If you like Tilapia I eat a lot of that. Buy it frozen from Costco and my husband grills it with a little olive oil, dill and garlic. Yum.

Best of luck to you. You will find a way to make this work.

Kate

I've had arthritis since I was 14-years old, so I really feel for you. I've managed mine with food choices and some "interesting" supplements over the years.

You might benefit from some books on the subject (check your local library). These are books I have, and they have all kinds of recipes in them.

"The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book" - by Jessica K. Black, N.D.

"The Inflammation Free Diet Plan" by Monica Reinagel

The Complete Idiot's Guide to "The Anti-Inflammation Diet" by Christopher P. Cannon, M.D., and Elizabeth Vierck.

Back in the mid-1970's I followed "The Arthritis Cookbook" by Dr. Collin Dong, M.D., and Jane Banks, and I still make a lot of the recipes from that book. One of my favorites is for an eggless oatmeal cookie:

ALMOND OATMEAL COOKIES
1-1/2 sticks butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. water
1 t. almond flavoring
1 c. flour (I use freshly-milled rye flour.)
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 c. quick oats
1/2-3/4 c. finely chopped blanched almonds (I use my mini-food processor to chop the almonds)

Cream the butter. Add the sugar and mix until fluffy. Add water and flavoring and beat until smooth.

Combine the dry ingredients (other than the oats and almonds) together and add to the creamed mixture, only until mixed together. Do not over-mix.

Add the oats and the almonds (by hand). Allow mixture to set a few minutes. Drop by teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet and slightly press down the cookie dough. Bake 12-14-minutes at 350-degrees F.
----------------------------------------------------

Can you have bison/buffalo instead of beef? When I have a flair-up I'll use bison because it's so lean, and use quinoa, amaranth, legumes and nuts as non-meat sources for protein. We have vegetarian Friday to save money on the food budget (I limit meat purchases to $10 per week), and there are all kinds of great dishes you can make with meat alternatives. I always keep a stack of homemade bean burgers in the freezer as a good meat substitute.

Steer clear of processed foods and "browned" foods (high-heat browning contributes to a inflammatory condition).

Learn how to balance low- and moderate-inflammatory foods with anti-inflammatory choices. Add turmeric, ginger, chili peppers, pineapple, and garlic, as an example. Foods that contain a lot of vitamin K, such as kale and broccoli, get extra inflammation-fighting points in the IF Rating system.

You can find IF Ratings Food Charts on-line.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Foods with the highest IF Rating

Since we're heading towards cooler weather, my recommendation for a great dinner would be some sort of hearty soup, a vegetable salad and bread.

That will help to break out from the hunk of protein, starch and vegetable trio that's the mainstay of American dinners.

Here's a meatless soup we like:

LENTIL-APRICOT SOUP (6 � 8 servings)

2 cups red lentils, rinsed and picked over
8 cups water or more (I use part vegetable broth)
2 cups finely minced onion
2/3 cup 1/4" diced carrots
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried mustard
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1 cup minced dried apricots
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. salt or to taste
2 to 4 Tbs. balsalmic vinegar (or to taste)
Black and cayenne peppers to taste
Chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish

Put lentils and water or broth in a soup pot. Add the onions, carrot, mustard and 1 tsp. of salt. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are soft, adding more water if mixture seems too thick.

Add the garlic and apricots and simmer, covered, for an additional 15 minutes or so. Stir in the vinegar and peppers to taste and correct salt if needed.

NOTE: Sometimes I add cooked chickpeas at the end of the cooking time.

As a vegetarian for 13 years, I'll tell you that it's really not that bad. :) I actually find vegetarian food to be more flavorful than meat-based food. I bet you'll find you feel a lot better too once you cut out the dairy. It's awful for the body in a lot of ways.

A couple of suggestions: Check out the Quorn products if you want a meat substitute. They are completely meat-free and even my carnivore friends like them. They have a great texture and can be used in anything to substitute for chicken or ground beef. It's a processed food but it might be good for a transition if you have any cravings come up. I try not to eat it too much but it tastes really good. :) I like the breaded ones in wraps and on salads, and the "naked" ones are good in stir fry and soups.

