Foods Good for Kidney, Gut, Colon and Anti-Inflammatory Health

FOODS THAT ARE GOOD FOR KIDNEY, GUT AND COLON HEALTH, AND ARE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

I spent a few hours today researching healthy foods for kidney, gut, colon and inflammation health, for reasons that you'd rather me not tell you about, believe me. Suffice it to say that I've had it, and there will be major changes in my food intake around here. (I'm a pretty decent eater to begin with, and weigh between 145-150 pounds, and am about 5'6".) I've had too much bread (especially bagels) and not enough water and, well, the other things listed here. I've drastically cut my chocolate and coffee intake because of the caffeine and acid, and I've never been a huge consumer of alcohol (outside of the once-a-week drink, or a beer or two at ballgames), so that's good. But even after just one or two beers, my digestive system lets me know I've been bad. Wine does that, too. Overall, my digestive system sucks, my immune system sucks, my sinuses suck, and I've had really bad inflammation for the last few months, especially in my sinuses, even after my drastic (and I do mean drastic) coffee reduction. (I'm allergic to other things, like my dog, and probably my work building, that I can't do much about.)

Some of these things, like nuts and seeds, I'll still have to stay away from. I'm allergic to nuts, and when seeds get into my intestinal tract, very bad things happen. I also didn't list any dairy, breads or grains because I'm intolerant of those (and a great many other daily) things. I should also point out that water and meditation are good anti-inflammatories as well. We should all have more.

So if you suffer from the same problems, I offer you my hours' worth of research, for free. Items followed by a (?) are things I'm not at all familiar with, so please comment if you are familiar with these things. And, yes, I know it's the holiday food season, but you do what you can. 

Incidentally, I tried to make 2 or 3 columns out of this, and couldn't do it for this blog (though I did for my own personal printouts). So if you can tell me how to do that, please drop me a comment. Please and thank you.

• ALL BEANS, NUTS AND SEEDS

• RASPBERRIES

• PEARS

• SMOOTHIES (?) Can anyone supply me with ideas for a lactose-free smoothie?

• AIR-POPPED POPCORN

• APRICOTS

• OATMEAL

• DATES

• RHUBARB

• FIGS

• RAISINS

• GRAPES

• SWEET POTATOES

• BLACKBERRIES

• PLUMS

• STRAWBERRIES

• APPLES

• PICKLES (Not olives, too?)

• BAKED POTATOES

• KIWIS

• ORANGES

• BROWN RICE

• ALOE VERA (?) This isn't just a hand lotion?

• COFFEE

• KOMBUCHA (?) I thought liquids ending with -bucha meant "alcohol."

• GARLIC

• MUSHROOMS

• MISO SOUP

• BANANAS

• ONIONS

• SOURDOUGH BREAD

• TEMPEH (?) Never saw this word before in my life.

• MISO PASTE

• NON-SUGARY OATMEAL (?) Can anyone advise me about, well, non-oat oatmeal?

• HONEY

• CULTURED NON-DAIRY MILK

• FISH SAUCE

• CARROTS

• KALE

• BLUEBERRIES

• GREEN TEA

• CELERY

• OLIVE OIL

• EGGS

• CHICKEN

• TURKEY

• AMARANTH BISCUITS (?)

Houston, We Had A Problem

Hey, everyone, long time, no see.  I don't think I've ever taken a one-week break from this blog since I started it, never mind two weeks!  No excuse for not at least publishing a couple of entries, for God's sake, but I have to admit that the following things happened in a three-day span a few weeks ago, and they've kept me busy:

--Crunch-time at the job; lots of things due that had to be done right, and on-time.  I did both of those, but that takes a lot outta ya when you don't sleep for a few straight days.

--Consistent and pounding migraines, which drove me to an ENT specialist, then to other specialists.  An MRI or two later, no terrible news, but acupuncture, massage, meditation and medication, and simple body exercises were in order.

--Gutting the whole bathroom, and replacing the boiler, of another place I rent out.  This cost just over five-figures.

--My first shipment of the magazine came in.  Lots of meeting up with family members and old friends in the last few weeks so they could get a copy.  That was lotsa fun--and I have to admit that I bought a $15 hand-made, blue, white, red and silver pen (writes blue) to autograph the magazine with.  And I lost it at a restaurant, and a week later, found it again.

--Mucho writing and reading.  I mean, that's what THIS is all for, right?

--Other things happening with family and at home, and an overall feeling of being worn-out.  Very worn-out.

BUT I'M BACK!!!

I'm back, feeling better, and ready to write more here, and the real stuff, and send more out, including a novel manuscript or two, and some nonfiction pieces, ready to get more and more stuff published, and :::insert Howard Dean rebel yell here:::

So thank you, everyone, for the kind emails you've sent, asking if I was okay.  (I was, mostly.)  And hello to my new fans, of the story, and/or of the blog.  Thanks for your patience and for hangin' in there with(out) me.

It's good to be back.