Arthritis Diet Information

Osteoarthritis or is the most common type of arthritis in the over 200 types of arthritic conditions. This disease is afflicting over 40 million Americans and 80% of them are over 51 years. Here is some arthritis diet information that can help those that don't have arthritis yet and those that do.

First, arthritis is a condition where the protective layer and lubricant between bones has been decreased, worn down, injured, or destroyed. The result is, in the worst case, bone to bone rubbing cause continual pain and inflammation in the affected joint or joints. What causes arthritis to appear will depend on your lifestyle and history.

Here is a list of some of the causes:

Injury to the bone or joints at any time in your life.

Allergies to certain foods that lead to joint inflammation.

A diet that is high in acidic foods, such as animal protein, fat, and processed foods.

Overweight, which over works joints, especially in the knees.

Emotional stress, since stress creates acid, which attacks joints oil and cartilage.

Poor digestion, which results in undigested food entering the body causing acid, allergies, and decreased immune system function.
Imbalance in hormones.

A distortion in skeleton structure causing excess pressure in specific joints.

Now here are some diet suggestions to help you reduce arthritis pain, rebuild the joint, and reduce your inflammation.

Eat flaxseeds or use flaxseed oil to reduce inflammation.

Eat fish weekly or take at least 1500 mg to 2000 mg of fish oil to reduce inflammation.

Eat plenty of raw vegetables, which provide phytonutrients that fight free radicals - broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and dark green lettuce.

Eat whole grains to provide the B vitamins - brown rice, wheat germ, oat bran, oats.

Eat foods high in sulfur to help repair cartilage - asparagus, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, watercress, cranberries, avocados, broccoli, carrots, celery, corn, cucumber peas, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, kale, cabbage, garlic, or onions.

Drink water every 2 hours to avoid dehydration and reduce arthritis pain.

Eat pineapple to get the enzyme bromelain or chew on bromelain tablets.

Take MSM supplements, 2000 to 5000 mg or more per day.

There is one more list to consider in this arthritis diet - the foods to avoid: Acid in your body gives you more arthritic pain. You need to move your body to a more alkaline body. This is done by avoiding those foods which create acid in your body and eating those that produce alkaline residues. Here are the foods to reduce in your diet or to eliminate completely. Red meat, eggs, saturated fats - butter-, oils fried foods, sugar, dairy products, refined carbohydrates - white rice -, breads pasta, and caffeine.

And, strictly avoid those foods that you know you have allergies to. The arthritis diet consist of moving towards more whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, which make your body more alkaline and reducing animal products which create acid and inflammation in your body. If you have allergies to specific foods then avoid them completely. As you improve in your arthritis condition, then later you can eat some of the foods you need to avoid now.

Enjoying the Benefits of Fresh Herbs

Including Cooking and Growing Tips

Whether you plant them or pick them up at the grocery store or farmers' market, adding fresh herbs is a quick way to transform Ordinary meals into Extraordinary meals. Besides helping flavor foods when cutting back on salt, fat and sugar, herbs may offer additional benefits of their own. Researchers are finding many culinary herbs (both fresh and dried) have antioxidants that may help protect against such diseases as cancer and heart disease.

If you've always thought you'd like to plant an herb garden, now is a good time to start one. You'll find information on how to do that at the end of this article.

Here are some tips to help you enjoy the flavor and health benefits of fresh herbs.

When Substituting Fresh Herbs for Dried Herbs

A general guideline when using fresh herbs in a recipe is to use 3 times as much as you would use of a dried herb. When substituting, you'll often be more successful substituting fresh herbs for dried herbs, rather than the other way around. For example, think potato salad with fresh vs. dried parsley!

When to Pick or Purchase Herbs

Purchase herbs close to the time you plan to use them. When growing herbs in your own garden the ideal time for picking is in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun gets hot. This helps ensure the best flavor and storage quality.

