🍳 Breakfast Bibimbap with Poached Eggs (~20 minutes)

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks

• 1 courgette (zucchini), cut into matchsticks

• 1 red onion, sliced

• 100g shiitake mushrooms, sliced

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 185g cooked quinoa (or 195g cooked brown rice)

• 1½ tsp each chopped basil & mint

• ½ tsp sesame seeds

• 4 poached eggs

• Pinch of salt

• Sriracha (optional)

Method

• Cook the quinoa first: if raw, simmer in water for about 30 minutes until tender, then drain and set aside. If already cooked, just reheat in the microwave for a couple of minutes. (Using brown rice instead? Cook according to packet instructions).

• Fry the carrot, courgette (zucchini), and red onion in ½ tsp sesame oil for about 3 minutes, until crisp-tender. Set aside.

• In the same pan, add ½ tsp sesame oil and fry the mushrooms undisturbed until browned, then add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Set aside.

• Add the remaining 1 tsp sesame oil to the pan and crisp up the quinoa or rice, about 4 minutes total, breaking it up halfway through.

• Divide the quinoa or rice between two bowls, then top with the sautéed veg, herbs, sesame seeds, and a poached egg each. Add hot sauce if you like. Serve immediately!

A savoury, protein-packed breakfast like this one tends to keep blood sugar (and energy) steadier than a sugary one - so you’re a lot less likely to have a crash later in the morning.

Enjoy! :)

Annabelle & Tom

If you know someone who’d enjoy this too, forwarding this post is the kindest thing you can do for us. And if you’ve got a favourite anti-inflammatory habit, recipe, or fact, tell us in the comments - we might feature it!

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🌿 Lifestyle tip of the week

This week we've been consistent with getting out the door for a walk first thing in the morning. We go for 10-20 minutes, without our phones, ensuring we start the day intentionally peaceful. There's something special about walking through London before the hustle and bustle kicks off - empty streets, quiet parks, the city still waking up alongside us. If you're somewhere greener, that same early stillness in the woods or by the coast has its own kind of magic. That first hit of morning sunlight kickstarts your circadian rhythm - your body's internal clock. For us, that's meant better sleep and steadier energy. It's one of those habits that feels like an effort at first and then quietly becomes the best part of our morning.

🍲 Dish of the week

Salmon en Papillote

Omega-3-rich salmon, antioxidant-packed veg, and a gentle steam-in-parchment method that locks in nutrients rather than cooking them away - a simple, colourful, anti-inflammatory plate. Enjoy :)

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 x salmon fillets

• 1 x kernel of corn, shaved

• 8 asparagus spears, ends trimmed, cut into small slices

• 80g cherry tomatoes

• 1x tbsp finely chopped herbs (basil, parsley, tarragon and dill)

• 1x sweet potato

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1x lemon cut into slices

• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C [400°F] and cut two 46-cm [18-in] sheets of parchment

2. Center a fish fillet on each sheet, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, then layer over two lemon slices

3. Scatter the corn, asparagus, and tomatoes evenly around each fillet, drizzle with a little more oil, and season again

4. Fold the parchment into a sealed packet - bring the long edges together first, then fold the ends in and twist them to lock in the steam

5. Bake for about 15 minutes until puffed and lightly browned, rest 5 minutes, then snip an X in the top of each packet, peel back, sprinkle with herbs, and serve straight away

🥡 Meal prep of the week

Moroccan Chicken / Tofu Salad

Warming Moroccan spices, crisp roasted chickpeas, bright pomegranate, and a tahini-ginger dressing that pulls it all together - with chicken for some of us and tofu for others, this one's a go-to meal prep for us :)

Ingredients (2 chicken, 2 tofu)

• 200g kale, stems removed, shredded

• 2x medium sweet potatoes, cubed

• 1x can (400g) chickpeas, drained and patted dry

• 2x chicken breasts

• 200g firm tofu, pressed and cubed

• ½ cup pomegranate seeds

• Spice rub: cumin, coriander, cinnamon, smoked paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, salt, pepper, olive oil

• Dressing: 4 tbsp tahini, 2 cloves garlic, fresh ginger, juice of 1½ lemons, 1–2 tbsp manuka honey, water, salt

Method

1. Press the tofu between paper towels with something heavy on top for 10 minutes, then massage the kale with a little olive oil and lemon juice to soften it

2. Toss the sweet potato with cinnamon and the chickpeas with cumin, then air fry separately until crisp - about 15 minutes for the sweet potato, 10 for the chickpeas

3. Coat the chicken and tofu in the spice rub, then air fry the chicken until cooked through (about 20 minutes) and air fry the tofu until crisp (about 15 minutes)

4. Whisk together the dressing, adding water gradually until it’s pourable

5. Layer kale, sweet potato, chickpeas and pomegranate into each container, top two with chicken and two with tofu, and keep the dressing on the side until ready to eat

🔬 Science of the Week

The link between inflammation and disease

A widely-cited review in Nature Medicine looked at decades of research on “chronic low-grade inflammation” - the kind that simmers quietly in the background rather than the acute, obvious kind (like a cut or infection). The researchers found this slow-burn inflammation is linked to a striking range of conditions as we age, from heart disease and diabetes to depression and cognitive decline, and pointed to diet, stress, sedentary behaviour, and poor sleep as key everyday drivers. It’s a good reminder that our small habits - sleep, movement, what’s on our plate - are doing quiet work behind the scenes, long before anything feels “wrong.”

Source: Furman, D. et al. (2019). Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span. Nature Medicine. Read here

👋 The highlight of our week

Watching the football World Cup

England vs. Democratic Republic of Congo, Round of 32), at our local pub in London. Tough but convincing win for England!

Thanks for reading and see you next Sunday 💛

Annabelle & Tom

If you know someone who'd enjoy this too, forwarding this newsletter is the kindest thing you can do for us. And if you've got a favourite anti-inflammatory habit, recipe, or fact, tell us in the comments - we might feature it!

Subscribe now

After 12 years of chronic acne, which persisted despite several rounds of medication, Annabelle went looking for a longer-term solution. She came across the anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle, which really helped her skin. Not only did her skin improve, Annabelle experienced many other positive changes - more energy, a clearer mind and less bloating. This experience motivated her to study the healing power of food, and she's now training in naturopathic nutrition. It also inspired her to start sharing her journey on social media - spreading the message to those who might benefit from following an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle.

Tom's path is different. He's dealt with chronic back pain from a young age - the kind no amount of physio ever fully touched. Over time he came to see it wasn't only physical; a lot of it was tied to stress and how he was feeling beneath the surface. Tom's a community person at heart, happier building people up than competing against them, and carrying that tension for years took a real toll. Anti-inflammatory living started as a way to manage the back pain, but like Annabelle, he found it reached further than that and it pointed him toward building something with people, alongside her.

What to expect

Posting every Sunday, free for subscribers. Posts will include:

• Cooking & recipes: the easy, repeatable kind you’ll actually make again

• Beyond the plate: sleep, stress, movement and other lifestyle shifts that turned out to matter as much as the food

• What we’re learning: deep dives into the latest science and what it means for you

Thanks for being here at the very start. It means a lot.

Annabelle & Tom