July 20, 2018
It was about three years ago. I was not the same person I am now. My joints had become inflamed, my muscles weak, I was constantly exhausted. I couldn’t even pick up a knick knack without crying out in pain. Doctors and the rheumatoid arthritis specialist offered me medication for pain and to reduce swelling. Basically, to manage the disease, which would still get worse with time.
Funny thing is, throughout my entire life, I had always shied away from taking drugs for anything. I thought I was eating healthy, and I exercised like a maniac. So I wasn’t about to start ingesting meds of any type. But one weekend, I was in such bad shape, that my feet were dragging, and I was literally stumbling around the house. I clearly remember saying to myself, “that’s it! I need to find out what is causing this and how to fix it.”
I turned to the internet, read books like a fiend, researched until my eyes went bleary, and lo and behold, I not only learned about RA as an autoimmune disorder, but that how I was eating, fueled the disease!
I learned that some foods could be triggering inflammation in my body. So, one of the first things I tried was to cut out all gluten and grains. Was it easy? Good gravy, no! The blessing was that the internet is FULL of ideas for gluten free and inflammation fighting foods and recipes. But the even greater blessing was an almost 100% turnaround in my health. Within 3-4 weeks, the swelling in my joints had gone down, the pain gone, and I had all my energy back! It was absolutely shocking.
Since then, it’s been a continuing journey to better and increased health. I have also eliminated dairy and sugar from my diet, along with nightshades and a couple of other food intolerance issues that were contributing to inflammation.
What an adventure it is to work with food as healing and life (“let food be thy medicine!”),
Enjoy this recipe for Rheumatoid Friendly Shepherd’s Pie!
RHEUMATOID FRIENDLY SHEPHERD’S PIE
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups leftover cooked chicken, turkey, sausage, or other cooked meat, diced or shredded
- 4 Tbsp lard or coconut oil, divided
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms (a mix is nice)
- 1 cup peas
- Can also add broccoli and/or other vegetables
- Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp arrowroot powder/starch
- 1 cup broth (preferably home made)
Method
- Place cooked meat in bottom of a large casserole dish.
- In a skillet, melt 2 Tbsp of lard or coconut oil.
- Add onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and seasonings. Cook around 10-12 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Adjust the heat so the vegetables don’t brown.
- Stir in the peas, broccoli (and any other vegies you might like to add), then push everything to the outside of the pan.
- In the middle of the pan, add the remaining 2 Tbsp lard, and once it’s melted, stir in the arrowroot.
- Mix all together, add the broth, stir again to mix. Pour over the meat in the casserole dish.
Topping (this can be made a day or two in advance)
- 1 small head cauliflower, chopped and steamed 6-8 minutes.
- Drain, and add to a food processor. Process until cauliflower is rice-like and smooth. Add 2 Tbsp coconut oil, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, and salt to taste. Blend again to mix.
- Spread cauliflower over prepared food in the casserole dish, getting right to the edges.
- Bake uncovered at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. (longer if you’d like it browned on top)
