What Does "Flare Free" Mean
Hi there!
I'm Laura Rodriguez, holistic chef, autoimmune warrior and backyard farmer. I have reversed several different diet and lifestyle related illnesses by embracing a plant rich, whole foods, anti-inflammatory diet that is free of gluten, dairy, sugar, corn and soy. And I'm on a mission to help you do the same.
I used to advertise my food as being gluten/dairy/sugar free but it really is more than that. So that's when I coined the term "Flare Free" meaning: a style of cooking/eating that won't cause autoimmune flare-ups.
The basic tenet of cooking and eating Flare Free is this:
Increase your intake of anti-inflammatory foods and 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, anti-oxidants, phytochemicals and omega 3s. Inflammatory foods would be the exact opposite.
So what are some examples of those?
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS YOU'LL FIND IN MY RECIPES:
-Colorful in-season fruits and vegetables (organic if they're on the Dirty Dozen List)
-Gluten free whole grains
-Organic pasture-raised lean meat + eggs
-Wild caught seafood
-Raw nuts and seeds
-Beans and legumes
-Healthy fats
INFLAMMATORY FOODS YOU WON'T FIND IN MY RECIPES:
-Corn
-Soy
-Hydrogenated industrial nut/seed oils
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)
4.) If you're using processed foods, reach for varieties that have 5 identifiable ingredients or less listed on the back. Avoid packaged items that contain hard to pronounce ingredients.
Save or print these graphics for reference when you're shopping!
If you need more help, reach out! All members of the Flare Free Cooking Academy get my list of 1:1 Flare Free Substitutions for commonly used gluten/dairy/sugar/corn/soy filled ingredients and a list of Functional Medical Professionals to Follow online for free trustworthy information on how food can be used as medicine.
To learn more about how to become a member, click here.
More Resources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3992527/
https://drhyman.com/blog/2021/12/13/podcast-ep461/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nVJKHWn16w