Anti-Inflammation Diet – 4 Steps to Less Inflammation
November 11, 2009 | 10 Comments
I recent was interviewed for an audio program on the topic of Anti-Inflammatory Diet. I wanted make setting up your diet to fight inflammation to be simple and more importantly practical. I came up with 4 main components to an anti-inflammatory diet. Here they are:
1. Eat Less Carbs – More and more studies are showing that carbohydrate restriction is a effective way at reducing markers of inflammation.
2. Eat More Anti-Oxidant Rich Foods – Getting more polyphenol and anthocyanins rich foods in your diet isn’t that difficult. Eat more red, purple, and blue fruits and vegetables, have a couple cups of green tea each day, even some red wine or dark chocolate.
3. Increase the Amount of Omega-3 Rich Foods in Your Diet – I’m not just talking about EPA/DHA (from fish oil /salmon). ALA (from flax) has been shown to impact inflammation via a different mechanism so make sure you are getting both kinds of omega-3s.
4. Lose Excess Fat – Extra sagging body fat is an inflammation factory. Dropping the extra pounds is the best way to reduce inflammation (and your blood pressure, risk for heart disease, risk for diabetes, etc) (WSFL 2.0 will get the job done quick).
If you are doing all of these…great. If not, what are you waiting for?
Apply these simple steps so that you can control the pro/anti-inflammatory balance in your body.
Note: If you are interested in hearing the full interview…it isn’t available yet but I’ll let you know when it is.
How To Reverse Heart Disease Naturally
June 29, 2009 | 2 Comments
It is estimated the over 80,000,000 American suffer from heart disease (that’s 1 in 3) with 1 American dying every 37 seconds as a result of complications related to heart disease. It has been the leading killer of American each year since 1900 (with the exception of 1918). The most disturbing part of the Heart Disease Tragedy is that it can be cured and/or prevented in most cases.
A recent study has shown that 4 factors greatly can greatly increase your 30 year risk of developing heart disease. Here they are and here is what you can do to ensure you don’t have or develop them.
- Excessive bodyweight – It is truly amazing how losing weight can cure so many diseases that plague the world today. Following the nutrition and exercise guidelines in this newsletter and those found in Naked Nutrition will allow to you maintain a healthy body weight.
- High Blood Pressure – It is not surprising that weight loss can help lower blood pressure. But in addition, a diet rich is fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy products (3 serving per day of dairy). Can help lower your blood pressure.
- Smoking – Just STOP.
- Diabetes – Type II Diabetes is becoming an ever growing health problem in the United States. By controlling your bodyweight, reducing the amount of starchy carbs (refined grains, pastas, etc) you eat, consuming more fruits and vegetables (at least one at every meal), and exercising for 5 hours a week, you will squash your risk of developing diabetes.
If you want me to personally help you with your diet then this is the way to go.
Eat a Snickers and Fight Heart Disease
March 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Got high blood pressure? Pop a bon bon. Pre-disposed to heart disease? Forget oats, reach for a candy bar. At least that’s what some may suggest.
Alright, that might be somewhat of a stretch, although sometimes we hear the message that “chocolate is healthy” and rationalize that chocolate bar or candy bar on a daily basis.
Research has shown, however, that dark chocolate – but not milk chocolate or white chocolate – has heart health properties.
So the question is – does a chocolate a day really keep the doctor away?
Let’s take a look some of the data that are out there.
Research published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and others have examined this question – and the answers are promising.
It starts with the antioxidant properties of dark chocolate. Antioxidants can be thought of as scavengers in the body that gobble up dangerous free radicals and other destructive molecules.
Think of antioxidants like Pac-Man – and the destructive molecules as the dots in the game that Pac-Man gobbles.
Of course antioxidants aren’t just in dark chocolate – fruits, veggies, tea, and other foods are all loaded, which is why we suggest you eat a varied diet, including those foods regularly. In fact, while dark chocolate is a great source of certain antioxidants, and one of the highest sources of flavonoids and catechins, other foods are better sources of other antioxidants. That’s why variety in the diet is king.
A recent study published in the Southern Medical Journal examined the effectS of dark chocolate on inflammation, lipid levels, and the stickiness of the blood (known as platelet reactivity) in 28 individuals.
They fed the individuals 1 oz of dark chocolate daily for 7 days. The results:
- LDL (the bad cholesterol) dropped by 6%
- HDL increased by 9%
- hsCRP (inflammatory marker) decreased
While this was a short study, it can be combined with the other positive data that are available to support the inclusion of dark chocolate into the diet. Other studies suggest including dark chocolate into a varied diet lowers blood pressure too.
Take home points:
- This isn’t a “free pass” to gorge on chocolate daily – it still contains lot of calories and fat, so if you want to include chocolate, keep those calories in check, but reducing your intake elsewhere.
- Aim for chocolate that has at least 70% cacao (it will tell you this on the package). Our preference are 100% cacao nibs – add them to yogurt for added crunch and you’ve got a great treat that’s healthy, yet not loaded down with sugar.
- Dark chocolate does not mean King Size Twix, Heath Bars, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, etc. It means quality chocolate, without the added junk.
- Limit that intake to about 1 oz per day.
- Make sure the addition of chocolate is part of all the other heart health diet strategies we’ve talked about, including exercising daily as well.
You Gotta Fight Inflammation First
March 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Inflammation is a very hot topic in the nutritional science and medical communities. When people think of inflammation they often think of swelling or arthritis. Inflammation is much more than that. The more we learn about the human body the more we realize that inflammation is at the center of just about every disease – heart disease, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and the list goes on. Read more
How To Lower Triglycerides Naturally Part 1
January 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Lowering your triglycerides naturally is actually quite easy and can be done in several different ways. As I’ve talked about in a previous health boosting tip, one of the best ways to improve your overall health is to lose weight. When you lose weight you will automatically lower your triglycerides.
There other way to lower your triglycerides that I’d like to tell you about today is to reduce your carbohydrate intake. A study published in the 2007 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show a linear relationship between triglyceride levels and triglyceride intake. This means that when people increased their carbohydrate consumption, their triglyceride levels also increased and when they reduced their carbohydrates consumption, their triglyceride levels decreased.
To make the greatest impact on your triglyceride levels is it important that you reduce simple and added sugars from your diet as they have the greatest impact on your triglyceride levels.
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