Anti-Inflammatory Food/Herbs: Your Comprehensive List

In my conversations with you we often discuss how to address inflammation naturally with food, rather than anti-inflammatory drugs. Keep this list in your pocket when you're grocery shopping. Rather than depend on prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, I suggest you explore this list of food and herbs, which all have a proven record.

• Teas: green, white and black - you may find plenty from great brands, like  Organic India, Extended Health, Gaia Herbs, Wise Woman Herbals ... on my Virtual Dispensary. Log in, click Product Catalog, then click Shop By tab on the left of the screen and scroll down to the Teas category.
• Tisanes, means herbal infusions: Gynostemma from Spring Dragon
• Spices: ginger, turmeric. please do not peel the skin, slice thinly, add to boiling water, let it cool naturally, add lemon or lime and sweeten with Lakanto Monk fruit drops
• Garlic
• Apple cider vinegar - Buy on my Virtual Dispensary
• Cinnamon - best brand Ceylon organic from Savory Spice Shop - buy here
• Saffron - good one on Amazon
• Food rich in Omega-3 oils: cold water fatty fish: salmon, sardines, mackerel - available on Vital Choice with my 10% off discount - Use code Irina10
• Seeds and nuts: chia, hemp and flax seeds, walnuts, peele nuts - nuts.com
• All green leafy veggies and colorful veggies - PLEEEEASE buy organic, otherwise you consuming toxic pesticides, that cannot be removed by thorough washing unfortunately. Give a good try to daikon radishes and bok choy.
• Seasonal fresh berries - always organic, or home grown without toxic sprays. Hello blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and my favorite gooseberries (sorry you will not find them in the grocery store). Nick and I are growing them in our backyard. Ask me about them, when you come for your next session. Gooseberries are growing nicely here. You may decide to add a bush or two to your garden.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil - please do not heat much, use coconut or ghee for cooking instead. (Paesano is what we use in our house.)
• Mushrooms: shiitake, reishi, maitake can be found in the store. Fairway and Whole Foods carries them.
• The infused water I give you after each session.
  • You can buy infuser here:
    • For a litter of water I use half inch fresh Ginger root with the skin - thinly sliced, three to four circles of organic lemon or lime. Cover them with boiled water and let the water cool naturally. That is it. Easy, easy. 

Now, with abundant peppermint and spearmint herbs in our backyard, I will offer you mint infused water as well. I use leaves with abandon. Good for your digestion and it is spirit lifting.

When you learn, teach

Many of you know we were away for two weeks in Tucson Arizona at The Creative Health Solutions Clinic run by anti-aging health coach and Jing Master, Truth Calkins. Renowned health and wellness expert on the West Coast due to his successful practice while working at Erewhon Natural Foods Market, where he ran the Tonic Bar.

Truth's approach to health is rooted in four principles:

• Healthy Diet
• Supplements + Herbs
• Exercises
• Electromagnetic Medicine

After this amazing first-hand experience, I am now a believer in his approach, which is comprehensive, common sense but more cutting edge, than anything I was aware of. Truth (it is his real name) will be revealing his teachings online by the end of this year. You'll be the first to know and I have his permission to share with you what I learned and experienced so far. I'm in the process of writing a series of blog posts around the critical components of the four  principles.

Meanwhile here are my personal stats after two weeks on Truth's protocol:

• lost 10.5 lb
• completely off coffee - goodbye my "BulletProof" Buttered One
• completely off salt and sugar - means no dark chocolate or fresh fruit/berries for me for now, no himalayan salt ether
• rosacea from my cheeks and chin - disappeared for good
•  deep sleep without regular Melatonin or occasional Glycine - new norm
• off my daily thyroid meds - was long desire of mine - so far, so good. I do not recommend you to do the same here. I am not your doctor,  just sharing my story.

While away, I read quite a few new books per Truth's recommendations. Check them out on my website here in the first two rows: My Favorite Books.

Stay tuned!

Golden Milk

I first got the taste of Golden Milk - a healthy drink with many healing properties, especially for endocrine issues at The Raw Food Institute, the place I go four times a year to cleanse with gourmet raw food and green juices and to share the gifts of Reflexology.

The combination of turmeric, honey,  coconut oil, coconut milk and spices is warming, rejuvenating and delicious. I certainly recommend you to make it and taste for yourself.

Curcumin, which has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, is the most active constituent of turmeric. It has been shown to improve circulation and estrogen metabolism. In Ayurveda, turmeric is considered an important tool in combating everything from amenorrhea and endometriosis to fibroids and cysts

If you take turmeric as a supplement in a pill form, it will not be well absorbed unless taken with black pepper or piperine, a constituent of black pepper responsible for its pungency.

How to make Golden Milk:  

Step 1: Turmeric Paste: 

Mix three ingredients in a small sauce pan. Turn the heat to medium high and stir constantly until the mixture is a thick paste. This does not take long.  Let this mixture cool and keep it in a small jar in the fridge.

1/4 cup of turmeric powder ~1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper ~1/2 cup of filtered water

Step 2: Golden Milk

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of coconut or almond milk (see my blog on home made almond milk) 
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of your turmeric paste from fridge
• Honey
• Cinnamon
• Cayenne pepper

Combine first three ingredients in a pot, heat to medium, whisk until fully mixed, do not allow the mixture to boil, add honey, cinnamon, cayenne to taste.

Drink Golden Milk before bed. Sweet healthy dreams!