Foods That Fight Inflammation

A couple weeks back I put out a blog post on Foods to Avoid. The food listed in that post promote inflammation, which is a major component of disease and injury. So now that you know which foods to avoid, you may be asking what should I be eating? Great question. Below are the foods that should make up that LARGE majority of your diet.

• Grass-fed meat
• Wild caught fish: Salmon and sardines are especially nutrient rich.
• Free range chicken and eggs
• Vegetables
• Leafy greens: Don’t limit yourself here.  There are many different types with various flavors and nutrients, including: spinach, kale, arugula, Swiss chard, and dandelion greens.
• Fruit: Be sure to eat fruit in its full form. Juices contain all the sugar and none of the fiber. The fiber in the fruit allows the sugar to be absorbed slowly so your blood glucose levels don’t spike.  Even fresh-pressed fruit and vegetable juices can have as much sugar as a soda, and your body will respond to it as such. If you want to drink your fruit, throw it in a blender.
• Nuts: I’ve been on a macadamia kick lately.
• Omega-3 seeds: Flax, chia, and hemp.  These are best purchased in their full form and blended or soaked immediately before eating. This way you get the full nutrient benefit.
• Dark chocolate
• Spices: The best spices for fighting inflammation are cinnamon, turmeric, and ginger.
• Coconut, avocado, and olive oil.
• Coffee and green tea

You may notice all of these foods are in their full form. You could essentially find each one of these items in nature without much alteration. This is a good way to approach eating. If you can’t find it in nature, or if it did not exist 150 years ago you probably shouldn’t be eating it. As much as I wish there was a Pop-Tart tree, overly processed junk foods like this are products of artificial engineering and do not belong in our diet.

I have never been a fan of food pyramids, but this one from Arthur De Vany’s book The New Evolution Diet gives a good perspective as to how we should be eating.

Eating properly and moving frequently will turn your body into a healthy, efficient machine! You will be able to fight colds and avoid aches and pains better than before. When you do want the occasional Pop-Tart, your body will be able to handle it. Going cold turkey on junk food is not sustainable for most people. Commit yourself to an 80/20 rule.  80% of the time you will eat a balanced variety of the foods listed above, and 20% of the time you can indulge.

Seaman, D. (2016) The Deflame diet: Deflame your diet, body, and mind. United States: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

De Vany, A., Taleb, N.N. and Fooled (2011) The new evolution diet: What our paleolithic ancestors can teach us about weight loss, fitness, and aging. New York, NY, United States: Rodale Press.