Quinoa is a good source of protein as well as edamame. Greens will also get you all the protein you need. I try to eat a pound of greens a day. A nice salad is chopped kale marinated in a little olive oil and salt with some avocado massaged on it and a little lemon juice. Really good and so healthy.

As for the bean effect...if you start eating them a few times a week, you'll likely stop having them affect you negatively. I eat beans all the time and never have digestive issues. However, if I go a few weeks without eating them, the next time won't be fun so consistency is the key there.

One thing I would caution is that a lot of "vegetarian" food is extremely heavy on the cheese/dairy which defeats any health benefits. Think mac and cheese, grilled cheese, quesadillas, cheese enchiladas...it drives me nuts when those are the only meat-free options on the menu, lol.

Some meal ideas:
Vegetarian chili on a baked potato
Greek salad
Pasta with marinara, mushrooms and spinach
Stir fry with edamame over jasmine or brown rice
Homemade pizza loaded with veggies
Grilled Portabella burgers
Vegetable soup
Wraps with hummus, romaine, tomato and cucumber

Also, if you have a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods near you, they usually have a lot of healthy vegetarian convenience food. I'm addicted to TJ's vegetable gyoza, and WF usually has an awesome salad bar with all sorts of yummy vegetable options. I went this morning and they let me sample all sorts of things and I walked out with a marinated kale salad and two types of tofu. I can't wait for lunch. :)

Good luck! Hope you get some relief.

Chi83 what a great post. Several excellent points. I am a carnivore but not a very good one as we joke:) I eat very little meat, it just doesn't tempt my palate very much. I think what you were saying about not missing meat once you start eating less is so true. When my husband and I get pizza we do half vegetarian gourmet and half meat-lover something or other. He always ended up stealing some of my side of the pizza. I have foisted upon him lots of meatless chow over the years and expanded his diet considerably that way. Having less meat in your diet may seem like punishment at first but once you start trying different things it could be a fun adventure.

Kate

Great info, Grainlady, thanks!

I used to have that arthritis cookbook. Not sure what ever happened to it...

I was formally diagnosed 9 years ago, but I had a bout back in 1994 that lasted a month then just went away. Seven years later it reappeared and that's when I found out what it is.

Bean burgers....Hmm....that will take some getting used to! LOL

oops, I was posting at work, so it took me a while to actually submit. Wasn't snubbing anyone! LOL

Chi83, thank you! It seems when I am presented with a challenge I often get a mental block! I love your meal suggestions, and actually many of those are things I eat often anyway. I am married to a serious carnivore and so it has become second-nature to just add meat to everything. As it is I will end up having to make one meatless and one with meat for every meal I serve....

Linda

You may want to check out Post Punk Kitchen's website, a vegan website. My sister uses a lot of their recipes. It's yummy food that even us omnivores can appreciate.

Also try the Moosewood Restaurant website, http://www.moosewoodcooks.com/blog/ . It's mostly vegetarian but does occasionally use meat or fish. Again more yummy food even an omnivore can appreciate.

Here is a link that might be useful: Post Punk Kitchen

Linda, the upside of this is that you will save a ton of money on groceries!

Lots of protein sources are out there that are "non-meat". don't forget eggs and nuts too, both are good protein sources and that includes pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Hummus is good, and so are things like that ever-present corn and bean salsa. You need about 37 to 50 grams of protein per day, according to my nutritionist.

I agree about the beans, if you eat them regularly your body will get accustomed to them. Things like a bean burrito and some good salsa with a side of rice sound yummy to me right now.

Whole grains are good, so check out grits, polenta, 7 grain cereal, pasta, etc.

It still sucks though, I'm sorry. I had hoped that you were feeling better, although I know that last drug the rheumie doc gave you was awful. Hugs to you.

