FOOD

THE SOUP SOLUTION

| Jen
Photograph of a Bowl of Soup by Mich Wich from Pixabay

I love a warm, comforting bowl of soup. Unfortunately, most canned and boxed soups contain ingredients that don’t exactly agree with me (ie. food sensitivities). The same with soups from most restaurants. Of course, the cost of buying healthier soups that contain less problematic ingredients can be prohibitive. And let’s not forget the cost of eating out and take out. The obvious solution, of course, is to simply make my own soup. Being a woman who knows how to cook, making my own soup should be easy, but as a woman with disabilities, my ability to physically cook is limited. Therefore, to create my own soup at home, I had to problem solve.

After much trial and error, I finally found success working at a smaller scale and relying on helpful cooking shortcuts, like my restorative broth mixes. I discovered that 4-cup, handled bowls work best for me. They are easier to manage, physically, than a large soup pot and can be easily put in the microwave. To eliminate the need for the cleaning and cutting of fresh ingredients, I experimented with dried, powdered, frozen, and even canned/jarred ingredients. By the end, I managed to develop several tasty recipes for single serving soups.

I also love Thai Curries and managed to create single serving versions of them as well. Even though Thai curries are technically not soups, I tend to treat them like soups and therefore have grouped those recipes in with my single serving soups.

SINGLE SERVING SOUPS

These soups also contain anti-inflammatory foods. Those anti-inflammatory foods being Carrots, Tomatoes, Artichoke Hearts, Pumpkin, Peanuts, and the ingredients in the Broth Mixes.

As a woman with Multiple Sclerosis (MS),I use these soups to help manage my MS. When I discovered that inflammation causes MS relapses, with relapses being the worsening of current or creation of new MS symptoms, I incorporated these soups into my beneficial diet to help manage inflammation. And managing inflammation helps manage my MS.

I share these recipes, in the hopes of helping others. Enjoy.

-Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy

Not in Kansas Anymore (www.notinksanymore.com) is a site/blog authored and managed by Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy (pwrchr-dorothy). This site/blog is intended to provide educational and research information, and to share the author’s journey.

The author of this site/blog is not a medical physician and this site/blog does not provide medical advice. This site/blog contains information that should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation or the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. If you choose to apply or implement any information posted at this site/blog, you do so at your own risk.

BENEFICIAL DIET

| Jen

As a woman with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), I’ve tried many things to manage my MS. Making changes to my diet, however, has produced the most profound and positive results.

Photograph of Anti-Inflammatory Foods by Devon Breen from Pixabay

And Yes, I said DIET. Many of us have a negative reaction to the word DIET. We envision something bland and boring that causes nothing but stress. Well, my diet contains seriously tasty food. There’s no stress when it comes to my diet. I love it.

And when I refer to “food”, I use the same definition as the FDA meaning that “food” includes food, the ingredients used to make food, beverages, and dietary supplements.

I first realized that diet could have an impact on my MS, when my symptoms calmed down after eating some Buffalo Wings. I did some research and discovered that the Chile Peppers in the wing sauce are extremely anti-inflammatory. Since discovering that inflammation causes MS relapses, with relapses being the worsening of current or creation of new MS symptoms, it made sense that these foods, that counter inflammation, would help stop MS relapses.

Of course, finding a diet that counters inflammation, and actually works for me, was not something that just came together overnight. It took years of trial and error, as I tried different foods and weighed costs versus benefits….etc. In the end, the diet that works best for me relies on the following:

  • ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS
  • EXTRA SPECIAL FOODS
  • DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
  • HYDRATION

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS

Anti-inflammatory foods are foods that have anti-inflammatory properties. These properties come from various natural compounds in the food, such as vitamins, carotenoids, polyphenols, amino acids, and probiotics. The most anti-inflammatory foods are leafy greens, brightly-colored vegetables, seafood, olive oil, nuts, and spices. There are inflammatory foods too. They are mostly meats, fats, starches and sugars.

INFLAMMATION FREE DIET PLAN

While researching anti-inflammatory foods, I found a book by Monica Reinagel, titled “The Inflammation Free Diet Plan”. This book has an Inflammation Rating System that assigns a number value to food items, indicating how inflammatory or anti-inflammatory they are. It taught me how to identify the most anti-inflammatory foods available, and how to manage inflammation by consuming more anti-inflammatory foods than inflammatory ones.

I also learned that I don’t have to restrict myself to a bland, boring diet in order to manage inflammation. You see, I discovered that I can enjoy a medium-sized ribeye (inflammatory), as long as I also have a side of spinach (anti-inflammatory), and a salad with ginger dressing (anti-inflammatory). No bland, boring diet here. The book is a little out-of-date, but I still consider it a helpful resource. There are some really great recipes in it too.

