Sunday, 15 January 2012

Back to the drawing board.

Oh dear. Things have been going really well in our family health wise lately, until today. As regular readers will know, Mark has suffered twice in the past from a rare virus called Guillaine-Barre syndrome. It is an autoimmune virus that affects your peripheral nerves, in worst cases temporarily paralysing you. Both times he has had it he had been one of those worst cases and been hospialised fo a fair while! His illness was what led us down this track of healthy lifestyles, after discovering an anti-inflammatory diet could help. We discovered very quickly that gluten really did affect his walking ability. We thought we had things pretty much under control, until he woke up this morning having difficulty moving around. We have racked our brains to think what he may have eaten to have caused a set back, but can’t think of anything.

So back to the drawing board.

We are really hoping we are not in for another big hospital stay, but will have a better idea within the next day or so.
In the meantime, it is back to a really big focus on super clean, gluten free, anti-inflammatory foods.

So tonight for dinner was one of the most simple, quick and delicious meals out.

Chickpea, Lentil and Brown rice salad

Quite simply all I used was:

2 cups brown rice (cooked)
1/2 can red lentils
1/2 can chickpeas
1/2 can chopped beetroot
Chopped raw spinach
3 tablespoons of Indian Tikka paste.

Now quite clearly it is not the flashest of meals to be posting, and I guess there are those that may argue that the canned stuff is not ideal, but when you are in a hurry, you cant beat this!

Plus – you get all of these health benefits!

Red lentils
Not only do lentils help lower cholesterol, they are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. Lentils also provide good amounts of six important minerals, two B-vitamins, and protein, all with virtually no fat.

Chickpeas
The high protein content in chickpeas is perfect for those wishing to replace red meat in their diet. Chickpeas are also high in fiber and help to lower cholesterol.

Beetroot
The beta cyanin in beetroot can help detox your liver, having a knock-on effect for your bloodstream, by helping the body to eliminate toxins and potentially preventing the build-up of fatty deposits.
Beetroot is also full of both vitamin C and iron.

Spinach
This little beauty is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, folate, manganese, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6. It’s a very good source of protein, phosphorus, vitamin E, zinc, dietary fiber and copper. Plus, it’s a good source of selenium, niacin, and omega three fatty acids.

All of this goodness in one power packed wee dinner. And best of all – I have leftovers for lunch. To spice it up I am adding sundried tomatoes and some olives, because I can.

So here’s hoping a blitz on clean eating helps the health.

If anyone has any suggestions on good anti-inflammatory foods, or knows others who are trying to manage an autoimmune disease through diet, do let me know.

cheers

Ali

  • Sarah @ The Healthy Diva

    Hey Ali! so sorry to hear about your hubs health issues. I hope he is feeling better. I know you are vegan, but fish oil is one of the best anti-inflammatory products I can think of. If you are in the US you should give poliquin products a try (http://us.cpoliquin.com/). I know they are expensive, but they are very high quality and I have never experienced reflux on them. I use the liquid fish oil, taking it up to 3 times a day and it's helped my digestion and general wellbeing. Plus it tastes pretty good too! Otherwise you could maybe supplement with flaxseed oil, although the type of omega-3 present is slightly different.

    Also check out this website for great ideas for recipes http://www.superchargedfood.com All the recipes are gluten, wheat and sugar free. I met the lady who wrote the book and she suffered from major health issues being in and out of hospital all the time, and corrected her system through diet. I've tried out a few of her recipes and they are super yummy and good for you! Hope that's of some help :)

  • Anna @ The Guiltless Life

    I'm so sorry to hear your husband is suffering in his health. I'm really glad that you've found diet helps him as obviously that's so much less invasive than medicine. I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for him – and you! xx

  • Ali

    Hi Sarah and Anna
    For some reason Blogger wont let me respond to your comments individually!Thanks for your kind wishes!
    Sarah thanks so much for the fish oil advice. Mark is not vegan, so it will be fine for him. I will go and get him some today – good thinking :)

    Anna thanks so much, the diet track is by far the best option for us if we can maintain things this way – option 2 when he gets really bad is IV plasma infusions over 3 or so days – yuck!