Anti-Inflammatory, alkalizing foods, GF, low sugar

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barbarab202
barbarab202 Posts: 3
in Food and Nutrition
Hi Everyone -

I'm new here and feel like I really need to focus on eating healthy. I work a stressful job and for the last three years took care of a very ill family member, so most of my meals where what I could quickly grab as I was running from one place to the next. A couple of years ago I started fainting randomly, saw a doctor, was referred to neurologists, a headache clinic, had CT scans, and all came back fine. They're stumped and all they can think of is that this is chronic stress. I started taking up yoga and cutting back on diet Coke (my morning caffeine fix as I don't drink coffee), which have helped. I've also gone for craniosacral massages, and just in the past month started running (and ran my first 5k race yesterday). I try to get out to the mountains every Saturday, whether for a full day hike, scramble, XC skiing, or something else (always active). I've focused on getting more sleep, going to bed at 10:30 - 11:00 every day and getting up at 7:00. All of those are making me see small, gradual improvements, but the food I really need to focus on.

Last year I started seeing an integrative physician. I had blood work done, saliva tests done, and due to my family history of cancer, suggested the following for a meal plan for myself:

- Eat anti-inflammatory foods
- Eat alkalizing foods (and lots of lemon water)
- Eat very small amounts of sugars (I am apparently pre-pre-diabetic, so the stage before pre-diabetes)
- Eat protein with every meal
- Don't eat dairy (except for eggs)
- Don't eat gluten
- Take supplements (B-vitamins, Vitamins D & A [as I am defiicient in both), EPA-DHA, iodine, multi-minerals, antioxidant, and probiotic).

As someone who isn't good in the kitchen, I'm feeling overwhelmed by this. I want to eat healthy, but I don't have an hour or two to devote to finding the right foods each day. So, in the small chance that I may get lucky, is anyone aware of some 'diet' or list of foods that would meet those requirements noted above? I feel like I can put meals together if I just knew which foods are ok (without researching every single food to see if it meets all these criteria).

Thank you,
Barbara
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Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,610 Member
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    All the anti-inflammatory, alkaline, non gluten diets are broscience unless you actually have an allergic reaction to any of those foods.
    Really by just changing your diet to nutrient dense foods (instead of using supplements) and staying within calorie control should change a lot. As it sounds you're just setting yourself up for more stress if you're not good in the kitchen and trying to conform to the diet being "prescribed".

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • dynamitegalxo
    dynamitegalxo Posts: 299 Member
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    Check out the website nutritiondata.com. It has a database very similar to MFP's and it will tell you everything you could possibly want to know about a food, from its alkalinity to its location on the inflammatory scale. It will take a bit of time to do some research but once you find foods you know will work, you can build yourself a new pantry. Also, you can do a Google search and you'll find lots of lists of anti-inflammatory foods. People who suffer from gout typically have to eat a more anti-inflammatory diet to help their mobility, so the information is plentiful!

    For gluten free, the easiest and least stressful way to do that is to cut out bread, cereal, pasta, etc. Quinoa, oats, and lentils are all gluten free and relatively grain-like.

    I hope that helps! Definitely don't take it too seriously, you won't live and die by these recommendations unless you have a diagnosed allergy or other issue with these food groups. Generally following the guidelines will help you feel better though, the idea is less stress, not more!
  • tamadrummer001
    tamadrummer001 Posts: 71 Member
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    The biggest problem I see with this whole thing is the "alkalizing" foods. If you have even a basic understanding of the human anatomy and physiology you know that no matter how much acidic or caustic food you put in your body, (unless you are a diabetic or have another serious medical condition) you cannot ever change your blood pH. It is nearly impossible.

    You can drink all the lemon water and high pH water you want and it will do nothing but drain your wallet.

