottage cheese into cheesecake.

Other Anti Inflammatory Foods

233.Dark chocolate (cocoa)

These are some easy decadent chocolate recipes to try:

No-bake cocoa peanut butter chews

Soft serve chocolate ice cream

Gooey center chocolate cake (like the fallen chocolate soufflé at corporate parties and weddings I planned, that are lower-glycemic index… that’s much simpler to make than it sounds!)

Or make a year-round delicious moist coconut oil chocolate banana bread recipe. You can also check out some more anti-inflammatory food ideas in this article link.

And, try some fun anti-inflammatory beverage ideas:

Dirty soda with blueberry tea

Virgin blue curaçao

Hibiscus berry tea

And, other cool healthy beverages.

Blue matcha tea layered drink

…and watch changes like the blue ocean. 🌊

🧉 You can year-round make anti-inflammatory recipes and easy and healthy Magic Bullet recipes.

🍓 And, you can get the FREE Anti-Inflammatory Food Guide with easy food lists you can print out for your anti-inflammatory food grocery shopping and meal planning. You can also download the guide from my eczema journey blog post.

💭 And based on food and nutrition research, you can then answer the questions: what categories of food are anti-inflammatory and what makes a food anti-inflammatory? If you’re not familiar, you may be surprised with at least a few food facts you didn’t already know. And then you can find and choose the variety of anti-inflammatory foods you like or would like to add more of to your meals and diet for a tasty and healthy preventative lifestyle.

Discover anti-inflammatory good recipes and tips.

🛒 Plus, growing NEW printable food lists and grocery ideas, like these:

Dyshidrotic eczema food grocery (food list to manage these anti-inflammatory symptom flareups)

High fiber food list (some surprising!)

Healthy proteins list good for the New Food Pyramid (be sure to scroll all the way down the page for the big list and explanations.)

Healthy fat foods list (over myth controversies)

Keep coming back weekly to learn more on the variety of balanced foods we get to choose from, what you can make with them, and breathe in anti-inflammatory lifestyle at my healthy and happy blog. 🎉

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