How to eat a low inflammation diet….Today's post:  Tuesday, 12-19-2017 

A bit over two weeks ago on Sunday, 12-3 Medical News Today ran an article on how to eat a low inflammation diet.

The best resource so far for why to follow a low inflammation and even inflammation reducing lifestyle is still the book, Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber MD PhD that is available on Amazon.

In particular, he explains that excess omega 6 oils from grains and in animal fat in animals fed grains have been causing grave damage to people’s health because they increase chronic inflammation enough to cause disease: many cancers, heart attacks and strokes, Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of mental decline.

He finds that massively increasing whole organic vegetables and cooked tomato sauce and onions and garlic tends to have both an anti-inflammatory effect and some direct anti-cancer effects.

Using only extra virgin olive oil to completely avoid using soy or corn or canola oils also helps.

(A recent study found that regular use of canola oil caused so much inflammation that it caused Alzheimer’s like changes in the people using it! It IS cheaper than extra virgin olive oil; but this suggest using it as little as possible!  Canola oil is still added to foods that are otherwise made of only health giving foods that this IS more difficult than it should be!)

He also says that eating wild caught fish and seafood high in omega 3 oils really helps as those are directly anti-inflammatory; AND taking turmeric or curcumin with black pepper doubles or triples the effect of everything else.

[Doing that and also eating or taking ginger also lowers small particle LDL I later found out!]

This Medical News Today article covers low inflammation eating and includes many of the more recent discoveries.  I decided the topic was useful enough to list and also because in that post they mostly do a good and complete job – and add my comments in brackets like I just did in my LDL comment.

Anti-inflammatory diet: What to know

http://mnt.to/du/4Kpp

An anti-inflammatory diet involves eating certain foods and avoiding others in order to minimize the symptoms of chronic inflammatory diseases.

Anti-inflammatory diet: What to know 

       Sun 3 December 2017  By Jenna Fletcher

The human body uses inflammation to help fight illness and also protect areas from further harm. In most cases, inflammation is a necessary part of the healing process.

However, some medical conditions cause faulty inflammatory responses. These are called chronic inflammatory diseases.

One of the best measures a person can take to prevent or reduce inflammation is to try an anti-inflammatory diet. An anti-inflammatory diet involves eating certain foods and avoiding others in order to minimize the symptoms of chronic inflammatory diseases.

Contents of this article:

What is an anti-inflammatory diet?

What conditions can an anti-inflammatory diet help?

Foods to eat

Foods to avoid

Anti-inflammatory diet tips

What is inflammation?

What is an anti-inflammatory diet?

An anti-inflammatory diet consists of foods that reduce inflammatory responses. This diet involves replacing sugary, refined foods with whole, nutrient-rich foods.

An anti-inflammatory diet also contains increased amounts of antioxidants, which are reactive molecules in food that reduce the number of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules in the body that may damage cells and increase the risk of certain diseases.

Many popular diets already follow anti-inflammatory principles. For example, the Mediterranean diet contains fish, whole grains, and fats that are good for the heart. Research has shown that this diet can reduce the effects of inflammation on the cardiovascular system.

[The most effective version of the Mediterranean diet deletes whole grains and adds even more of the whole organic vegetables and cooked tomato sauce and onions and garlic that this diet DOES have but this does not mention.  It uses extra virgin olive oil not just olive oil.  It includes avocados and raw tree nuts for those not allergic AND it contains red wine in light moderation.   THAT version is more anti-inflammatory and heart, brain, and health protective than the generic version listed.]

What conditions can an anti-inflammatory diet help?

Doctors, dietitians, and naturopaths recommend anti-inflammatory diets as a complementary therapy for many conditions that are worsened by chronic inflammation.

An anti-inflammatory diet can help many conditions, including:

rheumatoid arthritis

psoriasis

asthma

eosinophilic esophagitis

Crohn's disease

colitis

inflammatory bowel disease

diabetes

obesity

metabolic syndrome

heart disease

lupus

Hashimoto's disease

Additionally, eating an anti-inflammatory diet can help reduce the risk of certain cancers, including colorectal cancer.

An anti-inflammatory diet consists of foods that reduce inflammatory responses. This diet involves replacing sugary, refined foods with whole, nutrient-rich foods.

An anti-inflammatory diet also contains increased amounts of antioxidants, which are reactive molecules in food that reduce the number of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules in the body that may damage cells and increase the risk of certain diseases.