How to Store Herbs

Fresh herbs can be stored in an open or a perforated plastic bag in your refrigerator crisper drawer for a few days. If you don't have access to commercial perforated bags, use a sharp object to make several small holes in a regular plastic bag. To extend the freshness of herbs, snip off the ends of the stems on the diagonal. Place herbs in a tall glass with an inch of water, like cut flowers. Cover them loosely with a plastic bag to allow for air circulation. Place them in the refrigerator and change the water daily. Herbs may last a week or more stored this way.
NOTE: The flavor of herbs may diminish the longer they're stored.

If you have more herbs than you can eat, enjoy herbal bouquets throughout your house. You can use either single herbs, combinations of herbs or you can use the herbs as greenery mixed in with other flowers. To help preserve the aroma and color of your herb bouquets, place them out of direct sunlight.

How to Wash Herbs

Wash herbs when you are ready to use them. Wash smaller amounts of herbs thoroughly under running water. Shake off moisture or spin dry in a salad spinner. Pat off any remaining moisture with clean paper towels. If you're washing a larger amount of herbs at one time, treat them as you would salad greens. Place in a clean sink or deep bowl filled with cold water and swish around. Lift from the water and transfer to another bowl so dirt and grit remain in the water. Pour out the water and repeat the washing process in clean water until dirt and grit are gone and the water is clear.

NOTE: If you plan to harvest a large amount of herbs from a home garden, consider washing them down with a hose the day before to help remove any large particles of dirt or grit that might be on the leaves.

Annual herbs can be harvested down to about four inches tall and they still will re-grow for use later in the season. For perennial herbs, don't take off more than a third of the plant at any given time. 

How to Prepare Herbs for Cooking

For most recipes, unless otherwise directed, mince herbs into tiny pieces. Chop with a chef's knife on a cutting board or snip with a kitchen scissors. To speed cutting with a scissors, cut herbs coarsely into a small bowl and snip back & forth with your scissors. Some recipes may direct you to cut large leaves, such as basil, into thin strips. An easy way to do this is to stack several leaves (about 3 to 5), roll into a tight roll, then cut into thin (1/16 to 1/8 inch) strips with a sharp knife.

While some recipes call for a sprig or sprigs of herbs, normally the part of the herb you harvest will be the leaves. For herbs with sturdier stems, such as marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme, you can strip off the leaves by running your fingers down the stem from top to bottom. With small-leaved plants such as thyme, you can use both leaves and stems for cooking early in the season. Later in the season, as the stems become tougher, use just the leaves. For herbs with tender stems, such as parsley and cilantro, it's OK if you snip some of the stem in with the leaves when you're cutting these herbs. NOTE: Be careful if using a food processor to cut herbs -- it's easy to turn them to a paste rather than tiny pieces.

When to Add Herbs During Food Preparation

Unlike dried herbs, fresh herbs are usually added toward the end in cooked dishes to preserve their flavor. Add the more delicate herbs -- basil, chives, cilantro, dill leaves, parsley, marjoram and mint -- a minute or two before the end of cooking or sprinkle them on the food before it's served. The less delicate herbs, such as dill seeds, oregano, rosemary, tarragon and thyme, can be added about the last 20 minutes of cooking. Obviously, for some foods, such as breads, batters, etc., you'll need to add herbs at the beginning of the cooking process. Fresh herbs can be added to refrigerated cold foods several hours before serving. Allowing time (at least a couple of hours, if possible) for cold foods with herbs to chill helps the flavors to blend.

Freezing Herbs

Recommendations vary on the best way to freeze herbs, how long frozen herbs will maintain a satisfactory flavor and which herbs will freeze well. Be aware that when herbs are frozen, they become limp, lose their color and are best used in cooked foods. The most conservative guidelines for how long herbs will maintain their quality frozen range from two to six months. Here are three possible ways to freeze herbs:

1. The easiest method and one recommended on the National Center for Home Food Preservation Web site www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/herbs.html states: "Wash, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Wrap a few sprigs or leaves in freezer wrap and place in a freezer bag. Seal and freeze. These can be chopped and used in cooked dishes. These usually are not suitable for garnish, as the frozen product becomes limp when it thaws."

