In July of 2022 my sisters and I embarked on a journey to reduce inflammation. We did a bunch of research and came up with our own Anti-Inflammatory Diet Plan. We commit to doing it for two weeks and then I recorded everything here in an informative 4 part series.

My results were so amazing that I have tried to continue doing it – albeit sporadically through the holidays.

Its Hard to Eat Healthy Through The Holidays!

OK, raise your hand if you gave up on eating healthy over the holidays. See, you’re not alone! Lots of people just chalk it off to a lost cause and let loose for over a month. This can lead to uncomfortable weight gain, red cheeks, achy joints, feeling tired and so much more.

I learned one very important thing over these past couple months of holiday eating. I still feel pretty good if I’m very good about my diet at least a few days in a row every week.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I tried to continue eating gluten and sugar free as much as possible during the week or when I wasn’t at a holiday function. I usually got at least three days in a row during the week and sometimes I’d get 4 or 5 days a week of no gluten and no processed white sugar. For me, this meant I could eat my sister’s cookies on Christmas and not feel terrible after.

Even letting loose on the long weekends over Christmas and New Years I never regressed to the pain I was in before I started the Anti-Inflammatory Diet back in July.

Out With the Old & In With the New Years Resolutions & Detoxes

Now, raise your hand if you made a resolution to loose weight, eat better or adopt healthier habits. Do this diet for just two weeks and you may find you’ve accomplished all three!

I like to do a good detox in the beginning of the year to help flush out all the over indulgence from the holidays. Right now, I’m in the middle of another two weeks on our Anti-Inflammatory Diet – hard core. And, I gotta tell ya, I thought I was feeling pretty good before, but after less than one week on it, I noticed a difference. I feel so good, so strong. You have to try this!

How to Begin An Anti-Inflammatory Diet

I started by rereading all four parts of our Anti-Inflammatory Diet blog series. Part one discusses the benefits and what prompted us to do it. Part 2 talks about the results all four participants experienced. Part 3 gets into the meat of the Diet and tells you what foods you have to avoid. Part 4 finishes up by explaining what you can eat and gives a lot of recipes along with easy, prepared food selections.

It takes less than 1/2 hour to get through them all. Although you may find yourself repeatedly referring to the last two as you plan your meals.

Meal planning and food prep are key contributing factors in any successful diet plan. Make sure you have your approved foods on hand and have some snacks in your car. It isn’t always easy to find the right food when you’re out and about and on the run. So, plan your snacks and meals and you will find it much easier to stay on the diet.

And speaking of meals, I wanted to share a couple more recipes that are anti-inflammatory, gluten free and sugar free. Bon appetite!

More Anti-Inflammatory Diet Friendly Recipes That are Gluten Free & Sugar Free

Winter Morning Smoothie

You may have noticed by now that I love my morning smoothies. They are nutrient dense and a nice gentle way to wake up my system. My breakfast fuels my body for anything the day throws at me.

Ingredients:

1/2 small Apple
2 scoops Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen
1 scoop Perfect Acai
1/4 tsp Perfect Acerola Powder
1/2 scoop Catie’s Whole Plant Food Gluten Free Greens
1/4 cup Cabot Whole Milk Greek Yogurt (from mostly grass-fed small family-owned US farms)
1/4 cup mango juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup frozen organic raspberries
1/3 cup organic frozen strawberries

Directions:

1. Add all but the frozen fruit to a blender and mix for a few moments.
2. Add the frozen fruit and mix on high until completely smooth.
3. Ahhhhh!!!

Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

My whole family loves this recipe. It really reminds me of the one we get at our favorite Indian restaurant. And, this recipe is Paleo, Keto, Whole 30 and THM friendly, as well! And it is easy to make dairy-free. FYI, last time I made it I left myself a note to make extra for leftovers. 😉

1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground pepper
6 garlic cloves
2″ piece of ginger
1 24 oz can of organic tomatoes
2 1/2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons almond or cashew butter
1 scoop Perfect Bone Broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Food Prep. This is important. I’ve learned the hard way to have all ingredients prepped and ready before starting to saute in my instant pot. Peel and dice the ginger, oinion, and garlic, and cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Gather the rest of the ingredients so they’re handy.
2. Use your instant pot to saute the diced onion in the butter and coconut oil until soft.
3. Add the spices and stir a bit, for about a minute or so til it is good and fragrant. Turn off the Saute function.
4. Add the tomatoes, water, Perfect Bone Broth, ginger, and garlic.
5. Add the chicken covering it in the mixture.
6. Lock it, seal it and set the cook time for 10 minutes.
7. Release the pressure as soon as it is done.
8. Remove as much of the chicken as possible with a slotted spoon.
9. Add the nut butter and coconut milk and stir a few.
10. An immersion blender works best to blend this, but you can use a blender but it has to be done in a few small batches to avoid having it blow the top off from the heat pressure – only about 1/2 full for mine. I learned this the hard way, too.
11. Add the chicken back into the sauce and view our serving and accompaniment suggestions. 😉

Serving Suggestions:

I always make a pot of Jasmine Rice to go with this. But, I often eat it over cauliflower rice or riced edamame.

And, I love having Naan or some other kind of flat bread to eat this with. In Part 4 I share a great Anti-Inflammatory Diet friendly naan recipe.

Another Anti-Inflammatory Diet friendly naan bread alternative is Siete Almond Flour Tortillas. I love eating those toasted in a pan with a little butter. They get crisp, and taste so good.

Ready to Try an Anti-Inflammatory diet for just 2 weeks?

Even if you aren’t ready to dive into a challenging elimination diet for two weeks, the recipes and healthy food selections may be of interest to you simply because they taste good. 😉