Chronic
inflammation exacerbates and hastens the aging process because it
floods tissues with free radicals and promotes the destruction of
normal cells. Chronic low-grade inflammation contributes to the aging
process, and research shows that it is a major contributor to the
aging of the cardiovascular and nervous system. Inflammation is now
recognized as one of the key risk factors for heart disease,
diabetes, high cholesterol and stroke and cognitive and neurological
disorders.
It
is becoming increasingly clear that chronic inflammation is the root
cause of many serious illnesses - including heart disease, many
cancers, and Alzheimer's disease. When inflammation persists or
serves no purpose, it damages the body and causes illness. Stress,
lack of exercise, genetic predisposition, and exposure to toxins
(like secondhand tobacco smoke) can all contribute to such chronic
inflammation, but dietary choices play a big role as well. Learning
how specific foods influence the inflammatory process is the best
strategy for containing it and reducing long-term disease risks.
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 maintain
optimum health. Along with influencing inflammation, this diet will
provide steady energy and ample vitamins, minerals, essential fatty
acids dietary fiber, and protective phytonutrients.
You
can also adapt your existing recipes according to these
anti-inflammatory diet principles:
- Aim for variety.
- Include as much fresh food as possible.
- Minimize your consumption of processed foods and fast food.
- Eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables.
Caloric
Intake
- 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.
- Try to include carbohydrates, fat, and protein at each meal.
Carbohydrates
- The majority should be in the form of less-refined, less-processed foods with a low glycemic load.
- Reduce your consumption of foods made with wheat flour and sugar, especially bread and most packaged snack foods (including chips and pretzels).
- 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.
- Eat more beans, winter squashes, and sweet potatoes.
- Cook pasta al dente and eat it in moderation.
- Avoid products made with high fructose corn syrup.
Fat
- A ratio of 1:2:1 of saturated to monounsaturated to polyunsaturated fat.
- Reduce your intake of saturated fat by eating less butter, cream, high-fat cheese, unskinned chicken and fatty meats, and products made with palm kernel oil.
- Use extra-virgin olive oil as a main cooking oil. Organic canola oil is also acceptable.
- Avoid regular safflower and sunflower oils, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and mixed vegetable oils.
- 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.
- For omega-3 fatty acids, eat Krill oil, cold water salmon, 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.
Protein
- Eat less protein if you have liver or kidney problems, allergies, or autoimmune disease.
- Decrease your consumption of animal protein except for fish and high quality natural cheese and yogurt.
- Eat more vegetable protein, especially from beans in general and soybeans in particular. Become familiar with the range of whole-soy foods available and find ones you like.
Fiber
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Choose fruits and vegetables from all parts of the color spectrum, especially berries, tomatoes, orange and yellow fruits, and dark leafy greens.
- Choose organic produce or thoroughly clean your produce.
- Eat cruciferous (cabbage-family) vegetables regularly.
- Include soy foods in your diet.
- Drink tea instead of coffee, especially good quality white, green or oolong tea.
- If you drink alcohol, use red wine preferentially.
- Enjoy plain dark chocolate in moderation (with a minimum cocoa content of 70 percent).
Vitamins
and Minerals
The best way to obtain your daily vitamins is by eating a diet high in fresh foods with an abundance of fruits and vegetables. For minerals, and micronutrients supplement your diet with the following antioxidant cocktail:
The best way to obtain your daily vitamins is by eating a diet high in fresh foods with an abundance of fruits and vegetables. For minerals, and micronutrients supplement your diet with the following antioxidant cocktail:
- Vitamin C, 200 milligrams a day.
- 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).
- Selenium, 200 micrograms of an organic (yeast-bound) form.
- Mixed carotenoids, 10,000-15,000 IU daily.
- A multimineral supplement (70+ minerals).
- At least 400 micrograms of folic acid and 2,000 IU of vitamin D. It should contain no iron (unless you are a female and having regular menstrual periods) and no preformed vitamin A (retinol). Take these supplements with your largest meal.
- You should take supplemental calcium (500 milligrams) Magnesium (250 milligrams) 2-3 times a day with food.
Other
Dietary Supplements
- If you are not eating oily fish at least twice a week, take supplemental Krill oil.
- DO NOT go on low-dose aspirin therapy. Antioxidants do the same thing but better.
- If you are not regularly eating ginger and turmeric, consider taking these in supplemental form.
- Add coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) to your daily regimen: 60-100 milligrams of a softgel form taken with your largest meal.
- If you are prone to metabolic syndrome, take alpha-lipoic acid, 100 to 400 milligrams a day.
Water
- Drink pure water, or drinks that are mostly water (tea, very diluted fruit juice, sparkling water with lemon) throughout the day.
- Use bottled water or get a home water purifier if your tap water tastes of chlorine or other contaminants.