2. Another method recommends washing herbs, cutting them into tiny pieces and then filling the sections of an ice cube tray about half full with herbs. Cover herbs with cold water and freeze until solid. Transfer frozen cubes to a freezer bag and squish out as much air as possible. Drop them into soups, stews and sauces as needed. Be aware herbs may stain plastic ice cube trays.

3. To save time chopping herbs into tiny pieces, you might try making a "slurry." Simply puree your washed herbs in a blender with a small amount of water. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and add to foods, as desired. Regardless of how you freeze herbs, label them as to type (they tend to look the same frozen) and the date frozen. If you freeze quite a few herbs, it may be easier to find them in your freezer if you store the individual packages together in one large container. Experiment with small amounts at the beginning of the season and sample your results a month later. Determine your personal preference before committing a lot of time and freezer space to frozen herbs.

Herb/Food Combinations

Here are some ideas to help you start combining fresh herbs with your foods.

BASIL - a natural snipped in with tomatoes; terrific in fresh pesto; other possibilities include pasta sauce, peas, zucchini

CHIVES - dips, potatoes, coleslaw & tomatoes

CILANTRO - Mexican, Asian and Caribbean cooking; salsas, tomatoes

DILL - carrots, cottage cheese, fish, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes

MINT - carrots, fruit salads, parsley, peas, tabouli, tea

OREGANO - peppers, tomatoes

PARSLEY - The curly leaf is the most common, but the flat-leaf or Italian parsley is more strongly flavored and often preferred for cooking. Naturals for parsley include potato salad, rice pilaf and tabouli

ROSEMARY - chicken, fish, lamb, pork, roasted potatoes, soups, stews, tomatoes

SAGE - poultry seasoning, stuffings

TARRAGON - chicken, eggs, fish

THYME - eggs, lima beans, potatoes, poultry, summer squash, tomatoes

WINTER SAVORY - dried bean dishes, stews and soups

BOUQUET GARNI

Parsley, Thyme and Bay Leaves form the foundation for bouquet garni. Add other dried herbs, such as Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Chives and any others that you enjoy, put through processor and chop coarse. Use on foods such as soups, stews, braised dishes and sauces by placing them in a cheese cloth tie or tea ball and dropping into food during cooking.

FINE HERBS (Dry fresh herbs in a low temperature oven or in a food dehydrator ‘till crisp)

Ingredients: 1 Tsp. dried Salad Burnet, Tbsp. dried Parsley, 1 Tsp. Chives, 1 Tbsp. Sage, 2 Tbsp. Thyme, 1 Tbsp. grated Lemon Rind, 2 Tbsp. Savory, 2 Tbsp. Celery, 2 Tbsp. Marjoram, and 6 Bay Leaves. Mix and sift ingredients before measuring. Then place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend to a fine powder. Store in tightly covered jar or a lightly corked bottle. This can be used as a table condiment. Dried herbs will keep longer if stored in dark glass containers.

Planting An Herb Garden

If you've never planted herbs before, you may be more successful initially starting with transplants, rather than seeds. When you're selecting herbs, be sure they're meant for culinary uses, not just as an ornamental herb. Some of the ornamental herbs may have a less desirable flavor because they've been bred for appearance rather than taste appeal. Popular fresh garden herbs include basil, chives (common chives and garlic chives), cilantro, dill, mint and parsley. Herbs such as French tarragon, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage and winter savory are satisfactory in both fresh and dried forms.

NOTE: Mint is a very aggressive plant that can quickly take over the herb garden. Plant it in a one- or two- gallon size container and bury the container in the ground so an inch of the container is above ground level. This will contain the plant so it can't creep out the top or the bottom and will prevent it from spreading throughout the garden. You may need to water mint more than other herbs that are planted normally and can send their roots farther into the ground.

Many herbs are suitable for container gardening as well as planting in a ground bed. Container gardening is an especially good option if you're limited on space. Use a quality soil with added compost and keep well watered during dry spells.