How many of you suffer from pain? Or from chronic inflammation?

Inflammation can make you feel fatigued and lead to headaches, bloating and stiffness. Obviously the work day would be a lot more pleasant and focused without these aliments distracting us or slowing us down.

Whether you are aware of it or not, inflammation actually contributes to 7 of the 10 leading causes of death in North America. This includes cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

Many of you may have heard that diet can contribute to inflammation. The reverse is also true: diet can seriously help to reduce inflammation in your body, in turn helping to reduce pain!

Are you ready to try modifying your diet to improve your health? Consider these 3 steps to reduce inflammation in your body.

#1. Cut out the “Whites”

White sugar, white bread, white pasta, white rice, white potatoes and white flour all carry a high “glycemic load”. This means they quickly impact your blood sugar levels once consumed.

Diets with a high glycemic load and glycemic index have been associated with heart disease, stroke, obesity and type 11 diabetes. The World Health Organization has also made statements announcing that our nation is consuming way too much sugar and it is negatively impacting our health.

Swap the whites for nutritious whole grains and complex carbohydrates such as steel cut oats, brown rice, beans and nuts and seeds.

#2 Amp up the Fiber

Studies have shown that when individuals increase their fiber content, the blood markers for inflammation reduce in the body.

Best sources of fiber include: chia seeds, flax seeds, bran, prunes, physllium husks and inulin.

#3 Consider Ditching the Dairy

Not only has dairy been linked to increasing multiple markers of inflammation in the body, additional concerns have been outlined in research pertaining to dairy increasing acne, allergies and inflammatory condition in some individuals. Many woman notice less PMS symptoms and/or less cramping with the removal of dairy from their diet. I have seen numerous cases of hard to treat acne significantly improve by just removing dairy from the body!

Dairy alternatives include: almond milk, organic soy milk, rice milk, cashew milk, pea milk and coconut milk.

Below are some suggestions for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Snacks. In order to make sure you are following through with the recommendations, plan ahead and consider bringing lunches and snacks to work.

Breakfast

  • Make sure your breakfast is full of FIBER:Can easily increase fiber by adding 2 tablespoons of physillum husks to oatmeal.Adding ground flax seeds or hemp seeds will also help increase fiber
  • Oatmeal with berries or chopped up apple, shaved walnuts or almonds, molasses, and flax seed powder.
  • Grilled turkey sausage, rye toast with almond butter and honey, and half a grapefruit.
  • Steamed greens (kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, cabbage) or baked squash with an organic salad dressing and brown rice or quinoa. Start your day with vegetables. It’s simple and will give you energy for hours.

Lunch & Dinner

  • It is also good to think of fiber for lunch and dinner: Beans and vegetables are great sources of fiber.
  • Rye, spelt, kamut, rice, quinoa, or chia bread toasted with sliced turkey, avocado, tomato & ground mustard
  • Butternut squash soup, with a spinach, beet, walnut salad (make sure if you are using canned soup it is free of dairy and white wheat, many of these soups can be found at the grocery store or health food store, it just may take some time at first to decipher what soups are good for you)
  • Sweet potatoes, salad and chicken or fish (sweet potatoes are better than white and red potatoes as they have more nutrients and are less inflammatory)
  • Fish tostadas (cod or salmon is good) in corn tortillas, with lettuce or greens, tomato, refried bean or black beans, salsa, and guacamole.
  • Thai food is good, unless it’s over wheat noodles. (Many thai restaurants or recipes use rice noodles which is great, just double check when ordering or making your own)
  • Brown rice penne pasta (tastes the same as regular pasta!) with meatballs or veggies in pesto sauce.
  • Chili made up of black bean, kidney bean, onion, tomato sauce, ground turkey or organic beef, and whatever else you want to throw in there. Eat with rye bread or gluten free bread.
  • Green curry with vegetables and brown rice or rice noodles; add fish or chicken if you wish.
  • Gluten free and dairy free soups
  • Salads
  • Lentils and quiona

Snacks

  • Celery, carrots, or radishes with hummus — try to eat the raw veggies at room temp as opposed to cold and straight out of the fridge
  • Almond butter and brown rice crackers — good protein snack
  • Organic corn chips with salsa and/or guacamole.
  • Organic dark chocolate almonds, or trail mix
  • Fruits (especially berries) but avoid too much citrus.

 

Yours in Vitality,

Dr. Emily

3 Ways to Reduce Pain and Inflammation with Diet