Annie

FYI- It may just be me, but the more carbs I add to the diet, the stiffer and sorer I feel. Fish & white meat seem to really keep me better off. I also do very little dairy product. Makes for boring, but better. Have you laid off the nightshade veggies? (Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplant)

I, too, have found that the Nightshade family of plants
Can really aggravate Arthritis!
Both Rheumatoid and Osteo.

Also, fresh pineapple is very effective in reducing pain.
For me, anyhow.
I understand different people have different levels
of response to foods.
But it would definitely be worth a try.

Rusty

Is pork off-limits? There are limitless things you can do with the noble sow. Let us know. How about lamb?

As for finfish, you have many options as well. I happen to have been thinking about salmon this week. Off the top of my head, things to do with salmon:
- grilled with a mesquite rub and salsa topping
- braised in miso stock (for - strips rolled in panko crumbs and deep-fried
- chopped with mayo, hot sauce, and cayenne, into spicy salmon salad
- lox, jerky, oil poached were some suggestions I got
- confit was another, though I'm not sure how that works
- wrap in foil with salt, pepper, onions and vermouth (or sake, or white wine) and bake
- salmon cakes, with or with crabmeat
- the closely related salmon burger
- mousse, or ice cream if you want to be all weird
- crumbled into a stirfry, just 30 sec of cooking
- breaded for a fish 'n chips

Shellfish is great, and don't overlook chowders, fish soups, and ceviche.

I hope your new diet helps with your medical issues. If nothing else, you can join my diet thread and boast about how the inches are melting away!

-

I love beans, eat them every day, and luckily don't have many problems with them. Things that will help, eat beans early in the day, and in small quantities, soak them well and make sure they are well cooked.

I enjoy pumpkin seeds in salads and granola bars. I don't do much with flaxseed, I just can't get into grinding it. I've heard the oil is good but it's expensive so I don't buy it so I can't help there.

I buy small tins of sustainable tuna and salmon. I often have them on a salad for lunch or dinner, and I love the salmon on a whole wheat bagel with lowfat neufchatel cheese, it's a good substitute for smoked salmon or whitefish which I love but can't eat due to my own dietary issue. Tuna is also good with whole wheat spaghetti.

Tofu I eat all the time. I've posted many times about it here, not sure my ways with tofu translate to the average person. I mash it ups with spices for a sandwich spread, as in eggless egg salad, hamless salad, and tuno salad. I freeze it, thaw it and squeeze out the water, then make tofu sloppy joes. I put it in pasta dishes as a sub for part of the cheese, and whip it up in cream pies and tarts. But my usual and favorite way is to make baked marinated tofu of one kind or another, and put it in with rice. I also make an edammame salad that is very similar to the black beans salsa salad Annie mentioned, except you add edammame. That reminds me, various kinds of baked beans I like, with rice or cornbread or corn chips. There are Greek, Italian, Indian and Carribean varieties. Sweet and sour lentils with pineapple is one remarkably good combo actually.

I adore chili, and make it with fake meat crumbles along with lots of veggies, beans and corn--squash, carrots, celery and zuchinni all go good with chili if you are avoiding tomatoes and peppers both in the nightshade family. I make "Vegetarian Comfort Soup" with golden split peas heavily watered down and chicken flavored TVP, and noodles of choice. And I make a million varieties of minestrone. Or a cold bean and pasta salad or a cold tofu and pasta salad. I have some other stew favorites but a lot of them call for tomatoes and peppers so I'm leaving them out.

If you're upping your fiber intake, go slow. That's bound to cause intestinal issues if you bombard your system with all this fiber all at once.

Oh, risi e bisi is another favorite dish of mine, you can make it with other grains too, like acini de pepe or cous cous, regular or Israeli. Just mix sauteed onion, a little garlic, maybe a little celery, fennel or carrot but not necessary, brown rice cooked with broth, and some fresh peas. Season with Italian seasoning mix, a little white wine if you have it and like it, and sprinkle with parmesean (or not if you're going hard core). Can add fake bacon bits and some broth and you've got a good soup. Add some greens to the soup for even more healthy stuff. I have friends rave about that dish.

