Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid

Dr Weil? Sounds familiar? Yes... he is the man behind the Plantidote Mega-Mushroom series in Origins. Dr Weil also spent time looking at the topic of anti inflammatory food and has even devised a food pyramid to help guide our diets.

Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid - What Is It?

• It is a practical eating guide that consumers of all ages can use, with tips on how to reduce risks of age-related diseases and improve overall health through diet.
• It is an interactive educational graphic to help today’s families prevent disease while eating well.
• It is a simple tool that promotes optimum health and healthy aging by providing dietary advice that addresses inflammation.

“Following an anti-inflammatory diet can help counteract the chronic inflammation that is a root cause of many serious diseases, including those that become more frequent as people age. It is a way of selecting and preparing foods based on science that can help people achieve and maintain optimum health over their lifetime.” - Andrew Weil

What Does An Anti-Inflammatory Diet Do?

The anti-inflammatory diet is a blueprint for a lifetime of optimum nutrition. Simple changes in how you eat can help counteract chronic inflammation, a root cause of many serious diseases, including:

• Heart disease
• Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases
• Age-related disorders, including many cancers
• Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus

Anti-Inflammatory Food

I read briefly that one of acne is that the body is in chronic inflammatory state. Inflammation is good as it is the trigger that helps the body heals. However, if the body is constantly in this inflammatory state, it puts our entire system and skin in hyper mode, which could result in pimples. This is also one of the points arising from Seppo Puusa's first minicourse. Even Dr Andrew Weil talks about the benefits of anti-inflammatory diets.

Before I go deeper in this area of anti-inflammation in future posts. I collated a list of anti-inflammatory food for a start. It is not exhaustive, so it would be a constant quest for the best food to give yourself. I guess it is time we put the 'good' food back into our body. And for once, maybe I will have really clear skin?

Vegetables
Bell Peppers
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Broccoli Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Chard
Collards
Fennel Bulb
Garlic
Green Beans
Green Onions/Spring Onions
Kale
Leeks
Olives
Spinach
Sweet potatoes
Turnip Greens

Fruits
Acerola (West Indian) Cherries
Apples
Avocados
Black Currants
Blueberries
Fresh Pineapple
Guavas
Kiwifruit
Kumquats
Lemons
Limes
Mulberries
Oranges
Papaya
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Tomatoes

Herbs & Spices
Basil
Cayenne Peppers/Chilli Peppers
Cinnamon
Cloves
Cocoa (at least 70% cocoa chocolate)
Licorice
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Thyme
Turmeric

Nuts & Seeds
Almonds
Flaxseed/Linseed
Hazelnuts
Sunflower Seeds
Walnuts

Fish
Cod
Halibut
Herring
Oysters
Rainbow Trout
Salmon
Sardines
Snapper Fish
Striped Bass
Tuna
Whitefish

Drinks
Green Tea

Oils
Avocado Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

You Are What You Eat - Healthy Diet For Neck Pain

(Another insightful article from EverydayHealth.com. Diet and inflammatory food could just be the key to pain management, or even skin conditions?)

The right foods can support the health of the bones, nerves, and connective tissues in your neck. An anti-inflammatory diet may help you avoid diseases like arthritis that can cause neck pain.

Your neck is made up of seven bones called vertebrae that are separated by shock-absorbing cushions called disks. This flexible, gently curved column that holds up your head requires an interconnected support system of muscles, tendons, and nerves. It's no wonder that injury, stress, and the wear and tear of years of activity can result in neck pain.

There is no miracle food or nutrient that can provide neck pain relief, but anything you can do to support the health of the bones, nerves, and connective tissues that make up your neck can help. Researchers who study bone and joint health are learning more about the important role that diet plays in diseases like arthritis and in the process of inflammation.

Diet and Neck Pain Relief: What to Eat

Nature has provided us with wonderful nutrients that promote good skeletal health; science also has contributed.

Omega-3 fatty acids. These acids, found in cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines, can actually lower inflammatory chemicals in your body. If you don't like to eat fish, you can take a fish oil supplement. You can also get some omega-3 from flax seeds, walnuts, and leafy green vegetables.

Antioxidants and fiber. You should try to have five servings of vegetables every day, and two to four servings of fruit. These foods are high in fiber and anti-inflammatory antioxidants. Recent studies have shown that fiber, which you can get from beans and grains as well as fruits and vegetables, lowers an indicator of inflammation in your blood called C-reactive protein. One study found that men who ate more fruits and vegetables could lower their C-reactive protein levels by one-third.

Calcium and vitamin D. Since neck pain can be caused by wear and tear of the vertebrae in your neck, it makes sense to keep your bones as healthy as possible, so calcium should be an important part of your nutrition plan. You will also need vitamin D to absorb the calcium you take in. Recommendations for an average adult are 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium and 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D each day. Many foods are fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Read the nutrition facts panel on your food labels.

