Are you ready to add beneficial, anti inflammatory foods to your life and wondering – ‘Where do I even start?’ !? This was me too! Here are a few ingredients to begin swapping in as you build your confidence choosing more nutrient dense, anti inflammatory ingredients.
Extra-virgin olive oil
WHAT IS IT?
Coming in first when whipping up a home-made dressing for a salad, extra virgin olive oil is nutrient packed, and full of anti-inflammatory properties. Extra-virgin olive oil is full of antioxidants, among them is oleocanthal, which has been shown to work similarly to ibuprofen.
HOW CAN I USE IT?
Best used for drizzling on salads, flavouring dressings, or uncooked spreads. If using for roasting veggies or in a stir fry – keep in mind the temperature. The smoke point is 275 degrees F, or around medium heat. When temperates exceed this, oxidization can occur (think of oxidization to the body = like rust is to a car) requiring extra work and resources (anti-oxidants) for the body to reduce or combat the effects. The best oils to cook with at high heats are coconut oil, and avocado oil. The jumbo bottle above from Costco usually last about 3-4 months for us. PS: Do you have stainless steel appliances? Put a quarter size dollop of olive oil on a microfiber cloth (using cotton cloth or paper towels will leave fibers) and polish your stainless steel fridge or dishwasher until it shines!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
Superstore, Costco, Safeway & probably other large grocery stores too
Coconut oil
WHAT IS IT?
Coconut oil is the fat from coconuts, extracted. It’s high in healthy, saturated fat and contains ‘medium chain triglycerides’ (MCTs), which are easily digested dietary fats, readily available for your body to turn in to energy. Coconut oil contains lauric acid, known to support gut flora and the immune system. Saturated fats can be more stable when compared to unsaturated fats. This makes them great to have in the lineup when cooking. Unsaturated fats (fats that are liquid at room temperature like vegetable oil, and olive oil) can release free radicals when heated to high temperatures. Because coconut oil can withstand high temperatures without expelling free radicals, we really like having it in our pantry!
HOW DO I USE IT?
Use often! Use it for high and low heat cooking, baking, and in brain bombs. Recipes that call for vegetable oil can be replaced with melted coconut oil in equal measurement. Look for organic, and unrefined. I’ll leave any skin/beauty recommendations for coconut oil up to the experts!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
Costco, Superstore, Safeway
Coconut milk
WHAT IS IT?
Coconut milk is made from the flesh of the coconut, and water. It comes in a can (be sure to buy full fat and none of the ‘light’ stuff), or I have also seen it at Superstore in a handy carton.
HOW DO I USE IT?
Coconut milk comes in really handy when you’re looking for a dairy alternative in cooking! Think high healthy fat soups (like this coconut curry cauliflower soup) and sauces. It is also super handy replacing dairy milk in smoothie or baking recipes. I usually scoop up 4-6 cans throughout the month, maybe more if I’m doing a lot of cooking.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
Safeway in the can, Superstore by both carton and can
Coconut butter
WHAT IS IT?
Coconut butter is coconut flesh, that includes the fat, fiber, and nutrients of a coconut. It looks a lot like hardened white chocolate.
HOW DO I USE IT?
Coconut butter is the magic ingredient in my favourite treats and brain bomb recipes. It almost tastes like white chocolate, and I have definitely slathered it on pancakes and waffles before! A small container lasts at least a month or two, with a few brain bomb recipes, and weekend waffle breakfasts mixed in there.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
Safeway, Superstore, Optimum Health & Vitamins (or your local health food store) as sometimes I can’t track it down at Safeway or Superstore.
Lemon
WHAT IS IT?
Ok so this, is more for the fridge than pantry… BUT! The lemon is QUEEN! Packed with vitamin C, folate, and potassium this nutrient dense fruit should be on your grocery list EVERY. SINGLE. TIME! Don’t ignore this affordable beauty any longer! Did you know studies have shown lemon has super powers? Science says when lemon is combined with carrot, there’s a 30% increase in cartenoids absorbed by the body. This means, lemon likely increases bioavailability and unleashes benefits of other foods! A Costco bag of lemons lasts about a full month in our house!
HOW DO I USE IT?
