Welcome to the 101 series!
This is where I talk candidly about what I’ve learned along the way to healing from the inside out through food. The topic is a big one; Chronic Inflammation and Food. Let’s start from the beginning and take it back to the fundamentals, the basics. The foundation of what I’ve learned through the years that will help you eat yourself well.
We’re at my table casually hanging out and talking. This isn’t formal. No medical jargon, no big giant words or snazzy slides. Simple analogies that make sense. Real sharing from my own personal experience going on three years now, taking a crash course to figure out how to get my health back.
Having a debilitating case of chronic inflammation can look differently on everyone. For me, it showed up as back to back sinus infections, moderate asthma and eventually through frustration, time and bloodwork a compromised immune system was underneath it all. I asked my doctors including my Immunologist, Pulmonologist and ENT several times what can I do to help myself? The one phrase that they all said was to eat a non inflammatory diet.
Honestly, I didn’t have a clue what that even was back then.
Prior to all this crazy I ate a very typical American diet. I live in the south west so Mexican food, American style comfort food, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Sushi, Poki bowls and lots of fast food were on the menu all the time.
In that moment there was no way I was going down without a fight. I chose to completely submerge myself and dive in to what all this inflammation “stuff” was. So, instead of spinning the sick wheel round and round I dug deep.
First of all, let’s talk about what chronic inflammation actually is.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!
Acute Inflammation is when you have a cut, strain or break. Something big has happened and the body reacts and your immune system goes right to the scene of the crime. Taking care of what needs to be done, on the spot, quick style. This is the type of inflammation that’s good, we need this response to keep us alive.
Chronic Inflammation is when your system is stuck in this place. It thinks everything your introduced to, anything you come in contact with is the enemy. It’s on high alert all the time. A constant state of being on the defense. Your system is fighting anything and everything. It’s overworked and recruits are hard to find to help the situation.
I liken this to a like a puffer fish.
We had a puffer in our tank and he’d be swimming along, cruising and flittering his little tiny fins along the top of the tank looking for any morsel he could find. Then, once he saw me approach the tank he’d blow up like a gigantic spiky balloon. I wasn’t going to hurt him, but he thought I had a hit out on him and he was my mark. The puffer fish stays blown up in defense, it’s in a constant state of thinking it’s under attack.
Sources of inflammation
There are two main sources of where inflammation comes from in the body.
First, is what’s going on around you in your immediate surroundings. Your ‘bubble’ of space near you can be one commonly associated with inhaling the irritant or having skin contact to give the reaction. Allergies, sneezing, watery eyes, rashes or hives, that is what we think if first. The outside elements.
How about what you put inside your body, what you eat and drink? That’s the second, not so obvious area that we’re going to focus on.
Chronic Inflammation and Food
Simply put, it’s food that our bodies just don’t recognize right off the bat. If it’s been modified, adulterated, processed or has a ton of ingredients you can’t even pronounce, guess what? Your body is likely to flip out and puff up, down to the cellular level. It may not recognize the food you’ve ate or have a hard time absorbing the nutrients.
Think of this as noisy foods, traffic.
Our systems are ancient. They’ve been around for hundreds of thousands of years. Our bodies like simple foods. If it grows from the ground as a plant or it’s an animal that eats those plants you’re on the right track to keeping your system content and keeping that inflammation down.
Think of these foods as a car rolling down the highway, there’s a car or two on the road. Route 66, open with big sky as far as you can see. One car you see in the distance is a tomato, the other an onion or avocado. As you eat these your small intestine is going ‘hey guys, looking good, I know you, I like you, come on in.’
Then, you see a big ol’ semi truck. You have no idea what is in that storage unit, it could be a hundred different things or in this case, ingredients. They’re going to freak your body out. It’s not going to know what to do with all of it right away. It will react and be like ‘um…ok, wow, what that heck are we going to do with this gigantic load of strange?’
Would you rather travel on route 66 with an open road or be surrounded by semi trucks on the 405 in LA on a Friday?
That is a recipe for straight up inflammation gridlock.
How does chronic inflammation show up?
This is sooooo complicated. Truth is, it’s different for every one of us. For me, it was all respiratory. Sinus infections, asthma, allergies. It could be brain fog, chronic fatigue, swollen joints, skin issues like acne or psoriasis. Gastric intestinal distress, heart disease, diabetes, weight that just won’t go away no matter what you do. Ultimately, as time goes on with inflammation on constant at rapid pace… it’s bound to get ugly and present itself as some type of imbalance.
Chronic Inflammation is one of the BIGEST ROOT CAUSES of disease.
Dis – ease. It may not be forever. We can help the situation. Let’s calm things down with what we chose to fuel our bodies with. You can turn the tables, I know I did and I have many friends that have helped themselves too. We’ve come back from immune deficiencies and auto immune diseases. Our symptoms and flare ups are now far and few between. It’s possible, very possible.
