What The Heck Does "Flare Free" Mean

Laura Rodriguez
Mar 8, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Apr 3

Hi there!

I'm Laura Rodriguez - Holistic Chef and Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior.

I've reversed several different diet and lifestyle related illnesses by embracing a plant rich, whole foods, anti-inflammatory diet and I'm on a mission to help other foodies with autoimmunity like you do the same!

If you're new here, you'll hear me describe my food as "Flare Free" And you may be wondering just exactly what that means.

"Flare Free" means gluten, dairy, sugar, corn, soy, peanut-free and anti-inflammatory comfort food that won't cause autoimmune flare-ups.

(So food that's also free of factory farmed meat and eggs, farmed seafood, industrially refined nut and seed oils like canola oil and vegetable oil, and pesticide laden produce.)

THE BASIC TENET OF COOKING FLARE FREE IS THIS:

1.) Increase your intake of anti-inflammatory foods and...

2.) Decrease your intake inflammatory foods.

Which begs the question:

"What is inflammation and what's it got to do with food?"

This is a great article to read by Dr. Mark Hyman that address both of those questions.

In general, anti-inflammatory foods are foods that are rich in inflammation fighting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals and omega 3s. Inflammatory foods would be the exact opposite.

So, what are some examples of those?

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS TO EAT MORE OF:

Colorful in-season fruits and vegetables (organic if they're on the Dirty Dozen List)
Gluten free whole grains
Organic pasture-raised and grass-fed meat + eggs
Wild caught seafood
Raw nuts and seeds
Beans and legumes
Healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, expeller pressed avocado oil, virgin coconut oil and organic grass-fed ghee
Good quality, low-glycemic gluten alternatives
Good quality, no sugar added and soy-free dairy alternatives (bonus if they don't contain those inflammatory nut and seed oils like canola/soybean oil)

PRO-INFLAMMATORY FOODS TO EAT LESS OF:

Ultra-Processed Foods
Fast Food
Refined Foods like white flour, white sugar, white rice, etc.
Soda and Sugary Drinks
Gluten
Dairy
Sugar
Corn
Soy
Factory farmed meat
Farmed fish
Hydrogenated industrial nut/seed oils
Dirty dozen fruits + veg

This may seem overwhelming, I know.

A FEW GOOD RULES OF THUMB:

1.) Reach for one ingredient items (IE: zucchini, garlic, brown rice, etc. - organic if they're on the Dirty Dozen List)

2.) Reach for organic grass-fed and/or pasture raised meats and wild caught seafood

3.) Omit gluten, dairy and sugar (moderate consumption of raw dairy from pasture raised sheep/goats may be tolerable for some - not advised if you're new to healing autoimmunity and have leaky gut (a precursor for autoimmunity))

4.) If you're using packaged foods, reach for varieties that have less than 10 identifiable, whole food ingredients listed on the back. Avoid packaged items that contain a litany of hard to pronounce ingredients.

P.S. If you're still feeling overwhelmed, I totally understand!

But don't fret.

The absolute easiest way to eat Flare Free is simply by following my recipes!

You can find plenty of them right here on my blog.

If you want a handy-dandy copy of my Flare Free Grocery Guide PDF to print out (no opt-in required), simply DM me the word, "GUIDE" on Instagram and I'll email it to you!

xo,

Laura