Magnesium. Doctors are increasingly recognizing the value of magnesium in skeletal health. If you are not getting enough magnesium, you may be more susceptible to neck pain, muscle tension, and muscle soreness. Magnesium is an essential mineral needed for contraction and relaxation of your muscles. It can be found in fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, soy, and whole grains. The recommended daily requirement for magnesium for an is about 400 mg for adult males and 320 mg for adult females.

Water. Not getting enough fluids into your body can be a cause of muscle pain. When the body is dehydrated (a condition in which you are losing more water than you are taking in) it can result in an imbalance of the electrolytes and minerals that you need for normal muscle and nerve function

Diet and Neck Pain Relief: What to Avoid

An excellent way to help attain neck pain relief is by reducing the types of foods that cause inflammation.

Arachidonic acid and other saturated fats found in meat and dairy products are building blocks for your body's inflammatory response. So, to reduce inflammation, you'll want to reduce your consumption of meats and high-fat dairy products like butter and cream.

Most processed foods are also high in these fats. Instead of these pro-inflammatory foods, you can substitute other sources of proteins such as: Fish, nuts and beans

You should also know that alcohol and smoking can affect bone health. Alcohol can cause you to lose calcium and magnesium in your urine, and cigarette smoke is damaging to your bones.

Doctors are increasingly recognizing the importance of nutrition in maintaining skeletal health. If you have been suffering with neck pain, get going with a diet that fights inflammation and promotes healthy bones and muscles.

Happy Valentines' Day - The Fruit Of Love

Valentines’ Day is round the corner. The air oozes with love but do you know what the fruit of love is?

Well, quince is the fruit of love! What is quince, you might ask? I have not heard nor seen any before, but it does look very much like and apple and possibly a pear. According to my search result:

"It is believed that the quince long preceded the apple, and that many ancient references to apples were, in fact, references to quince, including the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Greek mythology associates the quince with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and many believe that the golden apple given to her by Paris was a quince.

Ancient Greeks associated the quince with fertility, and it played an important role in wedding celebrations where it was offered as a gift, used to sweeten the bride's breath before entering the bridal chamber, and shared by bride and groom. These associations have resulted in the quince becoming known as the "fruit of love, marriage, and fertility."

If it was up to me, I would say grapes should be the fruit of love. With their antioxidant contents making sure free radicals stay away, I would say they are my greatest love, of course, only after my Prince Charming.

So, to all readers, grab a quince, if not, an apple or just about any of your favourite food. Load the vitamin C and have a Happy Valentines’ Day!

The Good Of Grapes

It’s mid-week today and I realized I had not been eating too healthily for the week. So let’s talk health-eating today. How about grapes? I love grapes, especially the red crunchy ones. I did not realize how great these little wonders were until I read about them in an article at RealAge.com.

Grapes contain great nutrients

Besides the very common knowledge that grapes are good source of antioxidant, they also contain 2 particularly effective chemicals - pterostilbene and resveratrol. They are phenolic compounds found mainly in grape skins (so remember to eat grapes with their skin!). These 2 chemicals that work as a cleanup crew, mopping up nasty free radicals in your body so they're less likely to cause problems such as heart disease and cancer.

From Wikipedia – “Pterostilbene is a stilbenoid chemically related to resveratrol. It is thought to be the key compound found predominantly in blueberries as well as grapes) that exhibit anti-cancer, anti-hypercholesterolemia, anti-hypertriglyceridemia properties, as well as fight off and reverse cognitive decline. It is believed that the compound also has anti-diabetic properties, but so far very little has been studied on this issue. Additionally, it is also touted as a potent anti-fungal”

Also, the resveratrol in grapes has heart-protective properties, regardless of its effect on cancer. Grapes also have anthocyanins, which attack disease-fostering inflammation, and vitamin C.

Grape juice as a wine substitute

We all know that having extra antioxidant in our blood is good for us. They help guard our cells against the free-radical damage that could increase the occurrence of diseases. Wine, derived from bountiful of grapes, is touted to provide such heart-healthy benefits.

However, to avoid getting tipsy from wine but still derive all the wonderful benefits, grape juice is a great substitute. Research shows that our blood will get two important benefits from the juice - more antioxidants circulating in it and more stable bad LDL cholesterol causing less trouble in our body.

The catch is that grape juice has fewer antioxidants than wine, so we may need to drink more to get the same benefit. But do remember to sip real juice, not fruit-flavored drinks, as the latter is only glorified sugar syrup – you want more nutrients and less sugar. Remember to watch the intake as too much grape juice can also tip the calorie counter!

Otherwise, do something special – like a grape dish. RealAge has this fantastic recipe for Chicken Cutlets with Grape-Shallot Sauce.