When you wake up, or wind down before bed – enjoy 1/2 a lemon of freshly squeezed lemon juice in water, hot or cold. For ultimate benefits, try to have it 20-30 minutes before you’re going to eat anything. Get yourself one of these, and watch your skin begin to glow. There are massive digestive and detoxifying benefits (think ‘helping out your liver’) when you drink lemon water on a consistent basis. Lemons are super talented at blending flavours for cooking as well – try adding it in stir frys or squeezing over fish, rice, or shrimp.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
Costco, Safeway, Superstore
Almond flour
WHAT IS IT?
Almond flour is simply almonds ground into a fine flour. I prefer almond flour over coconut flour – for texture and taste. The nutritional profile is low carb, contains a bit of fiber, a few grams of protein, and a good amount of fat. A bag lasts 1-2 months or 4-6 batches of treats usually! We get the Kirkland kind from Costco.
HOW DO I USE IT?
Almond flour is handy for baking really yummy treats like cookies! And that’s all I’ve used it for so far, but I like treats, so we use it often.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
Costco, Safeway, Superstore
Grassfed butter
WHAT IS IT?
This is butter made from cows that eat grass. Why buy fancy-pants grassfed butter you ask? Well, it’s the micronutrient profile. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH ORGANIC BUTTER. Nothing against organic butter, but it’s important to note the differences because they each have a slightly different focus. Grassfed butter will contain much higher levels of CLA, better Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acid ratios and dramatically higher levels of Vitamin A and E. Meanwhile . . . a few steps behind, organic butter is made with less pollutants and contaminants. This is good but will not offer the same micronutrients as grassfed butter will.
HOW DO I USE IT?
I am a big fan of rich food, and I may be a weirdo to some – but I like my coffee with a splash of MCT oil, collagen, and a tbsp of grassfed butter. It’s easier on my tummy than heavy whipped cream, and it tastes pretty great too. Grassfed butter goes extremely well on steamed veggies, rice, pancakes, waffles . . . YUMMM! And I use it often in baking too.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
This can be tough . . . I have found grassfed butter at both Safeway (Thornloe) and Superstore (Savor), however – it is not consistently stocked, and the brands are always changing. Rumour has it, Kerrygold grassfed butter is at Costco – and while I’ve seen Kerrygold cheese there, I have NOT seen Kerrygold butter. You will likely need to do some research in your area, perhaps ask at the local framers market, or your local health food store. When you find some – let me know so I can share and update this post, and don’t forget when you find some, to buy a few bricks and freeze them!
*Updated August 13/19 to show 2 brands – Thornloe from Safeway, and Savor from Superstore. Found them between $6 and $8/brick.
Gelatin
WHAT IS IT?
This is the stuff I oroginally recognized as the orange packs my late grandma had stocked in her cupboards for making jams and jellies. When I first searched for gelatin at Safeway, I found it easily in a similar orange box, with individual packets inside. I was making those cookies I mentioned earlier in this post. And all I have to say is . . . you need to get more gelatin in your life. So you might be thinking, gelatin, yeah? So what? Why should I care? Well – first of all it’s derived from collagen, the most plentiful protein found in the body. Did you know there’s a reason they serve jello at hospitals?! There’s evidence gelatin helps improve bone and joint health, the appearance of skin and hair and we’re just getting started. Gelatin contains glycine, an amino acid which can improve memory and attention. It has also been found to reduce the symptoms of some mental health conditions, like schizophrenia and OCD. It is made from boiling unpalatable parts of animals (you may have witnessed this firsthand before, opening up a container of leftovers and finding the jelly like substance when cooled?) and then made into a flavourless powder. It’s best to look for grassfed, and organic like this brand here. I’m not sure how nutrient dense the packets in the orange box are, but they do work when you’re in a pinch. When you get the opportunity though, I highly recommend upgrading to a grassfed, organic kind to get the most benefit!
HOW DO I USE IT?
I scoop it into my coffee a few days a week, and use it in baking recipes! I honestly can’t even taste it in my coffee. It is also fantastic to make your own jello, or jelly candies!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
I found the Organika brand gelatin at my local healthfood store, and Safeway and Superstore will definitely carry the orange box of it with individual packets.
There you have it! Your own starting lineup to include more anti inflammatory ingredients in your day to day nutrition.