I make a healthier version of spinach artichoke dip where I use either canelinni beans or butter beans instead of the mayo and all that cheese. I just spice it up with a tad of neufchatel and parm. but way less than most recipes call for. I also make spinach dip with tofu subbing for half the mayo and sour cream in the recipe, making it relatively low fat. Great with pita and veggies to dip.

Check out the "New Recipes" thread where I posted a recipe for Indian spiced red lentils and a cabbage dish. That was good and all healthy ingredients. Often very easy to sub some kind of bean, TVP or tofu for meat in your traditional favorite dishes.

I know you're trying to reduce dairy so that means no New England Clam Chowder or Salmon Chowder or Seafood Chowder. Manhattan Clam Chowder contains tomatoes so that's out. BUT...what about Rhode Island Clear? It's little Rhody's own style of clam chowder & it's great. No dairy or tomatoes, hence, "clear". :)

Here's how I make it...

RHODE ISLAND CLEAR

Ingredients

10 to 12 quahogs in the shell
1/4 pound salt pork, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch dice
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Scrub the quahogs and rinse clean under cold running water. Discard any that aren't tightly closed. Put the quahogs in a stockpot and cover with 6 cups of cool water. Bring to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Cover the pot and cook just until the quahogs open, about 8 to 10 minutes. Don't overcook. Immediately remove the quahogs from the pot.

2. When cool enough to touch, remove the cooked quahog meat from the shells and chop it into 1/8-inch dice. Set aside.

3. Cover the stockpot and place over low heat to keep the broth-infused water warm while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

4. In a skillet, cook the salt pork over medium heat until the fat renders and the meat is browned and crisp. Remove and set aside. Add the onions to the skillet and saute until they're translucent but not colored.

5. When the onions are cooked, scrape them, along with any brown bits stuck to the skillet, into the clam broth. If necessary, deglaze the frying pan with a ladle of broth and then pour the liquid back into the stockpot.

6. Bring the broth to a gentle boil over medium-high heat and add the potatoes. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the salt pork. Season with the pepper and the Worcestershire sauce.

7. Add the cooked quahogs and heat through for a minute. Taste and correct seasonings. Serve immediately. Or, if you prefer, let cool, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat the next day.

It's a simple soup but very satisfying on a cold night in front of a fire. Don't tell Lori but, sometimes, I add a couple dashes of Tabasco!

/tricia

Let me clarify here-- I meant that grain type of carbs add to my inflammation. But I'm completely intolerant to wheat and other grains are suspect, especially sorghum and corn.

Lots of great ideas, thanks. Nightshade veggies do not bother me in the least. I cut them out when I was first dx'd and read everyting I could to try to control this without drugs. Made no difference at all.

I do know when I used to eat salmon 3-4 nights a week and rarely ate red meat I felt better.

I have read/heard about pineapple being anti-inflammatory. Worth a shot as I love pineapple.
I will try to slowly up my bean intake. I do like beans, not too sure about lentils. Maybe I'll give them another try....the 7 year rule and all, you know!

I don't think pork is "off limits" but it is something I need to monitor. Pork chow mein or fried rice sounds really good right now.

Linda

I just checked out The Meat Lover's Meatless cookbook from the library - it has some great meals for the occasional vegetarian. Has some good ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Meat Lover's Meatless cookbook

Bummer... I hope the acupuncture and diet changes work for you. I believe diet affects everything, so I'm thinking positive that you will get relief. Can you eat hard cheeses like Parmesan? I know some dairy-intolerant people use a little hard cheese with no problem and it seems like it would satisfy any cheese cravings.

We ate a lot of lentils when we were poor...they take on the flavor of your seasonings and are so good for you (and no gas). When I worked with low income families lentil burritos or tacos (cook them and add taco seasonings...easy) and 'surprise burgers' were favorite. Even though we have a freezerful of meat, we eat meatless a few times a week, and DH still asks for the old lentil dishes occasionally. The lentil chili makes a great dip.

