“I can’t thank you enough for giving me this diet. It has utterly saved my life. I never thought that just by changing my eating habits I would be able to reverse the chronic inflammation in my body and rid me of the constant pain that I was experiencing.”
This is what one of my patients recently told me.
When it comes down to chronic inflammation, doctors usually treat its symptoms with anti-inflammatory medicines like:
NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like naproxen, ibuprofen, and aspirin are usually prescribed.
But are the short-term benefits really worth the long-term risks?
Only relying on them puts you at risk of developing stomach ulcers, stroke, and heart attack. They can also worsen asthma symptoms and can lead to kidney failure.
Acetaminophens (paracetamol, Tylenol) are also recommended for reducing the pain, but they don’t reduce the actual inflammation.
Corticosteroids if taken orally can induce Cushing’s syndrome, hypertension, low blood potassium levels (hypokalemia), connective tissue weakness, and metabolic alkalosis.
And if taken with inhalers, you are at a greater risk of developing thrush.
You have to be careful because the higher the dosage and the longer you take these particular meds, the more you run the risk of being affected by their side effects.
But what if I tell you that there is an easier, natural, more effective and with no side effects solution of reducing and even eradicating chronic inflammation out of your body?
And all you have to do is to add these anti-inflammatory foods to your meals:
- Vegetables
- Lightly cooked dark leafy greens like:
- Spinach
- collard greens
- kale
- Swiss chard
- Cruciferous vegetables like:
- broccoli
- cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Kale
- bok choy
- cauliflower
- Other vegetables like:
- Carrots
- Beets
- Onions
- Peas
- Squashes
- sea vegetables
- washed raw salad greens
You should eat 4 to 5 servings* per day minimum.
*One serving is equal to 2 cups of salad greens or ½ cup vegetables cooked, raw, or juiced.
Vegetables are rich in flavonoids and carotenoids with both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Make sure that you always choose organic and colorful veggies. You can eat them both raw or cooked in whichever combination you want.
- Beans and legumes should also be part of your daily habit.
They store high amounts of folic acid, magnesium, potassium, and soluble fiber. They are also low-glycemic-load food.
You can eat them well cooked either whole or pureed into spreads like hummus and you should include 1 to 2 servings* per day into your diet.
*One serving is equal to ½ cup of cooked beans or legumes.
Best choices:
- Anasazi
- Adzuki
- Black beans
- Chickpeas
- Black-eyed peas
- Lentils
- Healthy fats area a must to your diet.
I recommend you have 5 to 7 servings* of healthy fats per day.
*One serving is equal to 1 teaspoon of oil, 2 walnuts, 1 tablespoon of flaxseed, or 1 ounce of avocado.
Best choices:
- walnuts
- avocados
- seeds
- hemp seeds
- flaxseed
- Whole and cracked grains should be consumed daily, in 3 to 5 servings*.
*One serving is equal to about ½ cup of cooked grains.
The reason I urge you to add them all to your diet is because whole grains digest slowly. Therefore, they reduce the frequency of blood sugar spikes which can trigger inflammation.
By whole grains, I mean :
- Brown rice
- Basmati rice
- Wild rice
- Buckwheat groats
- Barley
- Quinoa
- Steel-cut oats
- Whole-soy foods should be served 1 to 2 times daily.
One serving is equal to ½ cup tofu or tempeh, 1 cup soy milk, ½ cup cooked edamame, or 1 ounce of soynuts.
Soy foods contain isoflavones that have antioxidant activity and are protect you against cancer. Choose whole-soy foods over fractionated foods like isolated soy-protein powders and imitation meats made with soy isolate.