I haven’t talked about it much here, but last year I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I went vegan shortly after for non-related reasons, but living on a vegan diet definitely helps control my flare-ups and swelling. I still get them on occasion, but they are much more manageable.

I had one today, so I wanted to take this opportunity to share what I eat on days where I’m not feeling well and everything hurts.

Breakfast: avocado toast. Avocados are a great source of anti-inflammatory healthy fats, and it’s a filling breakfast. I top mine with nutritional yeast and cayenne pepper.

Snacks: Sriracha potato chips from Sprouts with the leftover avocado from breakfast. Not the healthiest, but today was a lazy day.

I also picked up a kombucha from Sprouts. I never feel like eating on days like today, but having some kombucha or a bit of apple cider vinegar helps my stomach. The probiotics are also supposed to help your immune system, which I definitely need help with. I drank half of this bottle.

Lunch: a mini bagel with some homemade soup. This one’s a combination of sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, Boca veggie ground crumbles, cucumbers, onions, garlic, cilantro, parsley, carrots, and tomatoes that we blended to use as a vegetable broth. This was our solution to cleaning out the fridge. I topped the bagel with some tofu sour cream.

Dinner: leftover rice, beans, mushrooms, and veggies with tofu sour cream in a tortilla.

That’s what a lazy day of eating looks like for me. I stayed home, watched cartoons, and relaxed. I feel my diet has helped a lot with the arthritis, and I couldn’t recommend a vegan diet enough. Let me know what some of your quick and easy go-to vegan meals are below!