One of my favorite tofu dishes is swimming rama...fried tofu cubes over steamed spinach with a spicy peanut sauce. Frying in a little oil and drowning in peanut sauce makes the tofu entirely palatable.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Meatless Lentil Chili

Recipe By : Katie, from the Nutrition Advisor program
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
5 c boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/3 c lentils -- washed
1 can (16 oz.) tomatoes
1 pkg dry onion soup mix -- (or beef base and
onions, or cook in beef broth)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder -- or to taste
1/2 tsp cumin

Simmer lentils, salt, and water for 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30 minutes more.

Serve as is or over spaghetti, rice or corn chips (cheese on top). Use for pizza, tacos, or serve as a dip.

**Spread on plate. Top with diced onion, tomatoes, chiles and shredded cheese. Serve with tortilla chips.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Surprise Burgers

Recipe By : Katie
Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/4 cups lentils
3 cups water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs -- more if necessary
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano -- * see note
1 egg -- optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, margarine, or oil
cheese slices -- optional

Wash lentils. Add water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer about 15 minutes.

Add onions and carrots. Cook 15 minutes or more until lentils and vegies are tender.

Stir in bread crumbs, seasoning and egg.

Drop lentils by rounded 1/3 cupfuls into hot oil. Flatten with pancake turner. Cook until firm and brown on both sides. Top with cheese slice if desired, and cook until cheese is melted.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : * I use sage and a little thyme...use whatever herbs you like for meatloaf.

Can you eat rabbit? It's very lean and healthy.

Hmm...I haven't had rabbit since I was a little kid and my dad went rabbit hunting.

I am sure I could have rabbit, but no idea where in the world I would find rabbit meat around here. Okay well, there are a few living under my shed, but I ain't shootin' em!

Linda

I haven't checked out this thread until now cause I just haven't had much time at the computer. These are all great ideas. I'm curious about the no chicken rule. Could it be the factory farmed chicken and red meat with all the antibiotics and hormones and such they inject them with is causing the problems? Could you eat pasture raised and finished chicken without all the carp they give them? Also, if you can't eat chicken, could it be that eggs would be a problem too? Just things that struck my curiosity.

I've been vegetarian for years, but I know I eat way too much cheese as a substitute for meat. I feel that by doing so I'm getting the calcium I need naturally, instead of having to take a supplement. I HATE taking calcium pills. Since I have borderline osteoporosis, and I refuse to take those bone morphing pills, I need to get my calcium. But, I like all the suggestions everyone is making.

I've found a product I like called Digestive Advantage for Gas. You only have to take one a day, and it helps with the side effects of foods that cause gas. I find it works much better than the products that you have to take just before the first bite, which I never remember to do. I like the convenience of it not mattering when I take the pill.

Good luck with this. Change is difficult, but hopefully you'll enjoy some of the new recipes. I'm planning to try some of the above suggestions.

Sally

Ummm, before you go eliminating chicken based on the advice of some random person, you should really do a little more research on the subject. You seem to already know that food sensitivities can be causing your problems, but that doesn't mean that you are sensitive to chicken (unless of course you have noticed a pattern of feeling worse after eating chicken). It's just like nightshade veggies ... sure they may be a problem for many people with sensitivities but that doesn't mean it is necessarily your problem.

If you really want to figure out which foods are aggravating your condition, you should do a full elimination diet and add things back one at a time. It's the only real way to know for sure what you specifically are sensitive to.

Of course this assumes that you are in enough pain that you don't want to go through any more trial and error. If it is only mildly bothering you, it can't hurt to try a shot in the dark at eliminating something random like chicken :)

Good thought~ along the same line, try different brands/types of chicken. For example, kosher (if its available in your area), organic, game hens, etc...

I've noticed the foods that irritate me are not consistent and I chalk it up to different feeds or processing plants. It's my experience that all foods of the same name aren't created equal.

