Pinky Finger Food

Well, the arthritis has struck again! Almost two years to the date of the last (and first) flare-up, my little left pinky finger is red, itchy and swollen, and I'm back on the elimination diet of misery. It's not so bad. I can still eat meat, vegetables and fruit. But wheat, dairy, coffee, alcohol and sugar? Nooo. Mornings without coffee are like days without sunshine; and since we have a lot of days without sunshine, mornings have become especially dark. Though I will say this for breaking the caffeine habit (again): after a couple of days, you wake up feeling remarkably alert; instead of plodding downstairs like a zombie, you fairly prance down the steps on the way to herbal tea. I can't decide if the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed perk of going without compensates for the absence of strong, dark, hot liquid in one's mouth. And since that sentence veered so far from its humble intention, let's move on.

I don't understand why a 30-year old woman would get arthritis of the finger, but my naturopath (who speaks in riddles, like a Korean Yoda) tells me it's a good thing, as it's better to store toxins in the joints than in the organs. Because of this, he thinks that I'll probably live a long, cranky life of creaky bones. Nevertheless, it's best not to store toxins anywhere, and thus we come back to the Diet, which is supposed to set things aright. So for the next little while I'm going to focus on the simple foods that I'm eating to detox, in the hopes that it will help someone out there who needs to do the same, for whatever reason. The recipe below isn't much, but it makes a quick and filling breakfast. To feel even more virtuous, you can leave out the yolk.

Breakfast of Champions: Avocado and Egg Duet
1/2-1 ripe avocado
1-2 hard-boiled eggs (I use 1 egg and 3/4 avocado)
coarse sea salt pepper
1. To boil the egg(s): Place 1 or more eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Boil the egg(s) for 1 minute. Then, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let sit for 10-13 minutes. This should yield a firm but creamy yolk. Run eggs under cold water and peel the shell.
2. While the eggs are cooking, slice an avocado into cubes. Put into a bowl.
3. Crumble or dice the egg(s) and add to the avocado. Season liberally with sea salt and pepper. A squeeze of lemon or lime wouldn't be amiss, either.