Today I am going to start recording aches and pains as well as any other health issues I may have in preparation for comparison as I progress on the diet and weight loss.  As I have stated in an earlier post, one of my goals is to be pain free by day 57.  I am going to use a scale of 1 to 10 for pain level, 0 being none and 10 incapacitating.  I awoke this morning with pain 5 at the base of my right thumb, warm and redness.    My upper right arm and left knee feel very tight, not swollen or painful, but as I imagine a balloon would feel if it were stretched to capacity.   Both are sites of past injuries which were pronounced completely healed by physicians, except for the fact that my left knee at its straightest is bent 7 degrees.  I am wondering if more weight loss will help with that as well.  I have a nagging pain 6 in several places in my back, soft tissue between ribs on both sides and top left below neck, worse with movement.  I took 800 mg of Ibuprofen and stretched before starting my day.  Digger joined me as he does every morning while I perform various leg lifts, knee raises, ankle, shoulder, lower abdominal and hip exercises.  But unlike me, he takes his favorite yoga position throughout the entire routine.  It’s called dog napping!

My refrigerator is full of sauces I made using ingredients which are known to be alkaline producing and therefore, anti inflammatory.  The sauces are full of fresh berries, cinnamon, lemon, natural cider vinegar, ground pepper, fresh ground ginger, lime, cucumbers, pineapple, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, basil and chili peppers…all fresh, all unprocessed.  I am especially fond of salsas, from tomatoes (tomato salsa fresca), cucumber salsa, green herbs (salsa verde) and fruits (pineapple salsa).  The most difficult thing about these sauces is that you are very limited when it comes to sweet and salty.  I rely on small amounts of sea salt because without it, many flavors are too subtle, and for sweet I rely on methods more than anything.  For example, roasting pineapple first before using it, caramelizes the natural sugars and makes it taste sweeter without adding sugar, same with peppers and onions.  Since all processed foods are on the avoid acid producing side, no refined sugar is used for sweetening.  Sometimes I use a small amount of dark brown sugar with real molasses or just the molasses.  It is always offset by high alkaline producing ingredients in abundance.   For anyone joining me in this challenge, if you want the recipes, just ask!

Although this blog is focused on food, as I am most of the day, remember that inflammation is also caused by life’s stresses including lack of sleep.  So, with 3 days before I start, I say

Buon Sonno e Buon Appetito!  Angela B.