I've also got one of those auto-immune things that causes inflammation & have been told to try eliminating nightshade plants as a control. I've come to the conclusion that it's not only the foods themselves that have to be considered. Sometimes, our bodies react differently to the same food depending on the disease cycles. For instance, sometimes tomatoes bother me. Sometimes, they don't. These are tomatoes from the same homegrown, heirloom plant so it's hard to say it's the tomato causing the problems. Some days, the disease process is more active than others. In my case, some days the inflammation is active but other symptoms of the same disease are quiet. So, I try to eat based on what my body's telling me on any given day. I've not found avoiding nightshades all the time to be effective at anything much except making my already limited diet more so.

Of course, YMMV as every body reacts differently even to the same disease process.

/tricia

I don't really have to "eliminate" chicken, she just recommended I take a break from eating chicken for a while. Apparently chicken can trigger inflammation in joints for people with RA. Eggs are okay.

I gotta tell ya....In the four days since my first accupuncture treatment I have noticed a huge difference in how I feel. I have gone from a pain rating of 8-9 down to a pain rating fo 1-3. I no longer take 8-12 ibuprofen a day to ease the pain, I do take an occasional Aleve. My appetite has decreased, too. And I am sleeping better.

Bonus...I have dropped 3-4 pounds since last Thursday!

I have saved all of these suggestions and ideas. I have come up with a few of my own too, inspired by everyone's input. Sometimes it just takes a kick in the rear to jump start a healthier way of eating!

Linda

Linda, my prior boss, Chrystal, was on the state acupunture board and she swore it managed her chronic pain better than any painkiller.

I tried to get Dad to just try it, but he wouldn't. (shrug) I'm glad it seems to be helping you, I hope it continues.

Annie

One cookbook that influences my cooking to this day is Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven. I'd guess I've tried nearly half of the recipes in this cookbook, even though I'm not a vegetarian.

Her Foreward in the book relating how her concept of a meal has changed over the years since she was an author of The Moosewood Cookbook really opened my eyes to new menu opportunities.

I'd have to agree with chi83 re:beans. The only time I have a problem with them is when I haven't eaten them for a while. Perhaps that's why baked beans on toast is such a popular breakfast in the UK.

If nightshade veggies don't bother you, try this yummy dish I made a couple of weeks ago. It's perfect for the last of the garden stuff.

Eggplant chickpea stew with tomatoes from the Williams and Sonoma Vegetable Cookbook

2 small to medium eggplants about 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. total weight. (Note: I just used one big one because that's all I could find, but the littler ones are less bitter, supposedly)

4-5 TBLSP olive oil
1 red onion, cut into wedges
3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 lb. fresh tomatoes pureed with a grater or shredder (Yeah right . . . NOT! I just chop them up, or use another can of chopped tomatoes in the off season)

1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas (I usually cook my own, put them in pint jars and freeze, then thaw or microwave to use)
1 lb. diced tomatoes with juice (Like I said, I usually just use one big 24 oz. can of the diced tomatoes, or buy a snazzy can of San Marazano tomatoes and dice them myself before adding)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. of sugar
1/8 tsp. crushed dried thyme
Pinch of ground cinnamon (Don't leave this out, it won't predominate and will give this dish the needed oomph)
1/2 cup dry red wine (Or use a dash of balsamic vinegar if you don't do wine)
2 TBLSP chopped fresh flat leaf italian parsley. (I often don't have fresh parsley, I sub 1 TBLSP dried parsley)
Juice of 1/2 lemon (Again, I often sub reconstituted lemon juice, like maybe 1 TBLSP)

Sautee the eggplant in half the oil until it is soft, then set it aside. Then sautee the onion in the remaining oil til soft, and add all the other stew ingredients except for the lemon juice. Cook gently to thicken, about 10 min, stirring occasionally and taking care not to smoosh the chickpeas too much. Adjust seasoning to your taste. I DOUBLED the seasoning and might even have added in some oregano. When the sauce is thick and tasty, add the eggplant back in and reduce the heat to med. low and cook 10-15 min. more. Add the lemon juice to brighten the flavors just before serving. (This is not absolutely necessary)

I served it with some goat cheese sprinkled on top. Would be great with brushetta with tofu pesto, or pita with spinach dip, but I usually serve it with rice. Goes good with whole wheat pasta too.

