Achieving Balance

Never fully realized what a sensitive piece of machinery the human body actually is. Day in, day out the body tries to right itself in the face of environmental and dietary onslaught. It's most deployed defense is inflammation. A rush of fluid and white blood cells to affected areas in an effort to stave off attack.

The result is often pain, heat, redness and swelling and can affect everything from joints to internal organs, from skin to bone.

Since eating a whole-food plant-based diet I have been able to reduce pain from arthritis (inflammation of the joints) in my hands, hips and knees to the point where I can now walk all day long and play the piano to my heart's content. Pain from NASH has all but disappeared.

However, in a weak moment and a desire to see exactly what has lead to this change I cheated a little. For two days in a row I ate a small serving of McDonald's french fries (high fat), put a little sugar back in my tea, ate no ginger and had two drinks containing sucralose and acesulfame-K (Ace-K). I still avoided meat and animal products.

Within hours the arthritic pain returned in my hands and the familiar nagging stitch in my right side from liver inflammation. Nothing as bad a before, mind you, but still uncomfortable. I also developed a skin rash and spots of eczema. Because so many elements were re-introduced to my diet fat, sugar and artificial sweeteners) I can't tell exactly what triggered the return of the symptoms.

Hardly scientific but enough evidence for me to commit to a life of real food grown in the ground and not a lab or raised in a barn.

Here's a real great alternative to chicken or tuna salad sandwich filling. It's not vegan unless you substitute the mayo with a vegan variety but full of anti-inflammatory goodness. I'm eating some right now!

 Vegetarian Chickpea Sandwich Filling