So I was going to discuss this topic a little bit later, but after listening to the NPR health topic “ Can Diets Fight Chronic Pain? The Science Isn’t There “, I felt like it was appropriate to bump it up to an earlier discussion.
There are many anti-inflammatory foods and diets including
> Anti-oxidants
> Increased amounts of fruits and vegetables
> Decreasing pro-inflammatory fats, Increasing fiber
> Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Diet
> Flexitarian Diet Plan
> Perricone Diet Plan (“Anti-Aging Diet Plan”)
> “Naturopathic Diet Plan”
Despite what type of anti-inflammatory/anti-aging diet that you are looking for, I believe that the importance lies in what you put inside your body. I find it hard to accept the point in the NPR talk that there is no direct correlation between what we eat (anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant), and the decrease in chronic illness and disease.
For example, Celiac’s disease is a chronic condition where there is a food sensitivity to wheat gluten (gliadin), that causes upset stomach, bloating, gas, and diarrhea in patients who consume this product. Celiac’s disease is a highly undiagnosed treatment, with numbers indicating that 1 in 300 healthy individuals have this sensitivity. How can NPR make this claim that anti-inflammatory diets (ie: removing gliadin from a Celiac patient’s diet) cannot work for chronic pain? For someone who has developed a wheat sensitivity, there is chronic pain involved in any type of food allergy. In addition, other chronic conditions, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, dermatitis, and other GI disorders, can be helped with altering the diet and removing the obstacle to cure.
http://www.womensheart.org/images/Mediterranen_Pyramid.jpg
Mediterranean Diet Guidelines
“The original Mediterranean Diet characteristics are:
1.) High consumption of virgin olive oil.
2.) High intake of vegetables and fruits and legumes.
3.) Use of non refined carbohydrates (portions to be adjusted to physical activity).
4.) Consumption of fish, specially oily (or “bluish” one) three or for times a week
5.) Consumption of milk and derivates, cheese and yogurt (the original cheese was fresh goat cheese). Keep an eye on the saturated fats of the dairy products. Do not consume too much!
6.) Three or four eggs per week.
7.) Moderate consumption of meat and saturated fats (natural, not artificially hydrogenated!).
8.) One or two small glasses of wine a day, preferably red and at the main meals. White wine and beer are alternatives.
9.) Nuts as snacks.
10.) In “special occasions” Mediterranean traditional desserts.” ( Source )
So, as you can see, the Mediterranean Diet is one of promoting a healthy lifestyle by exercising and decreasing pro-inflammatory food groups that keep blood pressure and insulin/blood sugar levels under control. In my opinion, this would be a great way to have a healthy diet, promote anti-inflammatory properties, and work towards making positive lifestyle changes.
References
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: Celiac’s Disease
Mediterranean Diet
So I was going to discuss this topic a little bit later, but after listening to the NPR health topic “ Can Diets Fight Chronic Pain? The Science Isn’t There “, I felt like it was appropriate to bump it up to an earlier discussion.
There are many anti-inflammatory foods and diets including > Anti-oxidants
> Increased amounts of fruits and vegetables
> Decreasing pro-inflammatory fats, Increasing fiber
> Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Diet
> Flexitarian Diet Plan
> Perricone Diet Plan (“Anti-Aging Diet Plan”)
> “Naturopathic Diet Plan”
Despite what type of anti-inflammatory/anti-aging diet that you are looking for, I believe that the importance lies in what you put inside your body. I find it hard to accept the point in the NPR talk that there is no direct correlation between what we eat (anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant), and the decrease in chronic illness and disease.
For example, Celiac’s disease is a chronic condition where there is a food sensitivity to wheat gluten (gliadin), that causes upset stomach, bloating, gas, and diarrhea in patients who consume this product. Celiac’s disease is a highly undiagnosed treatment, with numbers indicating that 1 in 300 healthy individuals have this sensitivity. How can NPR make this claim that anti-inflammatory diets (ie: removing gliadin from a Celiac patient’s diet) cannot work for chronic pain? For someone who has developed a wheat sensitivity, there is chronic pain involved in any type of food allergy. In addition, other chronic conditions, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, dermatitis, and other GI disorders, can be helped with altering the diet and removing the obstacle to cure.
http://www.womensheart.org/images/Mediterranen_Pyramid.jpg
Mediterranean Diet Guidelines
“The original Mediterranean Diet characteristics are:
1.) High consumption of virgin olive oil.
2.) High intake of vegetables and fruits and legumes.
3.) Use of non refined carbohydrates (portions to be adjusted to physical activity).
4.) Consumption of fish, specially oily (or “bluish” one) three or for times a week
5.) Consumption of milk and derivates, cheese and yogurt (the original cheese was fresh goat cheese). Keep an eye on the saturated fats of the dairy products. Do not consume too much!
6.) Three or four eggs per week.
7.) Moderate consumption of meat and saturated fats (natural, not artificially hydrogenated!).
8.) One or two small glasses of wine a day, preferably red and at the main meals. White wine and beer are alternatives.
9.) Nuts as snacks.
10.) In “special occasions” Mediterranean traditional desserts.” ( Source )
So, as you can see, the Mediterranean Diet is one of promoting a healthy lifestyle by exercising and decreasing pro-inflammatory food groups that keep blood pressure and insulin/blood sugar levels under control. In my opinion, this would be a great way to have a healthy diet, promote anti-inflammatory properties, and work towards making positive lifestyle changes.
References American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: Celiac’s Disease
Mediterranean Diet