BF loves this stuff. Oh, and I peel eggplants because I am not a fan of the peel. I also salt them for 15 min. and rinse them afterwards, before sauteeing. I can't usually find good fresh eggplants.

Here's another salad I am making later this week to use up my stash of cukes. I probably won't use 4 cukes in it though, and will adjust the ingredients to suit my taste. I usually find that these Eating Well salads don't have enough dressing, so I end up doubling that. Skimping on the dressing is how they cut the calories! Plus I use lowfat feta, or goat cheese crumbles I can get, which supposedly aren't as inflamatory as cow's milk cheeses.

Cucumber & Black-Eyed Pea Salad from "Eating Well."

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups peeled and diced cucumbers
1 14-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed (I will use canelinni beans becuase I have a ton of them. Plus, that's the kind of bean I usually use for this salad. Could use garbanzos too.)
2/3 cup diced red bell pepper (I almost always use green peppers, red are too expensive)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or less or leave out)
1/4 cup slivered red onion
2 tablespoons chopped black olives
1 can of tuna (LR's addition)

Can also add celery and garnish with cherry tomatoes just before serving. Fine to just use bottled italian dressing for this, and you can serve it over lettuce garnished with croutons too.

Yep, another with arthritis. I find that I can eat beef even though it isn't recommended. Wheat and grains are culprits for me and as are other random foods. I really like the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle which explains a lot on the gut connection, includes a lot of great recipes and food prep tips. I am treating amyself through food and the results are amazing as are the benefits that came along with it. I do a lot of salads and stirfrys. Potatoes are killer for me but not so much tomatoes. There is a lot of playing around to do. It's been 6 months for me and I am finally able to read my body enough to know what is what.

Another vegetarian here, I started because I didn't want to support industrial livestock farming and slaughter. Oh, we're also about 95% organic too, conventionally produced foodstuffs just contain too many pesticide residues, IMO. Organic is a little more money, but not always, and I cook alot so I know it can be done cheaply too.

Some of the foods I really like probably aren't too everyone's tastes. I love carbs but shouldn't eat too much bread so I experimented with using thin slices of daikon (aka icicle radish) and large roasted portobellos as a substitute. A really awesome lunch is a portobello pizza, which is a large portobello w/tomato paste and shredded cheese under the broiler. I used to love tuna and egg salads but now I mix cooked chick peas (I use the dried bulk organic) with spices and salad dressed to create a "faux" lunch salad then put that on the sliced daikon. Beans are so good for you. I don't like the canned beans because they're expensive but also because most cans contain BPA, which is a known endocrine disruptor. Another great dinner is home pizza -- I pile all kinds of sliced vegetables on a thin home made crust with BGH-free shredded cheese. I know you're supposed to cut out dairy but there is a great Vegan cheese that is dairy free called Daiya ( I think that's the name). It's soy. I've also had rice cheese, it's got a nice flavor too and has a low melting point so it acts like cow's milk cheese.
We have a lot of soup, lentils are one of the highest protein beans and I use them. I took a cooking class with a vegetarian chef and nutritionist who said you should try to have beans everyday. She also said you should try to eat fermented foods too.

Can you find a cooking class at a local hospital or adult ed/parks & rec program that is focused on meatless cooking? An ethnic cooking class, like Thai cooking, will also show you how to make things meatless. You can also Utube all kinds of cooking videos, I learned how to cook beans from scratch online. I still go onto Utube to learn new recipes.

Good luck, changing your diet seems hard but after a while it all seems normal.

I think it is helpful to look at different cuisines to find tasty dishes that avoid the foods you cannot eat. Japanese is one of my favorites, but also Lebanese, Indian, and Ethiopian. I think Judith has the right idea about focusing on ethnic cooking.

Lars