Fall 2008 - Diet and Inflammation

With 64 percent of the adult American population overweight, the need for treatment of inflammatory disease is rising. The medical research community has established a clear link between inflammatory diseases and obesity - a discovery that is now being used to help treat chronically overweight individuals.

Preventing inflammation can be as simple as: eating less and exercising more.

Eating lean proteins, vegetables, and high fiber foods, while limiting refined foods like white flour and sugar is an excellent step to take to reduce inflammation in the body. Limiting excess carbohydrates prevents the body from producing excess fat cells and therefore produces less inflammation.

Food Intolerances

Food intolerances and allergies can also cause inflammation. There are several common food allergen groups including: dairy, eggs, nuts, shellfish, soy, and wheat. On the other hand, a person does not need to have specific food allergies to see the side effects of inflammation. Common foods such as corn, broccoli, or potatoes can cause a minor intolerance in your body - leading to inflammation.

An easy way to check which common foods you might be intolerant to is a simple blood test called the ALCAT test.

"We offer a simple test to determine what foods patients are intolerant of and to what degree," said Lee Rolnick, Director of Sales for ALCAT. "We offer personalized test results with recommendations on how patients can proceed after testing, including what they can eat and how they should rotate potentially reactive foods in and out of their diets."

Recipes to Prevent Inflammation


Breakfast
Oat Bran Bagel with cream cheese, apple juice

 

Lunch
Hawaiian Pizza salad with vinaigrette dressing, crackers, grapes
2 cups of leaf lettuce
3 ounces of lean ham
2 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese
¼ cup diced pineapple
½ cup diced fresh tomatoes
2 tbs. olive oil and vinegar salad dressing
5 whole wheat crackers 2 cups grapes

 

Dinner
Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Cauliflower with Cheese, Green Peas, Pears
6 ounces of grilled or broiled beef
Tenderloin
1 cup of cooked cauliflower
I ounce low-fat Cheddar Cheese
1 cup cooked green peas
1 tsp. trans-fat free margarine
1 cup pear slices

For more recipes to help prevent inflammation or for information on living with inflammation, check out the book, "Inflammation Nation" by Floyd H. Chilton.