Inflammation - Part 5
Anti-Inflammatory Food & Supplements
Anti-inflammatory food -
In a nutshell - anti-inflammatory food is simply whole food. But there are some foods with extra anti-inflammatory superpowers :).
Our body uses anti-inflammatory food to put out the fire of inflammation. Without the right ingredients our body struggles to stop the inflammatory reaction once it starts. Here are the superheroes –
Turmeric –
This lovely brightly coloured spice is an amazing anti-inflammatory. It’s also a great antioxidant, which helps the body heal after chronic inflammation. So, it’s a 1-2 punch for inflammation – it calms it down and helps the body heal. WOO!
The trouble is, you need more than just a dusting in your food, and the concentrated curcumin supplements aren’t well absorbed. So…what do you do? I’ve got some ideas for you :)
Dose – ½ - 1 tsp per day of the dry spice. Use organic over conventional, because during shipping non-organic spices are irradiated…and frankly, we don’t know what that does to the medicinal benefits.
In food – it tastes great on eggs, sprinkled on chicken, and hides well in tomato-based dishes (but will turn it a more orangey colour. It mixes well with paprika and/or cumin :)
Turmeric Golden Mylk – I’ve found this is the easiest way for me to get a medicinal dose when I need it. Each tsp of this delicious concoction = ½ tsp of turmeric.
Supplement – this can be helpful if you need a big dose of turmeric every day but you’re struggling to eat/drink it. Look for a concentrated whole turmeric supplement, with at least 30mg of curcumin (the main anti-inflammatory compound)
All whole foods are Anti-inflammatory –
A healthy diet is an anti-inflammatory diet. Add lots of colourful veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds, and unprocessed oils to your diet and your body will LOVE you for it!
Eat more colourful veggies (and squish out sugar)
All plant-based foods are chock-full of nutrients, satiating fibre, and potent antioxidants. And, by focusing on eating more of these delightful foods you’ll quickly squish out many of those sugary treats.
Antioxidants like the purple anthocyanins found in blueberries as well as all of the other colourful antioxidants can reduce CRP blood markers of inflammation.
And, low levels of the relaxation mineral magnesium are also linked to inflammation, and you’ll find lots of magnesium in leafy greens.
If you’d like a ton of anti-inflammatory whole food recipes, check out “Meals that Heal Inflammation” by Julie Daniluk :)
Remove pro-inflammatory food (that stoke the inflammation fire) –
To calm inflammation, we need to stop stoking the fire. If this feels too much for you, just focus on adding anti-inflammatory food first. Remove the triggers when you’re ready :).
ALWAYS add new foods before subtracting. It’s just as effective but SO much easier than removing a bunch of food triggers first.
Our taste buds might love that sugary treat, but our immune system doesn’t like it so much. Research has found that one sugary drink can raise blood markers for inflammation for up to 8 hours!
Here are some inflammation triggers to remove when you’re ready (in order from top to bottom) –
1. Refined sugar
2. Processed oils – margarine (incl Becel & Earth Balance), commercial salad dressings, most mayos, etc.
3. Food sensitivities (refer back to Part 4 for the common food list)
4. Stimulants
Heal gut bacteria –
Check out the 3 Steps to a Gut Reset Masterclass when you’re ready! :)
This masterclass will take you through the steps to get your digestive system and your gut bacteria healthy and happy again :). And don’t worry, it doesn’t take a long and restrictive diet to rebalance your gut (or at least it usually doesn’t :). All you need to do is add a few things to your diet and your gut bacteria will flourish!
Supplements for Inflammation:
You don’t need to take everything, just start with one that seems interesting and see how you feel after taking it for 2 – 4 weeks before adding anything else.
Omega-3 fats (fish oil or lots of a vegetarian source) –
Omega-3, specifically EPA, are the precursors to the important anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. The body uses prostaglandins to either make inflammation (Omega-6 fats) or calm it down (Omega-3s) so making sure your body has enough is essential.
We usually have more than enough omega-6s in our diet, so only focus on supplementing with omega-3s.
