Six Tastes Kitchen

Healing Food Series
I started a new page titled, Healing Food on this blog and this recipe is first of its series on Alkaline Food for Gouty Arthritis.

Alkaline Foods for Gouty Arthritis

According to Mayo Clinic, “Gout is a painful form of arthritis and it occurs when high levels of uric acid in the blood cause crystals to form and accumulate around the joint. Uric acid is eliminated from the body in the form of urine.”

For people suffering with chronic gout, changing of the diet is often advised by doctors to manage the pain or help the symptoms such as joint pain. Mayo Clinic agreed that gout diet may help decrease uric acid levels in the blood. Further, it says “While a gout diet is not a cure, it may lower the risk of recurring painful gout attacks and slow the progression of joint damage. Medication is also needed to manage pain and to lower levels of uric acid.”

WebMD recommended 11 ways to manage a gout diet in this powerful slideshow. It’s well worth clicking through.

One site known for its profound research on herbs and their healing qualities, Herbs Info mentioned that by simply tweaking one’s diet to include more alkaline foods (which are mostly greens and other fruits and vegetables) it may help reduce the symptoms of gouty arthritis. “An alkaline diet is typically high in vegetable and legume intake – food that has high pH or low acid content. An alkaline diet can include the following food:  Rye bread*,  Tofu,  Okra,  Green soybeans (edamame)*, Carrots, Green leafy vegetables, Tomato, Red and yellow pepper,  Pumpkin (or any squash)*, Green onion,   Cucumber,  Cabbage,  Lettuce, Garlic, Dried seaweed*, and Olive oil*.”  [* The above items were used in this recipe.]

With all these information I gathered, I came up with simple recipes that contained or used all of the alkaline foods identified above. I added some important spices and seasoning for flavors and I tried to make the procedures as simple as possible to retain the foods’ natural healing elements.

This recipe, Edamame and Squash on Rye Bruschetta, is first of its series. You probably noticed that there’s no salt in the ingredients since I only included it at the end of the recipe and only a tad to sprinkle on top of the bruschetta since salt is one seasoning that people who have chronic gout are often advised to cut down or totally eliminate especially during the breakout of pain.

Also, I used spices that are known to be anti-inflammatory such as turmeric, cayenne, garlic, and cinnamon. The rest of the spices I used just to add flavor in the absence of salt.

I also picked the pumpernickel rye bread since I like its coarse texture besides it’s one of the healthiest bread out there. It’s gluten-free since its flour is made from coarsely-ground whole rye berries.

You can keep this in the refrigerator for at least a week and use for breakfast and even as dip

Edamame and Squash on Rye Bruschetta
Yield: 1 bowl (2 lbs)

We need —
* edamame (green soy beans) – 1 pack frozen 14 oz
* acorn squash – medium size
* dry seaweed (Nori or whatever brand) – 2 sheets
* extra virgin olive oil – ¼ cup
* seasoning and spices – garlic powder (2 tsp), onion powder (1 tsp), cinnamon (1 tsp), cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp), turmeric (1/2 tsp), black pepper (1/4 tsp)
* rye bread or pumpernickel rye bread –

To prepare —

1. Wash, cut in half, take the gut out of acorn squash and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.

2. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add the edamame soy beans. Boil for 25 minutes.
    

3. Cut 2 sheets of dry seaweeds into strips and soak in a bowl with 2 cups of water. Leave it for 5 minutes then drain immediately. It won’t take that long to reconstitute it.

4. Portion out the spices.

5. Once edamame is cooked, drain it but save about 1 cup of its liquid aside. Put the beans in the processor and add little water at a time to get the processor going. We want it chunky not runny.

6. Scoop and add the squash in the processor. Once in a while I’d use fork to stir the stuff inside.
  

7. Add the seaweeds and olive oil in the processor and run it again for few seconds.

8. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and add in the spices and other seasoning.

9. Toast rye bread in the toaster each end as needed.

10. Spread the mixture on top of rye toast and sprinkle a little amount of salt on top.

11. Best served chilled.

Thank you for reading and healthy cooking!