    Oh and yes I drink water with lemon in it a ton of the time. I love it but for the flavor nothing else.
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    Vegetables
    Sprouts
    Beets
    Bell peppers
    Broccoli
    Cabbage
    Carrots
    Cauliflower
    Celery
    Collard greens
    Cucumbers
    Eggplant
    Garlic
    Green beans
    Kale
    Lettuce greens
    Mushrooms
    Mustard greens
    Onions
    Parsnips
    Peas
    Pumpkin
    Spinach
    Squash
    Sweet potatoes
    Tomatoes
    Zucchini

    Fruits

    Apples
    Apricots
    Bananas
    Blueberries
    Cantaloupe
    Cherries
    Cranberries
    Dates
    Grapefruit
    Grapes
    Honeydew
    Kiwi
    Lemons
    Limes
    Mango
    Nectarines
    Oranges
    Papaya
    Peaches
    Pineapples
    Plums
    Pomegranates
    Prunes
    Raisins
    Raspberries
    Strawberries

    Grains

    Brown rice
    Dried beans/peas
    Millet
    Oats
    Quinoa
    Spelt

    Protein

    Beef
    Chicken
    Cod
    Egg whites
    Eggs
    Halibut
    Lamb
    Salmon
    Sardines
    Swai
    Tilapia
    Tuna
    Venison

    Dairy

    Almond milk
    Greek yogurt
    Cottage cheese




    Fats

    Almond butter
    Almonds
    Avacados
    Cashews
    Coconut oil
    Flaxseed
    Natural peanut butter
    Olive oil
    Olives
    Pumpkin seeds
    Sunflower seeds
    Sesame seeds
    Walnuts

    All herbs and spices except salt

    Natural sweeteners

    Stevia
    100% honey
    Raw honey

    Liquids

    Water
    Black coffee
    Tea, herbal/green
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
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    The biggest problem I see with this whole thing is the "alkalizing" foods. If you have even a basic understanding of the human anatomy and physiology you know that no matter how much acidic or caustic food you put in your body, (unless you are a diabetic or have another serious medical condition) you cannot ever change your blood pH. It is nearly impossible.

    You can drink all the lemon water and high pH water you want and it will do nothing but drain your wallet.

    Oh and yes I drink water with lemon in it a ton of the time. I love it but for the flavor nothing else.

    ^^^^ this. the 'acidic body' stuff that health magazines spit is bull.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    - Don't eat dairy (except for eggs)


    Ummm.....I could be wrong but I'm about 99% sure eggs do not come out of a cow.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
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    The biggest problem I see with this whole thing is the "alkalizing" foods. If you have even a basic understanding of the human anatomy and physiology you know that no matter how much acidic or caustic food you put in your body, (unless you are a diabetic or have another serious medical condition) you cannot ever change your blood pH. It is nearly impossible.

    You can drink all the lemon water and high pH water you want and it will do nothing but drain your wallet.

    Oh and yes I drink water with lemon in it a ton of the time. I love it but for the flavor nothing else.

    ^^^^ this. the 'acidic body' stuff that health magazines spit is bull.

    Seriously. Acidemia only happens in rare and extreme cases. It is 'incompatible with life'. If lemons lowered your blood pH, we would all be in serious trouble. Or dead. We would all be dead from eating lemons.
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
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    - Don't eat dairy (except for eggs)


    Ummm.....I could be wrong but I'm about 99% sure eggs do not come out of a cow.

    LOL. Good catch.
  • BathtubBadger
    BathtubBadger Posts: 217 Member
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    - Eat alkalizing foods (and lots of lemon water)

    Sounds extremely counter productive combining opposites (alkaline and acid).
  • DaDiva1908
    DaDiva1908 Posts: 5 Member
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    Try your local grocery store and Whole Foods. They will both have loads of GF foods for you to select from. It's trial and error in terms of finding what suits your taste buds, but if you keep the receipt you can always return it. Good luck!
  • barbarab202
    barbarab202 Posts: 3
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    Wow, lots of comments, thank you.

    ninerbuff - I understand not everyone buys into the anti-inflammatory eating, etc., however, when I stuck with very specific foods for a couple of weeks, I felt way better. I could be reacting to something, but we don't know what yet. Hence the start with cutting out a lot of the stuff, and then would add things back in one by one. But yes, I have been focusing on eating more veggies and fruit, as well as shopping around the perimeter of the grocery stores to cut out a lot of the fat and processed foods.

    dynamitegalxo - Wow, that nutritiondata website has a lot of info! I especially like the info on inflammation factor. Thank you, I'll need a lot more time to go through it.

