March is Nutrition Health Month, and we invite you to learn how an anti-inflammatory diet can make a real difference in how you feel mentally, emotionally and physically.
Inflammation can help the body heal. When you get injured or sick, your body sends white blood cells to the affected area. For instance, if you get a bad cut, the skin surrounding it might feel tender and hot, or swell and appear red. In this case, inflammation is a good thing — if it’s temporary.
But when inflammation becomes chronic from environmental toxins, stress, or a poor diet, it can damage healthy cells and result in a variety of health issues. Inflammatory cells can insert themselves into tissues and, over time, weaken them. We now know that heart disease isn’t caused by just high cholesterol levels. Scientists theorize that heart disease is often the result of a number of factors including inflammatory cells that burrow into an artery. This may result in a heart attack.1
Research indicates that an anti-inflammatory diet can help lessen chronic inflammation. It may even help reduce symptoms of chronic illness in people who have already been diagnosed with significant health challenges. It may even help reduce symptoms of chronic illness in people who have already been diagnosed with a disease.
Familiarize yourself with our suggestions for enjoying an anti-inflammatory diet. Give it time by committing to eliminating or reducing inflammatory, highly-processed foods for at least two weeks and see the difference. Substitute soda and high-sugar drinks with herbal teas and water. Replace pastries that contain unhealthy oils and sugar with homemade, healthy snacks, and increase your protein intake with fish and tofu rather than beef.
You’ll probably sleep better, have more energy and feel happier. What’s there to lose? You have everything to gain!
Anti-inflammatory Foods: What to Eat & What to Avoid
The Mediterranean diet is the most popular anti-inflammatory diet among doctors and dietitians, according to Harvard Health Publishing. It includes 5-7 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, whole grains, fish, a limited amount of lean meat, a moderate amount of dairy, and a good quality olive oil for cooking and drizzling on salads. The high amount of phytonutrient-dense, polyphenol-rich foods in this diet, fiber content and fat quality is presumed to be a main reason for its advantageous effects.
Other anti-inflammatory diets include the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), Plant-based vegan/vegetarian diets, and a Whole foods diet. It’s not necessary to follow one diet exclusively, especially since they overlap.
If you follow a vegan diet, make sure you’re getting enough protein and vitamin B12, which is found only in animal based foods (meat, eggs, and dairy).
Anti-inflammatory diets that contain and combine several anti-inflammatory foods and nutrients are believed to work better than single nutrients or foods.2 Clinical studies demonstrate that a balanced diet with whole grains high in fiber; fresh fruits and vegetables; omega-3 fatty acid-rich foods; lean, protein; and pre-and pro-biotics for gut health might improve health problems associated with eating a pro-inflammatory diet.
The following is adapted from Dr. Andrew Weil’s Mediterranean food pyramid
Here’s a breakdown of what to eat and what to avoid.
Vegetables
Unlimited amount
- Spinach
- Kale
- Swiss chard
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Beets
- Sweet potatoes
- Red peppers
- Squashes
- Leafy greens (cooked and raw)
- Onions
- Garlic
Fruits
3-5 servings (one serving equals 1 medium-sized fruit, ½ cup cut fruit, ½ cup dried fruit)
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Black berries
- Cherries
- Oranges
- Apples
- Pears
- Peaches
- Pink grapefruit (check with your pharmacist to see if this interferes with a pharmaceutical drug you take)
- Plums
- Purple grapes
- Pomegranates
- Avocados
- Tomatoes
Whole Grains
3-5 servings (one serving is equal to about ½ cup of cooked grains).
- Brown rice
- Basmati rice
- Wild rice
- Buckwheat groats,
- Barley
- Quinoa
- Steel-cut oats
- Farro
Healthy Fats
3 – 5 servings (one serving is equal to 1 teaspoon of oil, 2 walnuts, 1 tablespoon of flaxseed, 1 ounce of avocado). Extra-virgin olive oil
- Avocado
- Nuts (especially walnuts)
- Avocados
- Seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Freshly ground flaxseed
Fish and Seafood
1-2 servings (one serving equals 4 ounces).
- Wild Alaskan salmon (especially sockeye)
- Herring
- Sardines
- Black cod
Whole Soy Foods
1- 2 servings (one serving is equal to ½ cup tofu or tempeh, 1 cup soy milk, ½ cup cooked edamame, or 1 ounce of soynuts)
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Edamame
- Soynuts
- Soymilk
Beans and Legumes
1- 2 servings (one serving is equal to ½ cup of cooked beans or legumes)
- Anasazi
- Adzuki
- Kidney
- Black
- Chickpeas
- Black-eyed peas
- Split peas
- Dahl
- Lentils
Dairy and Eggs
Occasional (one portion is equal to 1-ounce of cheese, one 8-ounce serving of dairy, 1 egg). Organic:
- High-quality, full-fat natural cheese
- Yogurt
- Omega-3 enriched eggs
Herbs & Spices
Use herbs and spices instead of salt as seasoning.
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Rosemary
- Oregano
- Marjoram
- Sage
- Thyme
- Basil
- Chili
- Pepper
- Cumin
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
Foods That Promote Inflammation
- High intake of meat and dairy
- Red meat
- Added sugar, starches and saturated fat
- Packaged snacks
- Fried foods
- Ultra-processed foods
- Microwave popcorn
- Pastries, cookies, candy
- Sodas and high sugar drinks
Supplements and Nutrients That Help Reduce Inflammation
- Vitamin D3
- Vitamin C
- Selenium
- CoQ10
- Omega-3 fatty acids (Fish oil)
- Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the active component of green tea
- Quercetin found in many fruits and herbs, has been investigated for its anti-inflammatory effects 3
- Adequate Protein/amino acids 4
Eating For Health
- Prioritize eating organic, chemical-free foods.
- Buy local and seasonally grown produce when available.
- Eat the RAINBOW. Include a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to take advantage of their phytonutrients.
In general, it’s always best to eat unprocessed, organic, fresh whole foods. Focus on getting at least 5 to 7 fruits and vegetables a day, whole grains, and good quality protein and oils. These foods contain the ingredients that are anti-inflammatory and protect your body from fatigue and disease.
Start slowly in order to make the changes you need to switch over to an anti-inflammatory diet. Notice how much better you feel by eliminating heavily processed foods that contain pro-inflammatory ingredients that may be harm your health in the long run.
Take a first step and treat yourself to this easy, delicious, anti-inflammatory salad.
Roasted Beet and Orange Salad
Serves 4-6: (Beets and oranges contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help fight inflammation).
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs beets (8 small) scrubbed and sliced into ¼ inch rounds
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp lemon zest
- 1/1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp honey
- 2 Navel oranges peeled and sliced into rounds
- 2 Tbsp roasted and salted nuts of your choice, i.e. pistachios, pumpkin seeds, almonds, etc.
- 1 or 2 pkgs (or heads) of washed, raw greens of your choice
Directions:
Place beets on a roasting pan or cookie sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of oil. Cook at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until soft. Blend the salt, 1 Tbs. of olive, lemon juice, lemon zest and honey for the dressing. Dress the greens with the oranges slices, beet rounds, nuts and oil.
