Week 5

Since I began the anti-inflammatory vegan diet I feel so great. Before I started I was in so much pain I was taking prescription headache medicine just to get through the day and narcotic pain meds to be able to sleep. I took so much Advil I developed an ulcer. I could barely walk two blocks without pain. Now I can proudly say that despite all the things I love to consume being now off limits I feel better than ever! I have only taken prescription headache meds once since starting this diet and even then at half my usual dose. For the past two weeks I've been on the East Coast waking up early and walking at least 2 miles a day. One day I spent in New York I woke up at 6am walked a mile to catch the bus and walked up and down the East Village, Greenwich and the lower east side for hours. Now it could be being off the gloomy Pacific NW coast but my spirits have been high and alive more possibly than they have in years and I've lost some weight that has needed to come off for quite a few years now. I'll admit I still get sad about not being able the have a beer on occasion and I have yet to find a dietary acceptable version of pizza (which I never realized I'd miss) but the benefits have been so positive that on most days it's not hard to keep to it anymore (on most days).

While in Boston I learned to eat more and more. I'm still not a big cook and found myself at Boloco more than once ordering some version of brown rice, black beans and veggies. They are very nice about food allergies and willing to work with you; they even gave me suggestions for extra veggies and piled on a mountain of cilantro for no extra charge.

I'll admit I eat a lot of hummus, and Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips. But I've been expanding cooking up cooking greens (found next to the bag salads) and root veggies with a can of lentil soup. Apples and butternut squash are great with this mix as well.

The culinary highlight of my trip however was dining at 10 Tables Restaurant in Jamaica Plain. This place is tiny and reservations are recommended but very worth the wait. My friend works in the kitchen there and while hanging out I casually challenged him to a "chopped" style challenge to create an amazing gourmet meal using the restrictions of a vegan anti-inflammatory diet. Most culinary chefs can't work with vegetarian or vegan restrictions very well without my additional restrictions but 10 tables was up for the challenge. It was a splurge but so very delicious and worth it. These guys will literally work with your diet to create a personalized culinary masterpiece just for you. Big props to youz guys: Joe, Hope and Peter you rock.

Also eating in the airport is a challenge on a vegan anti-inflammatory diet. I made stir fry and salad and brought it in my 3 tier lunch box with some chips, coconut yogurt and hummus. The hummus and yogurt were flagged by security but when I explained the situation as medically prescribed they let my hummus and yogurt slide. Not that everyone will be that nice and I was fully prepared to trash my not at all cheap food.

Also a note on caffeine and alcohol. I'm very good on caffeine. I only have trace amounts in white and green tea. I also don't drink beer but what's a girl to do when it's her birthday celebrating out of town while reuniting with friends? I did drink a glass of wine here and there and hard cider. Also once a vodka and seltzer. The important thing I think when deciding to drink is to keep the other rules: no gluten, no extra sugar.

And importantly, I've slipped up. If you break your diet once it's not defeat (although it can result in feeling crappy). The moment you break the diet there are endless points to get back on the wagon so to speak and also different degrees of diet breaking. For example I was a guest in someone's home and was offered pasta and garlic bread which I respectfully declined. But then feeling very rude I accepted an offer of a glass of Pepsi. Having broken my diet with one glass of soda however did not mean I then changed my mind and had the pasta as well nor that I drank the whole 2 liter. It was not defeat, just a slip up and one that gave me powerful information about the effect of high fructose corn syrup on my body in the form of excruciating hip pain that night. Instead of feeling defeated see it as a test against a food, pay attention to how your body reacts and move forward with healthy anti-inflammatory foods from there.

A few pics from 10 tables I wish I knew how to describe in all their fancy terminology what this all is.