    Hezzietiger - Thank you for that list as well. I'll be checking those foods out on the nutritiondata website for sure, and see where the foods that I like and regularly buy rank.

    As for where eggs come from, LOL, good catch indeed. Correction: they come from the easier bunnies. But seriously, I have no idea where I got the eggs = dairy from. Maybe mixed it up with vegetarian, vegan, etc.
  • barbarab202
    barbarab202 Posts: 3
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    - Eat alkalizing foods (and lots of lemon water)

    Sounds extremely counter productive combining opposites (alkaline and acid).

    Actually, it is not counter productive. While lemon is acidic in its natural form, once consumed it is alkalizing.
  • MeowSkull
    MeowSkull Posts: 101 Member
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    ignore me, commenting for future reference.
  • bikinisuited
    bikinisuited Posts: 881 Member
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    Great info as a reference for me!
  • kbeardmore22
    kbeardmore22 Posts: 283 Member
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    bump
  • conniedj
    conniedj Posts: 470 Member
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    One of the PP put up a great list already! And from personal experience--I can attest to certain foods having an inflammatory response on the body! There are certain foods that--if I eat--the lymph nodes on my neck become enlarged and painful. It is primarily from a few processed foods, and in particular aspartame. So Identifying your sensitivities to foods is far from "broscience" as one person put it.

    I also wanted to add that I stopped taking NSAIDS in favor of taking tart cherry capsules--which are an anti inflammatory. I find that they are very effective for all types of pain. I also take Quercetin if I find that I have eaten something that is causing an inflammatory response. It also acts as an antihistamine. Great if foods affect your sinuses too!

    I commend you on your approach and your attitude in dealing with it!
  • seliinac
    seliinac Posts: 336 Member
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    bump for future reference
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,610 Member
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    ninerbuff - I understand not everyone buys into the anti-inflammatory eating, etc., however, when I stuck with very specific foods for a couple of weeks, I felt way better. I could be reacting to something, but we don't know what yet. Hence the start with cutting out a lot of the stuff, and then would add things back in one by one. But yes, I have been focusing on eating more veggies and fruit, as well as shopping around the perimeter of the grocery stores to cut out a lot of the fat and processed foods.
    Honestly I don't buy into it because there's no peer reviewed clinical studies that show eating this way lowers inflammation in the body. If there are peer reviewed studies (for general population and not one pertaining to RA or MS), then please link them so I can check them out. Just eating more whole nutrient dense food is a step in a better direction and shouldn't stress you out more.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    - Eat alkalizing foods (and lots of lemon water)

    Sounds extremely counter productive combining opposites (alkaline and acid).

    Actually, it is not counter productive. While lemon is acidic in its natural form, once consumed it is alkalizing.
    I'm sorry that's rubbish lemon has a Ph of around 3 which is very acid (in fact similar to that of soda). It's not going to miraculously make your blood alkaline.


    http://blog.easy-immune-health.com/food-and-nutrition/alkalinize-or-die-really/
  • VBnotbitter
    VBnotbitter Posts: 820 Member
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    Hi OP

    Sounds like you have had a very stressful couple of years, and embracing a new healthy life style with diet, exercise and more sleep will do you the world of good. If you are prone to stress though you may be best just focusing on eating well, without excluding food groups. Putting so many limitations on your diet will only cause you more stress as it already seems to be doing.

    I'm not going to wade in on the whole "foods with anti-inflammatory properties" arguement because although I'm dubious I've not read any studies on it. I do, however, know a lot about the body's mechanisim for controlling pH. So can I ask you what your integrated physician means when they advise you to eat "alkalising foods" what are they hoping to achieve?

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