Foods to eat:

Good choices for a person following an anti-inflammatory diet include the following:

dark leafy greens, including kale and spinach

blueberries, blackberries, and cherries

dark red grapes

nutrition-dense vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower

beans and lentils

green tea

red wine, in moderation

avocado and coconut

olives

extra virgin olive oil

walnuts, pistachios, pine nuts, and almonds

cold water fish, including salmon and sardines

turmeric and cinnamon

dark chocolate

Many popular diets already follow anti-inflammatory principles. For example, the Mediterranean diet contains fish, whole grains, and fats that are good for the heart. Research has shown that this diet can reduce the effects of inflammation on the cardiovascular system.

[The most effective version of the Mediterranean diet deletes whole grains and adds even more of the whole organic vegetables and cooked tomato sauce and onions and garlic that this definition does not mention although some are listed above.  It uses extra virgin olive oil not just olive oil.  It includes avocados and raw tree nuts for those not allergic AND it contains red wine in light moderation.   THAT version is more anti-inflammatory and heart, brain, and health protective than the generic version listed.]

[They also do not specify to make a very strong effort to only eat organic produce.  But foods you eat several of every day for years should NOT include herbicide or pesticide residues if you want to maintain low inflammation and good health!]

Foods to avoid

The main foods that people following an anti-inflammatory diet should avoid include:

processed meats

sugary drinks

trans fats, found in fried foods

white bread

white pasta

gluten

soybean oil and vegetable oil

processed snack foods, such as chips and crackers

desserts, such as cookies, candy, and ice cream

excess alcohol

too many carbohydrates

[Note that if you decline to eat ANY food that contains hybrid wheat or high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners or hydrogenated oils or soy of any kind and minimize even real sugar, ALL the foods on this list disappear! 

The lone exception is excess alcohol.  One or one and half glasses of red wine before dinner with none once a week avoids that.  Drinking more than that can become more than twice that much which IS excessive.]

Can a vegetarian diet reduce inflammation?

People considering an anti-inflammatory diet may also want to consider eliminating meat in favor of vegetarian protein sources or fatty fish.

Research suggests that people following a vegetarian diet have higher levels of plasma AA, a marker of overall health that is associated with lower levels of inflammation and heart disease.

[This ONLY works well if the vegetarian diet has lots of vegetables and some fruit and zero grains AND the person takes the methyl B12 AND zinc and copper and vitamin K2 that a vegan can have cause them poor health by not getting enough.]

Anti-inflammatory diet tips

Anti-inflammatory diets may be a big adjustment for people who tend to eat different kinds of food.

There are several things a person can do to make the transition to an anti-inflammatory diet easier, including:

eating a variety of fruits and vegetables [Only eat or buy organic ones!]

reducing the amount of fast food eaten [This is too weak because all fast food has MSG which causes so much excess inflammation the best intake level of it is absolutely NONE!]

eliminating soda and sugary beverages [This one is far too weak!  Soft drinks and diet soft drinks are as harmful as smoking. Zero, absolutely none is the only healthful choice.]

planning shopping lists to ensure healthful meals and snacks are on hand

carrying small anti-inflammatory snacks while on the go

drinking more water

staying within the daily calorie requirements  [This is a far more complex issue than this suggests. Staying free of excess body fat DOES help though.]

adding supplements, such as omega-3 and turmeric, to the diet [DHA and ginger fit here.]

exercising regularly [People who eat right have LOWER inflammation after exercise!]

getting the proper amount of sleep [Doable and helpful but also a MUCH bigger subject than this suggests!]

What is Inflammation?

Inflammation is the body's response to illnesses including infections or injuries. The body's immune system sends an increased amount of white blood cells to the area fighting off the infection or injury.

Inflammation is not usually a bad thing — it is just the body trying to protect itself from further injury or illness by increasing the immune response in the area being threatened by bacteria or injury.

However, there are several chronic inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis, psoriasis, and asthma that can cause the immune system to go into overdrive and attack healthy tissues. 

[This is not quite correct.  High chronic inflammation causes this overdrive situation even when your immune system is properly targeted!  Taking enough vitamin D3 which boosts your REGULATORY  T cells helps avoid autoimmunity AND avoiding MSG and artificial sweeteners also helps prevent it!]

In addition to taking any prescribed medications, a person with an inflammatory disease can try to reduce inflammation by making changes to their diet.

[The dietary changes can sometimes turn off the autoimmune reactions if you do them ALL making the drugs not needed!

It's also been found out that some of these drugs are as effective AND cause massively fewer side effects when taken only once a week.]