Anti-Inflammatory Foods

So for a while now I've been doing some reading up on anti-inflammatory foods, and I am wondering if anyone else here has been doing their homework on it as well....

I've been trying to incorporate some of these foods every day into my diet since I started here and I HAVE noticed a difference in how I feel.

Has anyone else tried to ramp up on these foods or ????

Replies

  • GorillaEsq
    GorillaEsq Posts: 2,198 Member
    For me... gluten = bad.
  • 2BhappyBhealthy
    2BhappyBhealthy Posts: 181 Member
    Yes. Especially after a lifting day... I have found pineapple and grapefruit to be pretty helpful. Do you have any specific items you have noticed to be helpful? Or are you just saying in general, eating them helps?
  • tubbyelmo
    tubbyelmo Posts: 415 Member
    My Dad had bad Rheumatoid Arthritis, couldn't eat any tomatoes as they always caused a flare-up. Oddly enough Heinz Tomato Soup didn't cause a flare up though...

    He found that salmon, chicken and other lean proteins helped, and although he considered yogurt to be less than manly, it helped too. Carrots, broccoli, turnip/swede, parsnips were all good, strangely he had to avoid mushrooms.

    It may all be different for other people of course. Hope you find foods that help you ;-)
  • mandipandi75
    mandipandi75 Posts: 6,035 Member
    Are you also avoiding inflammatory foods? Such as animal products?
  • FitnessPalWorks
    FitnessPalWorks Posts: 1,128 Member
    Mandi - No, I'm not avoiding animal products but I *am* making better choices - USDA organic / non-GMO/no hormone milk.... protein is important and I'm not giving up meat, that's for sure.

    Tubby - Interesting that you say that. I'm allergic to tomatoes that have ANY green on the inside. If it is a vine-fresh tomato that is ripe, I'm fine. Catsup is fine as well as other tomato-based products.

    2BHappy - I'm saying in general.. incorporating them daily... seems to be helping. For instance if I have salmon (Alaskan wild, not Atlantic, folks - don't eat Atlantic salmon!) twice a week (which I've been doing) I take the Omega3's the other five days. Balance.

    GEsq - I thought gluten was "out" as in "not" my enemy... but I did have an pretty bad "episode" for 8 hours last night that I'm totally pointing at Ritz crackers the night before.... those glutenized toxic little effers!!!! Sure was 5 minutes of tasty... but to pay for it 24 hours later for 8 hours? Yeah, I won't be doing that again anytime soon.....

    BTW, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I'm speaking of internal inflammation that can be the root cause problems like: cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, Alzheimer's, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, fatigue, etc. Chronic inflammation is most prevalent in people that are clinically obese (which I am not, but obviously trying to avoid that path!)....

    I will say straight off I have had more energy since paying more attention to these foods. It took about two weeks to really notice the difference.... anyone else?
  • emily356
    emily356 Posts: 318 Member
    I am halfway through my Whole 30 right now!! Woohoo!! Anyway, I feel SO much better!!! My chronic migraines are improving, as is my mood and energy levels!! It is pretty much meat, vegetables, a little fruit, seeds, and tree nuts.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Anti-inflamms I know of are
    Vitd3
    fish oil
    turmeric

    I am sure there are others, but those are great.


    Foods I avoid
    Anything with the ingredient carrageenan...nasty on my gut!

    Other than that, I seem to be fine.
  • wareagle8706
    wareagle8706 Posts: 1,090 Member
    What are you saying the Ritz crackers did to you exactly? Just curious...
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    I've changed my diet considerably over the past 4 years and adopted many anti-inflammatory foods in the process. I have both the quality of life and extensive blood test improvements showing that it's worked. Plus I love the foods I'm eating now and get sick of the thought of the garbage I used to put in my body!
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    Spicy peppers (capsacin) are supposed to be anti-inflamitory. They belong to the night shades family which is said to cause inflamation. Like politics it's often difficult to know what to believe anymore. Just eat it - if you swell up like a ballon put it on the list of things not to eat.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    I have 2 chronic inflammatory conditions, Psoriatic Arthritis (mild RA) and Adhesive Arachnoiditis in my lower spine. My number one thing that has helped my pain level is eliminating processed sugar. I have also eliminated breads as well, so that automatically put me fairly gluten free, so it could have helped as well. I eat nuts, seeds, avocados, and lots of fresh leafy greens and other non-starch vegetables. I know from experience that tomatoes will cause a major flare up. I can get away with a little sauce here and there, but one day I ate a whole tomato and could not get out of bed the next day.

