An anti-inflammatory diet

GINGER CARROT SOUP WITH INDIAN SPICES

3 tblspns coconut oil (or Rapeseed oil)
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp curry powder (I like a bit of a kick so used a dessertspoon of hot curry powder)
1 tblspn minced ginger (I used a one inch nub of peeled fresh ginger and grated it)
3 cups thinly-sliced carrots - this is about 12 oz/340 g - 4 largish ones
1 1/2 tspn grated lime peel (scrubbed first to remove any pesticide residue) 
2 red onions, chopped
Four cups vegetable broth (I made my own veg stock using up the cabbagey bits and some craggy carrots etc sifted from a stir fry pack, and added veg trimmings from the pack I have in the freezer and add to when I prep veg.)
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tblspn low fat yoghurt

Grind the mustard and coriander seeds.  Heat some coconut oil in the pan on medium high.  Add the ground mustard seed and coriander powder and stir for 30 secs.  Throw in ginger and stir for 30 secs.  

Add onions, carrot and lime peel.

Stir for 2 mins and add 3 cups veg broth.  Bring to boil and them simmer for around 30 mins or so until carrots are tender and cool.  Puree.  Pour back into pan and add around 1 cup veg. broth.

Bring to boil and cook on simmer for 5 mins.  Stir in lemon juice and seasoning.  Garnish with yoghurt.

I'll put up a photo of it in a bowl when I have some at lunchtime.  Recipe from a book of Anti-inflammatory recipes I have on my Kindle.  There seem to be dozens of this sort of book available now.  Inflammation is at the bottom of so many diseases and gut-health is now seeming to be of extreme importance to health.

Since the worsening of my asthma seems to be partly gut-related as it is immediately obvious that I have eaten something I shouldn't, I am on a low-histamine diet, and including as many anti-inflammatory recipes as possible. This is a whole new way of eating - I am normally a bung-it cook, just making the same recipes I have always eaten - tasty meat-based dishes with tomatoes/onions/beans/veg. Think Spag. Bol, curries, casseroles, chillis etc. Now the larder is full of tins of various beans and glass storage jars filled with Quinoa, Bulgar wheat, Cous-cous, Millet, Brown Rice, Red Rice, Barley and all sorts of other whole grains, plus a gigantic earthenware jar full of rolled oats . . .  My comfort zone is definitely being pinched!

So, we shall see how much this helps - I do know if I eat Dairy at the moment I get a "hit" with my breathing, so am having to avoid that but hope to start introducing a probiotic yoghurt - and Kefir - again soon (desperately needed to recolonize my gut as my recent gut microbiome test revealed the total absence of several very necessary "good guys" in my microbiome.  That's the result of being on antibiotics for 3 years because the GP couldn't be bothered to have a sputum test done to see what was causing the repeat infections . . .)

Anyway, I see my Asthma clinic nurse next month and am hoping she will get me into the system to go and see someone in the Immunology department at Cardiff Hospital to try and turn this round.

Sorry, I'm wittering.  Been up since 4.15 a.m. and have time to kill as I can't do housework whilst Keith's still asleep.