Dose – you need at least 1000mg of EPA each day to calm down inflammation. More if you’re heavier than 150 lbs. This is easier to do if you take a liquid fish oil or one that’s an EPA concentrate.
If you’re using flax oil or another form of vegetarian omega-3s, you need a higher dose to make sure your body converts enough EPA. 3 tbsp per day is enough for most.
If you don’t have a gallbladder – This means your body struggles to absorb fat, especially these essential fats. An omega-3 supplement is especially important for you, and look for an emulsified fish oil. This will ensure you’ll absorb it properly. If that’s not available, then add liquid fish oil to a smoothie (which will emulsify it for you) or take a bile salt supplement along with your fish oil.
Medicinal Mushrooms –
I think the future of immune support will be medicinal mushrooms. The research on them is amazing, but it’s still in its early stages. Medicinal mushrooms help to modulate the immune system, bringing it down if it’s too high and stimulating it if it’s too low.
All medicinal mushrooms have immune support properties, and I’m going to highlight a few key mushrooms that are particular superstars.
Reishi mushroom – Known as “the mushroom of immortality” as is a staple in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It supports the whole body and research is finding that it can balance the specific immune cells that are connected to auto-immune conditions.
Chaga mushroom – This mushroom is popular in Russia and Northern European countries. It’s a great immune modulator and is an extra-fantastic digestive healer. It helps to soothe damaged tissue throughout the digestive system.
Lion’s Mane mushroom – This mushroom looks like a white hairy mane when it grows on a tree. Its medicinal prowess is both immune modulation and brain health. There is some early research showing that it may reverse early stage dementia.
Other medicinal mushrooms are: shitake (found in most grocery stores), maitake, cordyceps, and tiger tail. The common white or brown button mushrooms and portobello mushrooms DO NOT carry medicinal properties.
Great brands in US & Canada – Host Defence, Purica
Great brand in Canada – Harmonic Arts (they have a 5 mushroom chocolate elixir that is apparently DELICIOUS!)
Enzymes for inflammation -
Your average plant-based digestive enzyme can help your body digest food AND breakdown inflammation.
Protease enzymes help to break down and fully digest the protein we eat, which can help to lower the chance of an immune trigger. And, if taken on an empty stomach, it’s believed that these enzymes are absorbed into your bloodstream and can clean up (and digest) any rogue inflammatory cells.
Serrapeptase is a popular product on the market and many people have had great success with it reducing the pain they deal with day-to-day.
Any plant-based digestive enzyme that contains lots of protease will do the same thing. My go to is Flora’s Urgent Care enzyme, but there are plenty of others on the market :)
General Nutrients/Supplements that are helpful:
White Willow Bark – this is whole-food aspirin, and can be helpful for immediate pain relief, but without the gastric side effects of NSAIDs
Devil’s Claw – it’s been studied for osteoarthritis and neck pain, and can be effective after 4 – 8 weeks.
Zinc (30mg) – the immune system doesn’t work properly if your body is low in zinc. It’s not a direct anti-inflammatory, but can help reduce inflammation once your body’s levels are back to normal.
Natural Eggshell Membrane – this is well researched for joint pain. It can help to reduce pain after about 7 days of supplementation and can help to rebuild the joint. It tends to work faster than glucosamine or MSM.
Quercetin – this is a natural anti-histamine, and high histamine levels will cause inflammation. This is a good one to try if you deal with any allergic symptoms.
Don’t forget about Sleep
Your body needs sleep to balance your immune system. I know, this is easier said than done. I don’t think there’s a single person around that wouldn’t love a long and deep night’s sleep.
If you’ve been struggling with sleep for a long time or still feel tired after a full night of rest, consider a sleep study to see if sleep apnea might be causing your tiredness.
In Conclusion
While inflammation is a natural and important process in the body, for many of you, inflammation is running amuck and needs some balance.
To find balance, your body may only need one thing – maybe an extra nutrient or removing a food you’ve been suspicious of for a while. Just start with one thing and see how you feel.
If there’s an area missing or you’d like more info on something, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know. I’m happy to add more info anywhere that’s needed :)
Questions or comments? Comment below, jump to our private Facebook Group, or the Ask Lisa page :)