    There are other foods that are supposed to help with inflammation. I saw a Doctor on Dr Oz one day that was talking about the 5 food groups that help with inflammation. You might want to check his show website and look for them. I know some of them were foods high in beta-carotine, in the yellow and orange color foods, cauliflower, citrus fruits, whole or cracked grains, oily fishes, and some herbs and spices- ginger, tumeric being the best. I also saw purple foods, but I had always heard that eggplant is in the nightshade group of vegetables which are known to CAUSE inflammation, so not sure if eggplant would be good or not.

    I do know that since I have been eating this way for the past 2 months, my pain level has dropped dramatically and I am able to exercise so much more without increasing my meds any. I feel so fantastic, at least 10 years younger. Less moody and lots more energy. I will eat this way forever.

    Good luck. hope you find some things that help you.
  • GorillaEsq
    GorillaEsq Posts: 2,198 Member
    What are you saying the Ritz crackers did to you exactly? Just curious...
    For me, gluten is the devil... see...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774163-gluten-is-the-devil
  • FitnessPalWorks
    FitnessPalWorks Posts: 1,128 Member
    What are you saying the Ritz crackers did to you exactly? Just curious...

    Sick to my stomach for 8 hours straight & um.... nasty, NASTY um... fine... I'll type it... diarrhea...8 hours STRAIGHT of it!

    Check here for more info.... gluten is everywhere. Just discovered it in the soy sauce I have in my fridge, too! :\
    http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/features/gluten-intolerance-against-grain

    Min - I've been using Tumeric as much as possible since before I came onto this site... I bought it for a persian stew I make and between the ingredients in the stew and the Tumeric I felt better then, too. It has taken me a while of course with the back-and-forth to realize I'm on the right path...

    Enigmatica - Thank you for your post... are those pants you used to wear? WOW...!! And glad to hear your blood tests have improved. That's awesome. :)

    Emily - what's Whole 30?
  • FitnessPalWorks
    FitnessPalWorks Posts: 1,128 Member
    What are you saying the Ritz crackers did to you exactly? Just curious...
    For me, gluten is the devil... see...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774163-gluten-is-the-devil

    GEsq.... I'm going to have to pay more attention to your food diary... now that I know you're gluten-free hopefully I can incorporate some of what you're cooking/eating into my diet as well. Thank you so much for piping in. :)
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    I was having this convo with my chiropractor today. He is telling me to stay away from beef/chicken/pork b/c they are high acidic. He said lots of citrus fruits, green veggies, omega 3 proteins are what my diet should be made up of.. and he said my love for Greek yogurt is fine.
  • momtomanygirls
    momtomanygirls Posts: 23 Member
    I just got put on this diet from my dr. I am trying to figure it out. This post really helps.
  • emily356
    emily356 Posts: 318 Member
    http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/

    There is a link. It is a 30 day food challenge where all you pretty much eat is meat, vegetables, friut, seeds, and tree nuts. I guess you'd say paleo, but I really don't consider myself paleo. I will start reintroducing foods back in after the 30 days and see how they make me feel!!
  • FitnessPalWorks
    FitnessPalWorks Posts: 1,128 Member
    I was having this convo with my chiropractor today. He is telling me to stay away from beef/chicken/pork b/c they are high acidic. He said lots of citrus fruits, green veggies, omega 3 proteins are what my diet should be made up of.. and he said my love for Greek yogurt is fine.

    He said that because (if I'm not mistaken) the more ALKALINE your insides are, the better.....
  • FitnessPalWorks
    FitnessPalWorks Posts: 1,128 Member
    Oooh - great link, Emily! Thanks!
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    Gluten and all forms of dairy are severely inflammatory to my body and are absolutely NO for me. Both trigger migraines, muscle spasms, joint pain and stiffness, digestive system disruption, bloating, bags under my eyes, and skin breakouts that go on for up to 2 weeks. Didn't have a clue until last year when I got an awesome doctor unlike any MD I've ever known before. Instead of prescribing drugs to mask the symptoms she said, "Let's figure out what is causing these symptoms and see if we can address the root of the problem."

    Process of elimination found that gluten and dairy are both bad news for me. No problem, there are plenty of other things to eat!

    My breakfast is packed full of anti-inflammatory food choices such as berries, nuts, chia and flax seeds. Sweet potatoes, avocados, tuna and salmon are all good inflammation fighters and are frequently on my menu as well. I do still eat meat and even some red meat, but am inclined to back off in that area because I can see some inflammation when I have more than a few ounces a day.

