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 (?)

Alexia Chamberlynn -- Book Launch: Martinis with the Devil

I'm very happy and super-excited to have my friend and fellow-scribe Alexia Chamberlynn as a guest blogger today, so we can talk about her newest novel, Martinis with the Devil, Part One.

Alexia says that Martinis is free for a couple of weeks at Smashwords and B & N, so please read our short interview below and snatch it up! Here are some links:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/622489


B & N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/martinis-with-the-devil-part-one-alexia-chamberlynn/1123516459?ean=2940152918359


Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Martinis-Devil-Part-Zyan-Star-ebook/dp/B01CXT1RR0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459961280&sr=1-1&keywords=chamberlynn


Let's start with a few words about your book. What's on the book flaps?


When offered a job on the Holy Representative’s special security team, bounty hunter Zyan Star couldn’t be less interested – until she finds out it’s her most hated of exes that they’re trying to track down. He broke her heart and dumped her, which in turn led to the loss of her soul at the hands of an immortal soul thief. Now she too exists on a diet of souls, with the occasional martini thrown in for good measure, and she’s had over two hundred years to fantasize about revenge. She just didn’t quite imagine it playing out alongside the emissaries of Heaven.

Working with Eli, the uptight angel that heads up the HR’s security, is just about as much fun as Zy expects. He of course wants her vampire ex brought to justice through legal avenues, which is very inconvenient and incredibly boring. As she dives into the case, however, she realizes there’s more at stake than her plot for payback. Like, the free will of mankind, and preventing the minions of hell from taking over the sovereign dimensions.

This job is going to push her to the limits of her abilities, and there’s just a slight problem with that: the powers she’s suppressed for centuries after losing control of them are exactly the powers she’s going to need to save the HR, end her millennia-old ex and stop Lucifer’s little plot to join the party and invade Earth.

Savior of humanity? Not so much. Or so she thought.


Heartbreak, martinis and revenge! Niiiiiiiiiiice! That's how it should always be! Now about you.What would your book's author blurb say?


Alexia lives in Florida. When she's not writing or reading, she can be found playing with horses, drinking wine, traveling to the next place on her global wish list, or maybe doing yoga. She is represented by Sandy Lu of the L. Perkins Agency.


When did you start writing?


I started writing stories when I was about five and never stopped. At around ten I submitted my first story to a magazine (Ranger Rick!) and got my first rejection. At twelve I attempted my first novel, which was about horses.


Good call! I sent a crappy poem to the New Yorker when I was about ten so I could get the first rejection out of the way! What kind of stuff do you like to write?


Fantasy, specifically contemporary or urban fantasy. It’s my favorite thing to read and write, because I absolutely love magic and the fantastical. I like to be taken on an adventure outside the usual realms of possibility. Being struck with inspiration for a new story, and then entering that raw, creative stage of the first draft. Anything is possible, and it’s just the best feeling ever. Some people are scared of the blank page, but I love it. Writing is magic.


Definitely. It keeps ya sane. What do you do when you're not writing?


I have a horse, and I train with him (he’s still young). I also do yoga, and I like to walk, and occasionally jog. Also a big foodie, so trying new recipes is fun (and drinking wine while I’m cooking!). Traveling is also a big love of mine. And reading, of course.


I love reading, too. Fiction is a great teacher, and a great escape! Who are your favorite authors?


Neil Gaiman is my current favorite. I also love Maggie Stiefvater, Erin Morgenstern and Laini Taylor. My early inspirations were Tolkien, Tad Williams, Tamora Pierce, Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman, and then a bit later Laurell K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff.


My first story was "A Christmas Carole," which was really a holiday card for my Mom, named [see title], one Christmas when she was really sick. I was seven, so I can't vouch for the quality! What inspired you to start writing?


I didn’t have that one defining moment that writers talk about. I’ve just always loved books and written my own stories. As I mentioned above, it was young, around when I was five. The first thing I remember writing was a story about a girl getting a pony for Christmas, which I wrote to manipulate my parents!


Hey, I hope that worked and you got that pony! Now--vampires! What's your favorite thing vampire?


My first foray into urban fantasy was through Laurell K. Hamilton and her Anita Blake vampire hunter series. I also loved Buffy. I mean, she's so fun. That's one thing that I like about Zyan is that she's fun. Not too serious, not too dark. She doesn't take much seriously. I also loved the first Underworld movie.


Yeah--Kate Beckinsale kickin' butt! Speaking of that, your heroine, Zyan Star, has a kickass job--a bounty hunter! What's the most kickass job you've ever had?


Hmmm. Probably my most kickass job was as a horse trainer and equine massage therapist. Of course, being a writer is pretty kickass. You get to create worlds, breathe life into characters, and hold the balance of good and evil in your hands :)


Very true. Okay, to finish up: Drinks and Devils. Besides Satan himself, what other badass would you like to have a drink and a chat with?


Probably Death. I mean, what an interesting job! I'd love to find out more about it.


Okay, now the drink. My favorite martini is boringly traditional: Ketel One, dirty, with olives, rocks on the side. What's yours?


I like flavored ones. Probably my favorite is a key lime martini (maybe because I'm from Florida). I've also had really great creamsicle martinis and a chocolate/butterscotch one that was to die for! Basically, dessert in a glass, but with a kick :)


Thanks, Alexia!


If bounty hunters, angels, vampires, heartbreak, martinis and the Devil--all mashed together in an urban fantasy romp--sounds good to you, please get a free copy (available for the next few weeks) of Alexia's book, Martinis with the Devil, Part One, available now at the following links, provided again below for your convenience:


Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/622489


B & N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/martinis-with-the-devil-part-one-alexia-chamberlynn/1123516459?ean=2940152918359


Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Martinis-Devil-Part-Zyan-Star-ebook/dp/B01CXT1RR0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459961280&sr=1-1&keywords=chamberlynn