Anti Inflammatory

... stir fry.  That is to say, a stir fry packed out with ingredients which are supposed to have properties that counteract any inflammation in the body.  As a part of my war on ill health - made slightly tricky as it's still a mystery what is actually wrong with me - I am keeping a close eye on my diet and making sure that I am eating as much as possible of things that are supposed to be helpful in conditions that might be the one that is affecting me.  So, anything that's good for painful joints, muscle spasms, general inflammation and non-existent energy levels, goes on the menu.

To start with, olive oil.  Yes, it's the most expensive oil.  No, I would probably not be buying it if my budget was £10 a week.  But it isn't, and whilst the cheapest olive oil I can buy locally comes to £3.60 per litre ( as opposed to £1 a litre for cheapest sunflower),  olive oil is the one single oil that both conventional and alternative healthy eating lines agree is really, really good for you, especially if your joints creak.... So olive oil it is.

Then there is a rainbow of vegetables - yellow peppers, orange carrots, white onions, yellow sweetcorn, green savoy cabbage.... I had nothing purple to go into the stir-fry, but there are purple grapes to snack on afterwards, so that's a tick.

And then there is garlic. Lots of it.  Ginger - ground is fine when there is no fresh, and as I used up the last of the fresh tonight, ground it will have to be until the next shopping day at least - and chillies.  Homegrown, home stored in form of sweet chilli sauce.

Meat - bargainous pork steaks from a Lidl half-price weekend - separated into packs of two and frozen way back when. 6 packs still left in the freezer - the benefits of pork ?  Like turkey, rich in zinc, which boosts immunity, eases muscle spasms, and if you're a bloke (which I most decidedly ain't), aids fertility.  Just sayin'.

And all of the above served with soba (buckwheat) noodles - another Approved Foods bargain (5 packs for a £1,  two thirds of a pack per meal) - delicious, and as an added bonus, gluten free.  This is not a consideration for me, but nice to know for anyone who does have to watch it.

Other recommended foods for anyone with similar problems:  oily fish; groundnut oil, all nuts but especially almonds, avocadoes, sunflower seeds (variously rich in Omega 3 essential oils and Vitamin E).

Then there are the herbs and spices - as well as garlic, ginger and chillies, basil, turmeric and cumin also hit the spot.  And of course, dairy for calcium, probably best consumed in the form of probiotics (live yogurt, buttermilk, kefir), but also calcium-rich bone broth (stock). And for magnesium - nuts, seeds, wholegrains, leafy green veg.  Round it off with at least 15 minutes of sunshine every day, or take cod liver oil (Vitamin D). 

Funny thing though.... We've always been eating more or less like this.  Dread to think how awful I'd be feeling if that hadn't been the case....