Nutrition to Fight Pain and Disease
By: Dr. John Wertish
As a Chiropractor I’m always looking for ways to lower inflammation that causes pain, whether it’s through nutrition, physical movement or managing stress. I teach my patients that along with the chiropractic adjustment to keep them moving well, proper nutrition plays a big role in keeping inflammation down. This recipe will not only help fight pain and disease, it is also super easy and delicious.
Ground turkey can be bland, but the meatloaf gives it a unique flavor. This has been a Sunday meal prep for my family or a healthy go to that is quick and easy to make during the work week. To mimic some mashed potatoes, we substituted potatoes with cauliflower to get some of our daily intake of vegetables that are going to be high in vitamin C, vitamin B6, and minerals such as manganese. The turkey we make sure is organic, antibiotic free, and pasture raised to maximize the nutritional value of the meat and avoid harmful chemicals from processing.
Here is a quote from a research article on Cauliflower:
“Cauliflower, like broccoli and cabbage, belongs to the cruciferous (Brassicaceae) family of vegetables, which has been shown to be effective in fighting certain forms of cancer. Cauliflower is so closely related to broccoli that both are designated as the same variety of the cruciferous family, which not only share the wonderful phytochemicals, but also contain nutritive value of vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C, calcium, iron, phosphorous, and fat to help fight diseases”
Ingredients:
Turkey Meatloaf:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Topping:
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil
- Pinch of salt
Cauliflower Mash:
- chopped 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons milk
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- fresh herbs (optional, for garnish)
Instructions:
Turkey Meatloaf
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl combine turkey, almond flour, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 3 tablespoons chopped basil, egg, garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix until evenly combined. Ball up all of the meat mixture and place on a foil lined baking sheet, then form it into a loaf shape, about 8 inches x 4 inches in shape.
- In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon chopped basil and pinch of salt. Spoon this mixture over the meatloaf and spread evenly over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.
Cauliflower Mash
- Bring a large cooking pot of salted water to boil. Add the cauliflower florets and turn the heat down to medium. Cook covered for 15 minutes until cauliflower is soft and tender. When the cauliflower is ready, remove from heat and drain.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for about 2 minutes until fragrant and soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a food proccesser, add the cooked cauliflower, sautéed garlic with the butter it was cooked in, milk, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Puree on high until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Serve hot and sprinkle some fresh herbs (such as parsley, chives or rosemary) and freshly cracked black pepper on top.
References
Ahmed FA, Ali RF. Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of fresh and processed white cauliflower. Biomed Res Int. 2013;2013:367819. doi: 10.1155/2013/367819. Epub 2013 Sep 22. PMID: 24171164; PMCID: PMC3793502.
Our Message
If you’re looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our Chiropractors located in McKinney, near the corner of Eldorado Pkwy. and Stonebridge Dr., will teach you what the research says about how and why we should eat a better diet, move more and have more positive thoughts. By improving these areas of our lives we can become healthier and stay out of pain!