In the spring of 2005 I had an apocolyptic asthma attack that put me on a pretty high dose of Prednisone for a month. I could not walk up a flight of stairs! Besides quitting my super stressful job and giving up cigarettes, I decided to change what I ate and researched "foods with anti-inflammatory properties." Missing breathing like crazy, I was pretty much willing to try anything.
I gave up sugar and wheat and found ways to incorporate the following foods into my diet with high frequency: blueberries, mushrooms, spinach, salmon, rosemary, extra-virgin olive oil and flaxseed (for starters.) It took two years of eating like this, plus exercise, before my lungs regenerated and I could go without daily doses of inhaled steroids. These days, I only have to use an inhaler when the state of California starts burning down. WIN.
So when you're starting any kind of new diet, (and by diet, I hope we're on the same page that that means "the food you eat" and not "the food you don't eat so you can try and lose weight") it's key to get the breakfast routine down, so you can feel good and think clearly for the rest of the day. I still eat this shake three times a week. I HEART IT. It's anti-inflammatory, pro-biotic, plenty of protein, low-glycemic index and tasty tasty. Blend ingredients together and enjoy:
1 cup of lowfat or nonfat plain organic yogurt (or kefir!)
½ a banana, chopped
¼ cup to ½ cup of bluberries, fresh or frozen
2 scoops of enriched vanilla protein powder (whey or soy or a combo)
1 tbls. of flaxseed
½ cup plain soy milk or rice milk
