These Recipes Helped Me Kick My Antacid Habit

An extra large bottle of Tums used to sit on my nightstand, and I’d reach for it almost every night when acid indigestion woke me up. I thought that’s just the way it goes, hearing similar complaints from friends and family. But that’s before I discovered an anti-inflammatory diet.

Kale salad for breakfast? You bet! Photo by Kelly Cline

It’s Not a Depravation Diet

Now, I absolutely HATE to diet. I’ve tried a long list of them over the years and while they might have helped me drop a pound or two, I’d always drop the routine and yo-yo back up. Diet has always meant deprivation, and as soon as I can’t have something, I want it. Human nature, right?

The anti-inflammatory-style diet started getting attention a few years ago when lifestyle guru Dr. Andrew Weil touted its benefits. The basic premise is a focus on eating more whole grains, fruits, veggies and seafood, ingredients that don’t cause inflammation. It’s not exactly revolutionary, but Dr. Weil’s calm, reasoned approach really spoke to me:

“The Anti-Inflammatory Diet is not a diet in the popular sense – it is not intended as a weight-loss program (although people can and do lose weight on it), nor is the Anti-Inflammatory Diet an eating plan to stay on for a limited period of time. Rather, it is way of selecting and preparing anti-inflammatory foods based on scientific knowledge of how they can help your body maintain optimum health,” he writes on his website. Harvard Medical School, among others, have also trumpeted the benefits of eating more tomatoes, leafy greens, fatty fish like cedar plank grilled salmon and nuts.

Cedar plank grilled salmon is a fave on the anti-inflammatory diet. Photo by Meredith

Getting Started

Cutting way down on bread and pasta was the biggest adjustment, but soon, I got used to eating morning eggs and sauteed kale without toast, and subbing in veggie zoodles for noodles. Salad for breakfast is now a regular thing and while I still indulge occasionally in chips and salsa, I’ve learned to love roasted broccoli as a snack. I now make a point of eating an apple a day, munch on carrots regularly, and reach for a hand full of almonds when hunger pangs hit.

To satisfy the craving for grilled meats, I’ve learned to love grilled and roasted veggies. And guess what? After eating the anti-inflammatory diet for a couple of months, I no longer need to gobble Tums. It’s been an amazing turnaround. Here are a few of my fave veggie recipes I’ve made part of my regular meal plan since embracing this lifestyle change:

Barbequed Cabbage

Cabbage caramelizes so well, as the natural sugars turn golden when kissed by flames. I skip the bacon on top, but even if you go with everyone’s favorite pork product, it’s a lot healthier than a bacon cheese burger.

Photo by bd.weld

Roasted Cauliflower

It’s a huge stretch to call this popular cruciferous vegetable as satisfying as a big, beefy steak, especially if you’re an omnivore. Still, it fills up a plate nicely, and when dipped in a green-powered chimichurri steak sauce, it exceeded my expectation for a stand-in for meat.

Photo by Rock_lobster

Roasted Garlic Lemon Broccoli

It’s shockingly simple and goes from prep-to-table in about 30 minutes, this one is also easy to embellish. Add potatoes, cauliflower, carrots or whatever’s in the produce drawer and you’ve got a veg-centric sheet pan dinner.

Photo by Meredith

Explore More

• What You Should Know About the Keto Diet
• Get the Skinny on Elimination Diets
• 26 Recipes that Have America Loving the Mediterranean Diet
• Paleo Diet: The Basics

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