Monica Aggarwal - Body on Fire Anti-Inflammatory Cookbook

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request. We chose to print this title on responsibly harvested paper stock certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an independent auditor of responsible forestry practices. For more information, visit us.fsc.org. 2022 by Monica Aggarwal, MD, and Jyothi Rao, MD All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, except for brief quotations in reviews, without written permission from the publisher. Food photography: Alan Roettinger
Cover photos: Alan Roettinger
Stock photography: 123 RF
Cover and interior design: John Wincek Printed in the United States of America Disclaimer: The information in this book is presented for educational purposes only.

It isnt intended to be a substitute for the medical advice of a physician, dietitian, or other health-care professional. BPC
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bookpubco.com ISBN: 978-1-57067-407-5 27 26 25 24 23 22 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Cardiologist, Dr. Monica Aggarwal and Internist, Dr. Jyothi Rao have written an informative book about the importance of inflammation as a trigger for chronic illness. They talk about how to reduce those triggers with lifestyle changes. Dr. Dr.

Aggarwals personal journey with illness is a backdrop for these changes. I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to be empowered to be healthy and live a long, full life. DEAN ORNISH, M.D. Founder & President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute
Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
author, UnDo It! Drs. Monica Aggarwal and Jyothi Raos book is the reference text for many decades of a life free of disease. They define in depth the essential components of nutrition, the microbiome, hydration, mental tranquility, sleep, exercise, and more. CALDWELL B. CALDWELL B.

ESSELSTYN, JR, MD author of New York Times best-seller Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease A wonderful book! If you want to capture the best from your mind, follow this fantastic guide about how to treat your body. BARBARA OAKLEY, PHD Author New York Times science best-seller A Mind for Numbers Y ou have one life and one body. It is essential to make decisions that keep that body healthy throughout your lifetime. When you were young, you may have believed that you were invincible and that your body could handle anything. As a result, you may have been reckless with your choices, and your body suffered as a result. Today, more than ever before, there is a great deal of pressure to be good at everything you attempt.

Consequently, you could end up sacrificing sleep, exercise, and tranquility, and you might make poor choices about what you put into your body. Perhaps you have demanded so much from your body without giving it sufficient time to recover that it has essentially fallen apartnot because it is weak but rather because it is broken. Monica Aggarwal, MD, experienced this brokenness when she was a young full-time cardiologist, wife, and mother of three children under the age of four. She became sick with a debilitating autoimmune condition. When the doctor becomes the patient, she changes. She learns how to be a better physician, discovers what patients really need from their doctors, and realizes that patients often leave their doctors office without getting what they need.

She learns how easy it is for doctors to prescribe medications, and how those same medications can make patients feel like hell. She learns about mortality, compassion, vulnerability, and imperfection. A catharsis of sorts, illness became Dr. Aggarwals savior, because it was through illness that she learned how to truly heal her patients. Coauthor Jyothi Rao, MD, was frustrated with prescribing countless medications that were nothing more than a way to mask symptoms. The drugs never spoke to true healing.

She gave up her traditional practice in internal medicine and started one in integrative medicine instead. She has never looked back. Together, we had countless discussions about the other side of healing the one beyond medications. Our common goal has been to empower people to heal themselves by eating wholesome foods with anti-inflammatory spices, using movement and stress-reduction techniques, getting restorative sleep, having a positive outlook, and incorporating many other self-healing approaches. We wrote Body on Fire as a resource for people who are seeking tools to heal themselvestools that can be used instead of or in addition to medications. We wanted to offer these tools to patients so they could be in the drivers seat and have more control over their health.

We came up with the title for the book because it accurately and concisely describes inflammation. The road to healing isnt always easy, but it is definitely worth following. We both walk this path alongside traditional medicine and are pleased to offer options other than pharmaceuticals that can help patients heal. We are thankful every day to be healthy, strong, and free of illness. Many readers of Body on Fire have told us that they love the book but need more guidance on how to get started and what steps to take next. Many people asked for recipes, while others asked for more explanation about how specific foods could benefit them.

We set out to write this companion volume to reiterate essential concepts from the main book, offer insight into why certain foods are health-supporting, and provide a how-to-start manual with an abundance of recipes. Broadly speaking, people get sick because of inflammation, which is essentially the bodys response to the stresses placed on it. Inflammation allows illness to grow, which is why this book focuses on calming inflammation. We hope that you enjoy using it as a companion to Body on Fire as much as we enjoyed writing it. Dont try to accomplish all your goals in one day. Change takes time.

But dont be afraid to use the tools you have to heal. Take the word cant out of your vocabulary. Ask yourself if some habits are worth giving up so you can have more energy, be free of joint pain, walk without chest pain, get off a few or all of your medications, and be happier with your life. We hope your answer is unequivocally yes. Accept what your body has to give and push it just a bit further. Know that you can do this.

Know that we are with you. Be well. I nflammation is the bodys response to injury. The injury could be from a physical assault or be triggered by an intruder (such as a virus or bacteria). The job of the immune system is to recognize which cells are intrinsic and which are foreign. When an unwanted intruder enters the body, the body responds by sending out insult responders to heal the damage from the assault.