    At first it was hard to "give up" foods that I had been eating all my life. But once I felt and saw the differences it made for me, I lost all interest in the old stuff. Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels!
  • My mom has rheumatoid arthritis (an inflammatory disease) and she says cutting gluten out completely has helped her immensely! :)
  • FitnessPalWorks
    FitnessPalWorks Posts: 1,128 Member
    Gluten and all forms of dairy are severely inflammatory to my body and are absolutely NO for me. Both trigger migraines, muscle spasms, joint pain and stiffness, digestive system disruption, bloating, bags under my eyes, and skin breakouts that go on for up to 2 weeks.

    (snip)

    My breakfast is packed full of anti-inflammatory food choices such as berries, nuts, chia and flax seeds. Sweet potatoes, avocados, tuna and salmon are all good inflammation fighters and are frequently on my menu as well. I do still eat meat and even some red meat, but am inclined to back off in that area because I can see some inflammation when I have more than a few ounces a day.

    Interesting. I was having muscle spasms all the time either in my feet or back... and you just made me realize that those symptoms have stopped. Wow. Never even thought it could be related!

    I'm going to have to learn to like sweet potatoes. I know that those are good but as a kid I HATED them so I have to find ways to make them the way I will actually "like" them.... the rest of what you mentioned I already eat except for Chia - I haven't been able to find it. Health food store? And how do you eat/prepare them?
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member

    Interesting. I was having muscle spasms all the time either in my feet or back... and you just made me realize that those symptoms have stopped. Wow. Never even thought it could be related!

    I'm going to have to learn to like sweet potatoes. I know that those are good but as a kid I HATED them so I have to find ways to make them the way I will actually "like" them.... the rest of what you mentioned I already eat except for Chia - I haven't been able to find it. Health food store? And how do you eat/prepare them?

    Health food store should have chia seeds but if not they're on Amazon. I use ground chia in my morning smoothie, although it should probably be called a pudding because between the flax, the chia, and the hemp seeds it comes out so thick I put it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon =)

    But there are lots of other ways to use chia seeds, for examples: http://www.chiaseedrecipes.com/40-ways-to-use-chia-seeds.php and health benefits at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/444471-top-ten-health-benefits-of-chia-seeds/
  • mrtoaster
    mrtoaster Posts: 90 Member
    I have previously had some suspected gout attacks. I was told that most berries were high in antioxidants and were anti-inflammatory also citrus fruits were beneficial. I now try and incorporate 3 portions of of berries or fruits every day
  • FitnessPalWorks
    FitnessPalWorks Posts: 1,128 Member
    *bump*

    Anyone?

    (Or is everyone hiding from Hurricane Sandy tonight?)
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
    So for a while now I've been doing some reading up on anti-inflammatory foods, and I am wondering if anyone else here has been doing their homework on it as well....

    I've been trying to incorporate some of these foods every day into my diet since I started here and I HAVE noticed a difference in how I feel.

    Has anyone else tried to ramp up on these foods or ????
    Total crap. Different people react to different foods differently. There is a reliable blood test that can determine inflammatory response to foods, and it has not shown any sort of universal inflammatory/anti-inflammatory responses.

    E.g. I have 0 inflammatory reaction to gluten, solanine, and a variety of other widely considered "inflammatory" foods, but many "anti-inflammatory" foods such as sweet potato and olive oil produce a profound inflammatory reaction.

    Simply put, this whole area of nutrition is overhyped and not supported by science.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    ginger is good as well. if you have an asian market near you, you can find ginger tea.

    i also use fresh ginger in my cooking
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    So for a while now I've been doing some reading up on anti-inflammatory foods, and I am wondering if anyone else here has been doing their homework on it as well....

    I've been trying to incorporate some of these foods every day into my diet since I started here and I HAVE noticed a difference in how I feel.

    Has anyone else tried to ramp up on these foods or ????
    Total crap. Different people react to different foods differently. There is a reliable blood test that can determine inflammatory response to foods, and it has not shown any sort of universal inflammatory/anti-inflammatory responses.

    E.g. I have 0 inflammatory reaction to gluten, solanine, and a variety of other widely considered "inflammatory" foods, but many "anti-inflammatory" foods such as sweet potato and olive oil produce a profound inflammatory reaction.

    Simply put, this whole area of nutrition is overhyped and not supported by science.
    This is the Oprah show in here with Dr. Oz and Sylvia Browne. No one is going to accept science.
  • pstaceyca
    pstaceyca Posts: 306 Member
    Any of you gluten free people please add me...I am gluten free and would love some friends on here that are too!!