Anti-Inflammatory Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free and Nightshade Free Shopping for Beginners

Anti-Inflammatory Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Nightshade Free Diet for Beginners

As a diet counselor/nutritionist the first thing clients that have been diagnosed with an auto-immune issue like Rheumatoid Arthritis worry about is what can they eat. Newbies are faced with the elimination diet to find out what your triggers are. I personally have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Hypothyroidism. My diet is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and nightshade free because of this but I also avoid citrus, heavy sugar and simple carbs.

Most of you will only be eliminating gluten, dairy, soy and nightshades or some part of those. The reason I also eat low sugar and low carb is the fact that sugar also causes inflammation and I have found that I am sensitive to sugar. Carbs are turned into sugar when broken down by the body. Not all of you will experience a trigger when consuming sugar. The one sugar, for myself, that I can consume without inflammation is Raw Honey. Not regular honey but Raw Honey. Now, I do not eat a lot of it but I do have a bit each day with my Fatigue Fighting Tea.

Fatigue completely disabled me the first few years. I had read about using Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar ‘with the Mother’ but thought it was just an old wives tale. I finally realized I had nothing to lose by trying it. I was thrilled that it actually worked. I drink about 8 ounces of my “Tea” every day. I make a jug of decaf tea (enough to last me throughout the week) which consist of 1 part Raw Vinegar to 3 parts decaf brewed tea along with enough raw honey to taste. You can enjoy it hot, cold or room temperature at any time of the day. It does take a few days for it to start working but then, so long as I drink this tea daily my energy level is back to normal.

I occasionally receive messages from someone stating the need for a gluten free grocery store. I am here to tell you that most foods are gluten and dairy free. You can eliminate gluten, dairy, soy, and nightshades and still have the majority of foods available to you.

While it is important to know which foods you should avoid I find that it helps most if you

“create a list of all the foods you can continue to enjoy.”

This relieves the anxiety of “what’s left to eat”!

GLUTEN FREE | DAIRY FREE: All fish and seafood, meat, eggs, vegetables, mushrooms, fruit, nuts, seeds, oil and vinegar (except Malt Vinegar which contains gluten) are gluten and dairy free.

NIGHTSHADE FREE: All seafood, meat, eggs, fruit (except goji berries), mushrooms, nuts, seeds, oil and vinegar are nightshade free.

SOY FREE: All meats, fish and seafood, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, and vinegar are soy free. All oil is soy free except soybean oil (i.e.: Vegetable Oil/Crisco).

Avoid traditional bread, pasta and cereal, soy products like soy sauce, soybean oil and edamame beans. Avoid cow’s milk and their byproducts like sour cream, cheese and butter. All fruits are okay with the exception of goji berries. All vegetables are okay with the exception of white and red potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes and peppers and the byproducts like paprika, crushed red pepper and hot sauce.

SOY; eliminated by people who have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism includes:

• Edamame beans (soybeans)

• Tofu

• Soy Sauce

• Vegetable Oil: (read the back of the label, the ingredient is soybean oil)

While it is best to avoid processed foods with long ingredient lists there are some supporting foods we need like dairy free butter. Some dairy free foods like dairy free “butter”alternatives, dairy free milks, and some of the new dairy free cheeses and yogurts use soybean oil or soy milk. Be sure your dairy free choices do not include soy. My choice for a dairy free ‘butter’ is Earth Balance Dairy Free Soy Free Spread.

DAIRY is any foods with cows or goats milk. Many food manufacturers are now placing a notification on the back of the products, usually at the bottom that will state if it includes dairy, nuts or gluten. Whey is a byproduct of dairy and an ingredient you should also avoid.

GLUTEN is anything with wheat. Usually the first ingredient in the majority of breads, cereals and pastas is wheat. Gluten free flours and breads are made with other flours that are naturally gluten free such as rice flour, almond flour, coconut flour but you should pay careful attention to the ingredient list of breads, cereals, crackers, pastas if you are also avoiding nightshades as many of them use potato starch or potato flour. Potato starch and potato flour are nightshades.

NIGHTSHADES are just as a bad an offender as gluten and dairy in causing inflammation and pain in those with arthritis. Nightshades include:

• White and red potatoes (sweet potatoes and yams are okay)

• Eggplant

• Tomatoes

• All peppers: bell pepper, hot peppers, sweet peppers

• Goji berries

• Paprika

• Crushed red pepper

• Chili powder

• Taco seasoning

A common question is if chili is a nightshade. Yes, traditional chili made with tomatoes and chili powder is a nightshade. The meat, onions and beans are not but the tomatoes and the chili powder are both nightshades.

The following foods are NOT nightshades:

• Black pepper

• Onions

• Yams

• Sweet potatoes

• Horseradish

• Cumin

Now that you know what NOT to eat let’s concentrate on what you can eat. I suggest you walk every aisle of your grocery store. Categorize by department, such as REFRIGERATED, BEVERAGES, BAKING, CANNED, PRODUCE, BREAD, SEASONINGS, MEAT AND SEAFOOD, FREEZER, etc..

As you walk each aisle write down the foods you can eat. The list will get long pretty quick. As your list grows your anxiety will begin to lessen. Doing this will also allow you to create meals and menu’s much easier. Why? Because you are looking at all the foods you can actually eat instead of the foods you need to avoid.

I created a booklet to help you put together YOUR master list.

• Create Your Own Anti-Inflammatory Grocery List https://amzn.to/38MVCvG

If you feel unsure about which foods are gluten free, dairy free, soy free and nightshade free I also have two comprehensive Grocery List booklets for you:

• A Comprehensive Gluten and Dairy Free Grocery List: https://amzn.to/2vnvVUX

• A Comprehensive Gluten & Dairy Free, Soy and Nightshade Free Grocery List: https://amzn.to/2Wg6foa

Check out my other articles here on Vocal and remember that your donations are always greatly appreciated!

Paula C. Henderson