What is Inflammation?

Inflammation is the body’s way of responding to an injury or illness.

There are two types of inflammation:

Acute Inflammation is part of a healthy immune system, allowing the body to fight an infection or heal a wound. It’s a normal response to invasion by a foreign body or an injury. An example of acute inflammation is a fever. The body temperature rises in order to battle an infection. Once the infection is gone the fever goes away and the immune system returns to normal.

Chronic Inflammation, which is the more dangerous type, occurs when the inflammation is continuous, as if the body is fighting something for a long period of time. Eating certain foods, environmental stressors and even a lack of physical activity have been linked to chronic inflammation.

With chronic inflammation, the body may not show an immune response in the short-term, but overtime inflammation begins and the body stays inflamed. This long-term response has been shown to be linked with chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, cancer and non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

What is the anti-inflammatory diet?

The anti-inflammatory diet is based on the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, nuts, seeds and healthy fats. It sounds like the way we should all eat right?  According to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov./pubmed/21129128 . The Mediterranean diet has shown anti- inflammatory effects when compared to The Standard American diet. The problem with the Standard American diet (SAD) is what most Americans eat: many highly –processed foods, lots of added sugar, both of which contribute to inflammation. As chronic and autoimmune diseases are on the rise the need for the anti-inflammatory diet is coming into focus.

Who is the ideal Candidate for the Anti- inflammatory diet?

In my opinion this is a great diet for anyone to follow because it includes tried and true food that keep us healthy: mainly plant foods, healthful fats such as avocados and olive oil and lean proteins such as poultry. Eating a variety of foods is key to consuming all essential nutrients. This diet is ideal for those overweight, have diabetes, cardiovascular disease or any chronic condition.

Foods that are included in the anti inflammatory diet:

Whole Grains – oatmeal brown rice, whole wheat bread

Beans – high in fiber and are high in antioxidants which are anti-inflammatory

Herbs and spices – contain polyphenols, which are anti inflammatory, anti microbial and anti diabetic. Examples of such spices and herbs include turmeric, garlic, cloves, ginger, rosemary, thyme and cinnamon.

Omega 3 Fatty AcidsSources:

Grass-fed animal protein,

Seafood: oysters, sardines, salmon tuna

Plants: avocadoes, olives, chia, flax, pumpkin, brazil nuts, walnuts

Other sources- pomegranate, resveratrol (found in red wine and dark chocolate)

Quercetin Rich Foods

Vegetables- alliums such as garlic, leeks, shallots radishes, fennel, kale sweet potatoes

Fruits – apples, berries (raspberries, blackberries, cherries)

Foods to Avoid

Highly processed, greasy foods, hotdogs or high sugar foods like cake, cookies, and soda which are not nutrient dense and contribute to the body releasing inflammatory messengers called cytokines.

Saturated fats found in meats, hydrogenated oils and vegetables shortening.

Steps involved in eating an anti inflammatory diet

1. Planning and prepping:

Planning your meals ensures that you go shopping and prep your food ahead of time. This allows you to know what you will be eating at least for 3 – 4 days. This type of prep helps us avoid coming home so hungry that we turn to junk food while cooking or thinking about what to eat.

Use helpful resources:

Consult eatright.org, the website of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, for ideas about what to eat on the anti-inflammatory diet.

Find recipes that are easy to follow especially if you are used to eating processed foods or don’t have much time to cook.

Have a support system:

Having people at home or work to join you in following the diet helps with staying on track. It’s important to have support as you make any dietary changes.  Keeping a food journal can keep us accountable to our selves. Tracking food intake can be beneficial for making sure we are eating the right foods as well as eating the right amount.