The Skinny on the Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Although the ‘anti-inflammatory diet,’ is probably one of the least sexy and least extreme nutrition games out there right now (Cookie diet anyone?), it is a loose outline to quite literally save your life as well as your waistline!
What do I mean by that?
Have you heard about those gnarly chronic degenerative diseases that are making Americans very sick? Think Type II or non-insulin dependent diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s to name a few. Nasty stuff and a hard way to navigate the second half of your life. Chronic degenerative diseases are the result of chronic inflammation in the body. This stuff doesn’t happen overnight. When it comes to chronic inflammation, think of massive wild fires in your body running un-checked and torching its natural function. Think of your arteries as babbling brooks, your organs as the trees, your immune system as the balance between creatures and plants that make a healthy and balanced ecosystem… you get the idea. All demolished! Fire and smoke.
Now, before people arrive at the full expression of these diseases, there are little warning signs along the way of low level inflammation such as carrying excess body weight, chronic low back pain/muscle stiffness, low energy, poor sleep, stomach bloating, high mental stress levels… and the list goes on! Think of these as smoke signals.
Have you ever stopped to wonder why you are popping anti-inflammatories or taking medications on a regular basis? I can assure you it’s not from an Advil or Tums deficiency in your body. Irritating little symptoms like the ones listed above are signs of low level inflammation. If the body is designed to run like a delightful and bountiful little forest, why do we have inflammation in the first place?
I’m glad you asked!
Under normal and healthy circumstances, inflammation is the pain, swelling and immobility that repairs your body after an injury. An easy example is a paper cut – it hurts, you get a scab, your body tries to kill invaders like a bacterium or virus, and then you heal happily ever after. To make a very long and potentially boring story about biochemistry short (although it’s an effective bedtime story!), many common foods that we eat break down into inflammatory chemicals that wreak havoc on your body. Sugar, grains and flours from grains are at the top of the list.
Go to my own nutrition guru’s website, Dr. David Seaman, for easy –to-digest and easy to follow guideline to the anti-inflammatory diet.
Another great resource is the Wheat Belly Cookbook by William Davis, MD.
I help patients at our chiropractic and yoga facility in Aventura every day with the integration of the anti-inflammatory diet for those who suffer from chronic neck and low back pain. Common side effects include the disappearance of nagging pain, weight loss, increased energy, better sleep… and happy patients!
Want help getting back on the wagon with a short detox in Aventura? Let us help you.