Reducing Inflammation

If some foods can be medicine, it’s fair to say that some other foods can be poisonous. Many of the ailments and imbalances people suffer from in modern times can be attributed to inflammatory diets. 

It’s as simple as learning to read nutrition labels and being a conscious consumer when you grocery shop and eat out. Not all inflammatory foods will be avoided at all times, but you will greatly benefit from taking an 80/20 or even 90/10 approach to inflammatory foods. 

Your skin will be clearer.

Your energy will be more consistent.

Your digestion will improve. 

Your brain fog will lift. 

You’ll be less sensitive to the sun. 

It’s worth the extra effort. 

A good place to start is cleaning out your kitchen- pantry and refrigerator. Scan the labels for the ingredients listed below and also check the expiration date. Decide if you want to finish up the last of what you have and swap them out as needed or clean house and start fresh. Use the skills you cultivate cleaning out your kitchen when you shop for groceries. Do a quick scan of the label for inflammatory ingredients or use a bar code scanner app like EWG’s healthy living app or Yuka to get a rating. 

Seed Oils

Inflammation occurs in the body when the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is off. As in: too much omega-6.

We want more omega-3 fatty acids because they are the precursors to healthy hormones!

But you know what’s packed with omega-6 fatty acids? Seed oils.

Industrial seed oils derived from GMO crops that are oxidized and then laced with additives to hide how rancid they are when you consume them. 

They are found in just about every store-bought salad dressing and prepackaged food on the shelf. These are the ones you want to look out for:

• Canola oil

• Corn oil

• Cottonseed oil

• Grapeseed oil

• Margarine

• Rice bran oil

• Safflower oil

• Soy oil

• Sunflower oil

• Vegan butter substitute

• Vegetable oil

Instead, opt for:

• Avocado oil

• Beef tallow

• Butter

• Coconut oil

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Ghee

One of the worst offenders in the seed oils department is store-bought salad dressing! Luckily, making your own is quick and easy. Try this recipe!

Processed Sugar

Sugar is sneaky for three reasons- one, it hides behind a looong list of pseudonyms, two, it’s highly addictive, and three, it gives a spurt of energy, followed by the inevitable crash.

Sweeteners and other additives are included in packaged foods to make them taste good but also to keep you coming back for more. You’re about to be surprised by how many packaged foods (even the savory ones) that have added sugar. Here’s all the names sugar may be hiding under in your food:

• Dextrose

• Fructose

• Galactose

• Glucose

• Lactose

• Maltose

• Sucrose

• Beet sugar

• Browns guar

• Cane juice crystals

• Cane sugar

• Castor sugar

• Coconut sugar

• Confectioners sugar / powdered sugar

• Corn syrup solids

• Crystalline fructose

• Date sugar

• Demerara sugar

• Dextrin diastatic malt

• Ethyl maltol

• Florida crystals

• Golden sugar / syrup

• Glucose syrup solids

• Grape sugar

• Icing sugar

• Maltodextrin

• Muscovado sugar

• Panela sugar

• Raw sugar

• Sugar (granulated / table)

• Sucanat

• Turbinado sugar

• Yellow sugar

• Agave nectar / syrup

• Barley malt

• Blackstrap molasses

• Brown rice syrup

• Butter sugar / buttercream

• Caramel

• Carob syrup

• Corn syrup / high fructose

• Evaporated cane juice

• Fruit juice / concentrate 

• Honey 

• Invert sugar

• Malt syrup

• Maple syrup

• Molasses

• Rice syrup

• Refiner’s sugar

• Sorghum syrup

• Treacle 

Out of the the best sweeteners to use when you’re measuring with your own hand are:

• Organic honey

• Organic maple syrup

• Raw sugar

• Monk fruit (as long as it doesn’t contain erythritol)

Don’t be fooled by sugar-free sweeteners. These seem like they’re too good to be true because they are! Side-effects ranging from decreased gastrointestinal problems and blood pressure to cancer and alzheimer’s have been reported. It’s best to avoid these low-calorie sweeteners:

• Aspartame

• Saccarin

• Stevia

• Sucralose

• Erythritol

Wheat / Gluten

There are a few reasons to be wary of products containing gluten. 

Number one, the proteins in modern-day (GMO) wheat are not well-digested; instead they irritate the lining of your digestive tract causing inflammation, bloating, poor digestion, food sensitivities and more. These symptoms exist on a spectrum from gluten sensitivity to full-on Celiac disease (in which case gluten exposure causes severe symptoms). 

Number two, wheat crops are commonly sprayed with glyphosate, an herbicide intended to kill pests. Glyphosate exposure in humans can have neurotoxic effects like neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction which can display as behavioral and motor disorders. 

Wheat also goes by many names and turns up in surprising places so you should scan every packaged food label. These ingredients all signal gluten:

• Whole wheat / enriched / bread / cake flour

• Couscous

• Wheat berries

• Cracked wheat

• Puffed wheat

• Multi-grain products

• Bulgar

• Durum

• Einkorn

• Emmer

• Farina

• Kamut

• Spelt

• Triticale

• Matzo

• Semolina

• Malted cereals

• Wheat bran / germ / malt / starch

• Gluten

• Cereal extract

• Wheat protein powder

• Graham flour

• Gelatinized starch

• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein

• Modified food starch

• Vegetable gum / starch

• Dextrin

• Malt flavoring

Going gluten-free for a period of time (2-4 weeks) will give you an idea of your individual sensitivity to gluten. You may notice improved digestion, less food sensitivity, better energy, clearer skin, and much more! After a period of elimination, adding gluten back in will allow you to observe any negative reactions you might have. Moving forward, eating gluten sparingly will allow more freedom in your diet without mucking up your digestive system again. I recommend sticking to the following parameters when eating gluten:

• Organic durum or semolina flours (not enriched)

• Sourdough (no yeast or it’s not sourdough)

• Ancient grains

• Farro

• Kamut

• Einkhorn

• Bulger

• Freekah

• Millet

• Barley

• Teff

• Quinoa

• Buckwheat

• Amaranth

Alcohol

There’s no way around this one. Regular consumption of alcohol is not doing any favors in the inflammation department. It impairs gut and liver health while also interfering with the brain’s ability to regulate inflammation. Balanced hormones and alcohol just don’t mix, making cocktails best saved for celebrations and social gatherings. In other words, the 20% of your 80/20 lifestyle. 

Swap:

• Wine

• Liquor

• Beer

• Liqueurs

For:

• Soda water with citrus

• Soda water with bitters

• Mocktails

• Coconut water

• Kombucha

• Iced tea