The Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Action Plans: 4-Week Meal Plans to Heal the Immune System and Restore Overall Health (2 page)
Authors: Dorothy Calimeris,Sondi Bruner
INFLAMMATION-SOOTHING SMOOTHIE
WARM CHIA-BERRY NONDAIRY YOGURT
HERB SCRAMBLE WITH SAUTÉED CHERRY TOMATOES
CUCUMBER AND SMOKED-SALMON LETTUCE WRAPS
MASHED AVOCADO WITH JICAMA SLICES
SMOKED TURKEY–WRAPPED ZUCCHINI STICKS
LENTIL AND CARROT SOUP WITH GINGER
COCONUT CURRY–BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
SLICED APPLE, BEET, AND CELERY SALAD
VEGETABLE SLAW WITH FETA CHEESE
QUINOA AND ROASTED ASPARAGUS SALAD
LENTIL, VEGETABLE, AND FRUIT BOWL
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH ALMOND SAUCE
GREEN BEANS WITH CRISPY SHALLOTS
ROASTED SWEET POTATOES AND PINEAPPLE
BRAISED BOK CHOY WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
GINGER SWEET POTATOES AND PEA HASH
BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SPINACH GRATIN WITH LENTILS
ZUCCHINI STUFFED WITH WHITE BEANS AND OLIVES
TROUT WITH SWEET-AND-SOUR CHARD
SEA BASS BAKED WITH TOMATOES, OLIVES, AND CAPERS
SOLE WITH VEGETABLES IN FOIL PACKETS
SWORDFISH WITH PINEAPPLE AND CILANTRO
OVEN-ROASTED COD WITH MUSHROOMS
COD WITH LENTILS AND VEGETABLES
SALMON BAKED WITH LEEKS AND FENNEL
CHICKEN BREAST WITH CHERRY SAUCE
CHICKEN WITH FENNEL AND ZUCCHINI
SESAME, BROCCOLI, CARROT, AND CHICKEN STIR-FRY
CHICKEN WITH BROWN RICE AND SNOW PEAS
CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH MINT SAUCE
SOUTHWEST CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN RICE BOWL
CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SWEET POTATOES
CHICKEN FINGERS WITH HONEY-MUSTARD-SESAME SAUCE
ROASTED PEACHES WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE AND COCONUT CREAM
GRILLED PINEAPPLE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE
CHOCOLATE-AVOCADO MOUSSE WITH SEA SALT
GLUTEN-FREE OAT AND FRUIT BARS
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Sauces, Condiments, & Dressings
CHERRY-PEACH CHUTNEY WITH MINT
Appendix B: The Dirty Dozen & the Clean Fifteen
DOROTHY’S STORY
F
ood has always been my passion. I grew up in a home eating whole foods we often grew in our backyard. While never an athlete, I always liked to walk and my career as a chef keeps me on my feet and moving all day long. About 10 years ago I noticed that, after times of increased stress, it took longer and longer for me to bounce back. What used to take three weeks of focused eating and exercise now took three months! No matter what I did, I felt like I was riding a bike uphill.
I contacted my doctor who, in turn, diagnosed me with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I read all I could about it, but what I learned didn’t mesh with what I was experiencing. I went to an acupuncturist. We had a long talk about my liver and gallbladder and she gave me a lot of herbs to try; they helped, but didn’t manage all the symptoms. Finally, I went to a naturopathic physician, who performed comprehensive tests on my digestive tract and also blood tests to check thyroid function. The results were enlightening.
My issues were due to inflammation and food sensitivities. After completing an elimination diet, my sensitivities became very clear. My digestion issues improved, my sleep improved, and my energy returned. Armed with this information I can now make better, purposeful choices about what I eat and how to balance foods.
My lifelong passion for food allowed me to craft recipes, meals, and action plans to create healthy and delicious food minimizing and eliminating the consequences of inflammation. I share this with you here.
The Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Action Plans
provides clear direction to embrace anti-inflammatory eating. The meal plans are varied; you choose based on your unique needs and preferences. Most recipes are straightforward and can be adapted easily based on the action plan you follow.
I
t’s one thing to possess knowledge, but an entirely different beast to transform that knowledge into action. When I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at 18, I gathered all the data like the good little nerd I was: the symptoms, studies, complications, medications, treatments, and diagnostic tests.
The one thing I didn’t do was learn how to eat. My doctors told me that diet didn’t matter; it wouldn’t help my symptoms or change the course of my disease. Since I was a teenager and felt invincible anyway, I believed that.
I was a picky eater as a child and favored foods like bread, rice, cheese, muffins, cookies, candy, and chocolate. Since my diagnosis didn’t change what I ate, I continued to consume fluffy bagels and ice cream with abandon. As the years went by, my medications grew stronger yet I got sicker, bouncing in and out of the emergency room. At 23, I underwent surgery to remove a foot of small bowel—and I still didn’t consider changing my diet or lifestyle. Why would I, when no one thought there was a correlation between my diet and my disease?