EXTRA SPECIAL FOODS

While researching anti-inflammatory foods, I also discovered foods that are not only anti-inflammatory, but have other useful medicinal properties. Incorporating these extra special foods into my beneficial diet has helped me successfully manage some of my medical issues, such as injury, infection, poor gut health, bladder damage, nerve damage, and tissue loss. Managing my medical issues, helps manage the inflammation my medical issues could trigger. Some of these foods also help me manage MS flares.

DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

Dietary supplements have also been very helpful for me because they provide the bioactive compounds I need in a convenient concentrated form. They’ve helped me maintain my health and, once again, manage some of my medical issues.

HYDRATION

Hydration is the ingestion of water, in the amounts needed, to replenish the water in the body. Water in the body affects almost everything, from skin health and body weight to neurological and gastrointestinal functioning. Proper hydration can also help prevent the development of chronic disease. I ingest roughly a gallon of water per day to maintain my health.

Currently, the bulk of my diet contains the following whole foods and dietary supplements:

WHOLE FOODS

WHOLE FOODS

SUPPLEMENTS

Of course, these foods aren’t the only foods I eat. They’re just the ones I have benefitted from the most and therefore consume the most. Many of these foods are prime ingredients in my recipes.

WHAT I CAN’T EAT

Yep, there are some things I can’t eat, specifically inflammatory foods. These foods not only trigger inflammation, which can cause MS relapses, but some of them can also promote Candidiasis outbreaks and elevate my blood sugar, which I need to avoid due my Diabetes.

CAUTION

Due to the ever possible occurrence of product contamination, I always double check my sources and check ingredient lists before trying a new item.

Allergic reactions can happen to anyone, so I do my research and keep my eyes open to any potentially dangerous reactions, especially drug interactions, when I try anything new.

Ingesting large amounts of anything can be harmful, so I always consume in moderation.

I hope sharing my beneficial diet, will be helpful to others.

-Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy

REFERENCES

Reinagel, M. (2007). The Inflammation Free Diet Plan. McGraw Hill.

Not in Kansas Anymore (www.notinksanymore.com) is a site/blog authored and managed by Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy (pwrchr-dorothy). This site/blog is intended to provide educational and research information, and to share the author’s journey.

The author of this site/blog is not a medical physician and this site/blog does not provide medical advice. This site/blog contains information that should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation or the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. If you choose to apply or implement any information posted at this site/blog, you do so at your own risk.

THE BROTH MIX FIX

| Jen
Photograph of Broths and Ingredients by Bluebird Provisions from Pixabay

I had an epiphany one day as I was preparing a bowl of ramen. I looked at the little seasoning packet and thought, “What if I made a broth mix, loaded with anti-inflammatory ingredients, that could replace this packet?”

First, a dry ingredient broth mix would be more accessible, being a woman with disabilities. It would be easier to make and easier to physically handle, than a liquid broth. A dry ingredient broth mix would also be shelf-stable. I could also control the quality and strength of the ingredients (vegetable powders and spices) I put in the broth mix, while avoiding unhealthy chemicals and fillers. Loading the broth mix with anti-inflammatory ingredients would help combat inflammation. Make it tasty too and such a broth mix would be amazing.

It took quite a bit of experimenting and testing, but I did it. I created several very tasty broth mixes. that contain some of my favorite anti-inflammatory foods. The resulting broths give me such a pick-me-up (ie. make me feel better), I refer to them as Restorative Broth Mixes. It wasn’t long before I realized that these broth mixes could be used to make more than just broth. They can be used as cooking shortcuts to make soups, sauces, dips, and salad dressings, as well as, used to season rice, vegetables, and proteins like fish, shrimp, chicken, and pork. They can even be made vegan.

RESTORATIVE BROTH MIXES

As a woman with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), I use these broth mixes to help manage my MS. When I discovered that inflammation causes MS relapses, with relapses being the worsening of current or creation of new MS symptoms, I incorporated these broth mixes into my beneficial diet to help manage inflammation. And managing inflammation helps manage my MS.

I share these recipes, in the hopes of helping others.

-Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy

Not in Kansas Anymore (www.notinksanymore.com) is a site/blog authored and managed by Jen, aka. Power Chair Dorothy (pwrchr-dorothy). This site/blog is intended to provide educational and research information, and to share the author’s journey.

The author of this site/blog is not a medical physician and this site/blog does not provide medical advice. This site/blog contains information that should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation or the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. If you choose to apply or implement any information posted at this site/blog, you do so at your own risk.