Raw

It's a given that diet plays a role in auto-immune diseases. Patients, like myself, will tell you that nothing feels better than a few days of fasting. Except for the fasting itself, which is excruciatingly difficult. And of course, as soon as the food comes back in, so does the pain.

There's got to be a way to eat and yet beat this thing. One journal had a promising article that I came across at about the same time that an acquaintance with RA asked me if I'd tried the raw food diet.

That's kind of a silly question.

Of COURSE not! Why would I give up cooking, unless I was stranded on a desert island with no way to use my Girl Scout fire badge training? Raw food is exactly what you think it is. Not heat processed in any way. Which requires a lot of creativity, at the very least.

But I decided to give it a go this week. Monday, with the exception of a banana chip (fried) and some toasted almonds (raw almonds??? no way!) I made it all raw. I avoided the office crackers with a superhuman strength. I said "no!" to wheat products, sugar, and coffee. Oh. Coffee.

And I felt great. A bounce in my step and all! Tuesday, however, I was hounded by the carbohydrate addiction and finally gave in to crackers and peanut butter in the evening, leading to Reeses Pieces by bedtime. What is it they say about gateway drugs?

My experience is that I have no success with "cold-turkey" methods. I'll have to work some of these things in little by little, until I find a rhythm and a diet that works well for me. But here's one of the recipes that is staying in my cupboard, especially for those hot Rio nights:

Cold Mexican Soup

1/4 onion, minced
small handful of cilantro, minced
1 large lime, juiced
1-2 tomatoes, minced
1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
salt and cayenne to taste
avocado, pepper slices, etc...

Mix the lime juice with the minced vegetables and let sit for 20 minutes to overnight. Serve with avocado slices and call this soup instead of salsa. Now you have an excuse to eat it right out of the bowl!