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Anti-Inflammatory Diet Tips
It is becoming increasingly clear that a host of illnesses - including heart disease, many cancers and Alzheimer's
disease - are influenced in large part by chronic inflammation. This is
a process in which the immune system becomes off balance, and persists
unnecessarily in its efforts to repair the body and repel pathogens.
The prolonged process results in damage to healthy tissue as well.
Stress, lack of exercise, genetic predisposition and other lifestyle
factors can all promote inflammation, but poor diet is perhaps the main
contributor, and the ideal place to begin addressing inflammation.
(Find more details on the mechanics of the inflammation process and the Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid.)
The
Anti-Inflammatory Diet is not a diet in the popular sense - it is not
intended as a weight-loss program (although people can and do lose
weight on it), nor is it an eating plan to stay on for a limited period
of time. Rather, it is way of selecting and preparing foods based on
scientific knowledge of how they can help your body remain optimally
healthy. Along with influencing inflammation, this diet will provide
steady energy and ample vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and
dietary fiber.
You can also adapt your existing recipes according to these anti-inflammatory diet principles:
General Diet Tips:
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Aim for variety.
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Include as much fresh food as possible.
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Minimize your consumption of processed foods and fast food.
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Eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables.
Caloric Intake
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Most adults need to consume between 2,000 and 3,000 calories a day.
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Women and smaller and less active people need fewer calories.
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Men and bigger and more active people need more calories.
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If you are eating the appropriate number of calories for your level of activity, your weight should not fluctuate greatly.
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The
distribution of calories you take in should be as follows: 40 to 50
percent from carbohydrates, 30 percent from fat, and 20 to 30 percent
from protein.
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Try to include carbohydrates, fat, and protein at each meal.
Carbohydrates
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On a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, adult women should consume between 160 to 200 grams of carbohydrates a day.
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Adult men should consume between 240 to 300 grams of carbohydrates a day.
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The majority of this should be in the form of less-refined, less-processed foods with a low glycemic load.
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Reduce
your consumption of foods made with wheat flour and sugar, especially
bread and most packaged snack foods (including chips and pretzels).
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Eat
more whole grains such as brown rice and bulgur wheat, in which the
grain is intact or in a few large pieces. These are preferable to whole
wheat flour products, which have roughly the same glycemic index as
white flour products.
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Eat more beans, winter squashes, and sweet potatoes.
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Cook pasta al dente and eat it in moderation.
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Avoid products made with high fructose corn syrup.
Fat
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On
a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, 600 calories can come from fat - that is,
about 67 grams. This should be in a ratio of 1:2:1 of saturated to
monounsaturated to polyunsaturated fat.
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Reduce your intake of
saturated fat by eating less butter, cream, cheese and other full-fat
dairy products; unskinned chicken and fatty meats; and products made
with coconut and palm kernel oils.
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Use extra-virgin olive oil
as a main cooking oil. If you want a neutral tasting oil, use
expeller-pressed, organic canola oil. High-oleic versions of sunflower
and safflower oil are acceptable also, preferably non-GMO (genetically
modified).
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Avoid regular safflower and sunflower oils, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and mixed vegetable oils.
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Strictly
avoid margarine, vegetable shortening, and all products listing them as
ingredients. Strictly avoid all products made with partially
hydrogenated oils of any kind. Include in your diet avocados and nuts,
especially walnuts, cashews, almonds, and nut butters made from these
nuts.
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For omega-3 fatty acids, eat salmon (preferably fresh or
frozen wild or canned sockeye), sardines packed in water or olive oil,
herring, and black cod (sablefish, butterfish); omega-3 fortified eggs;
hemp seeds and flaxseeds (preferably freshly ground); or take a fish
oil supplement (see below).
Protein
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On
a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet your daily intake of protein should be
between 80 and 120 grams. Eat less protein if you have liver or kidney
problems, allergies, or autoimmune disease.
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Decrease your consumption of animal protein except for fish and reduced-fat dairy products.
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Eat
more vegetable protein, especially from beans in general and soybeans
in particular. Become familiar with the range of soy foods available
and find ones you like.
Fiber
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Try
to eat 40 grams of fiber a day. You can achieve this by increasing your
consumption of fruit, especially berries, vegetables (especially
beans), and whole grains.
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Ready-made cereals can be good fiber
sources, but read labels to make sure they give you at least 4 and
preferably 5 grams of bran per one-ounce serving.
Phytonutrients
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To
get maximum natural protection against age-related diseases (including
cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease) as well
as against environmental toxicity, eat a variety of fruits, vegetables
and mushrooms.
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Choose fruits and vegetables from all parts of
the color spectrum, especially berries, tomatoes, orange and yellow
fruits, and dark leafy greens.
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Choose organic produce whenever
possible. Learn which conventionally grown crops are most likely to
carry pesticide residues and avoid them.
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Eat cruciferous (cabbage-family) vegetables regularly.
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Include soy foods in your diet.
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Drink tea instead of coffee, especially good quality white, green or oolong tea.
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If you drink alcohol, use red wine preferentially.
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Enjoy plain dark chocolate in moderation (with a minimum cocoa content of 70 percent).
Vitamins and Minerals
The
best way to obtain all of your daily vitamins, minerals, and
micronutrients is by eating a diet high in fresh foods with an
abundance of fruits and vegetables. In addition, supplement your diet
with the following antioxidant cocktail:
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Supplemental
fish oil, in capsule or liquid form, 1-2 grams a day. Look for
molecularly distilled products certified to be free of heavy metals and
other contaminants.
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Vitamin C, 200 milligrams a day.
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Vitamin
E, 400 IU of natural mixed tocopherols (d-alpha-tocopherol with other
tocopherols, or, better, a minimum of 80 milligrams of natural mixed
tocopherols and tocotrienols).
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Selenium, 200 micrograms of an organic (yeast-bound) form.
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Mixed carotenoids, 10,000-15,000 IU daily.
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In
addition, take daily multivitamin/multimineral supplements that provide
at least 400 micrograms of folic acid and at least 2,000 IU of vitamin
D. They should contain no iron and no preformed vitamin A (retinol).
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Take
supplemental calcium, preferably as calcium citrate. Women should
supplement with 500-700 mg daily, for a total daily intake of
1,000-1,200 mg from all sources. Men should get no more than 500-600 mg
daily from all sources, and probably do not need to supplement.
Other Dietary Supplements
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If you are not regularly eating ginger and turmeric, consider taking these in supplemental form.
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Add CoQ10 to your daily regimen: 60-100 milligrams of a softgel form taken with your largest meal.
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If you are prone to metabolic syndrome, take alpha-lipoic acid, 100 to 400 milligrams a day.
Water
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Try
to drink 6-8 glasses of pure water a day, or drinks that are mostly
water (tea, very diluted fruit juice, sparkling water with lemon).
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Use
bottled water or get a home water purifier if your tap water tastes of
chlorine or other contaminants, or if you live in an area where the
water is known or suspected to be contaminated. |
Health Information