arthritis kitchen

One of the ways I've responded to arthritis is to use more care in how I feed my body. I mostly eat organic, non-processed foods. Because food sensitivities can aggravate inflammatory conditions, I avoid those things I'm sensitive to: gluten, dairy (except butter, which is mostly fat, and goat cheese, which I tolerate), and soy. I go easy on the eggs since I have a mild sensitivity to them as well.

I identified my food sensitivities with the help of my naturopath, Dr. Christopher Valley at Integrative Medicine Associates.

My favorite website for whole foods, gluten-free recipes is The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen.

Favorite Gluten-Free Recipes (with a focus on the essentials)

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies - These are amazing! My family can't tell they are gluten free. These are chewy, not puffy and cakey like so many gluten-free cookies. You really do need to chill them and bake them on parchment or they will spread out all over the place. Enjoy Life makes chocolate chips that are gluten, dairy, and soy free. (I substitute hemp milk for the regular milk.)

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust - While this is really, really sticky and a bit of a pain to spread out, it's also really good. I used a spatula spritzed frequently with nonstick cooking spray. Don't worry if it's not pretty. It will be covered with toppings anyway. I use regular dry yeast and dissolve it with the sugar in some of the warm water.