It’s a numbers game.
I don’t eat perfectly every single day. I go out, I eat things that I know damn well aren’t in my best interest. Vacations or big event months I may be more like 60/40 or 70/30 on the ratio of calm vs. noisy foods. Most of the time I stick with a 80/20 or 90/10 gig and so far, it seems to be working well. We’re going on 3 years of this methodology. My immune system is happy, my labs are good, doctors are happy and so am I!
When you’ve got something diagnosed as chronic you’ll want to get serious and start reading labels and being mindful of what you’re taking in. A 10 or 30 day detox/reset program may just scratch the surface. Once you do commit to something like that you get a big taste of how it feels in your body. You’ll want to keep searching and learning more.
Long term changes and cleaner eating styles are what work for the long haul. How and what you eat may look completely different than what you remember as time goes on. As you start seeing noticeable changes you may say goodbye to certain favorites. You will embrace new alternatives and fall in love!
EAT LESS NOISE.
There are 3 main categories of food that cause the most traffic and noise;
Sugar, Bread and Alcohol.
You’re still here right ?! Stick with me here.
Sugar is the problem, not fat.
If these foods are showing up for you overly processed or you see a laundry list of ingredients on the box…they will turn into some form of unwanted sugar in our system. Focusing in on these three areas will greatly improve your situation. The recipe for success with Chronic Inflammation and food is slow intentional steps for the long run. It will take some time to get your palette used to these flavors and textures. With any new habit, time wins.
Here’s some great alternatives;
Refined sugar can be replaced with honey, dates, fruit, maple, xylitol, erythritol, monk fruit or stevia.
Breads with enriched white or wheat flour can be replaced with almond or hazelnut meals, coconut or cassava flour.
Alcohol in unfiltered forms like beer or wine can be swapped out for highly distilled single malts and sugary mixers can be replaced with soda waters and a squeeze of citrus.
Eat veggies….and fats!
You knew that was coming right? Whelp, every single book I’ve read, every single expert I tune into, they all agree that veggies and good fats MUST be consumed daily, as a cornerstone to optimal wellness. Ideally if you can get them in one, two or even three forms at every meal you’re a rock star.
Super rock star veggies are in the cruciferous group; broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, arugula and turnips. Those dark leafy greens like spinach and chard are great too! Vegetables are nutrient powerhouses that are vital to our well being.
Fat is fuel, in the most pure form. Olive, coconut, avocado oil or grass fed butter and ghee, all are the quickest to metabolize into recognizable energy that every cell in our bodies need to thrive. Fat keeps insulin levels low, keeps your brain happy and satisfied, helps you feel fuller longer and so much more.
Cook for Everyone.
I’ve never had someone run from the table. I’ve got brutally honest family and friends, I encourage them to tell me what they like or what to improve on. That’s the only way I can keep the best dishes coming your way. Not everyone cooks like this, not everyone eats the same either. There are ways to use these alternate ingredients to where your guests don’t even taste the subtle changes.
A big misguided message out there that good food tastes bad or boring.
Bland doesn’t live here, I can promise you that.
This is where I shine, my secret sauce. I can help you with that first step, those bridges over to low sugar land. There are recipes galore here for you, growing every day. Start with a few that stand out and give it a try. Before you know it your palette will be adjusted and you’ll be craving new ingredients!
Are you Ready?
Above all these things there is one word that can make or break a new eating style.
That word is willing.
Willing to change?
To try something different?
Stay in this space for a while?
Do Yourself a Solid.
Best thing you can do is empower yourself. You are your best champion, your best advocate. You know your body better than anyone else does in this world. Understanding what chronic inflammation and food is and what you can do to get it off of your plate is the hardest part. Read books on your breaks or before bed, listen to podcasts on your commute, watch educators on TED talks. You’ll find common ground, you’ll see the similarities in the messages.
Talk to your doctor(s) and confirm your direction. I refer to mine as my Dream Team, I’ve got an Immunologist, Pulmonologist, ENT, Naturopath and a Functional MD that I refer to for guidance and to make sure I’m on the right track. It’s not always easy as I challenge and ask questions that most patients don’t. I’m in their presence for a short window of time and I spend every minute getting answers I need to get to the next step.
I feel that the combination of both the current Western medical system AND the approach of Functional Medicine is the winning ticket for long term success in getting us back to center, even better = optimal!
In closing, one less teaspoon of sugar in your coffee, making a lettuce wrap instead of a sandwich or putting soda water with lime in a fancy cocktail glass your taking a small one step in the right direction. Here’s to OUR health!!
Resources;
Mark Session – Book- Primal Blueprint or blog post – What is Inflammation?
Dave Asprey – Book- Bulletproof Diet or blog post- What to Eat When You Have Auto Immune Disease
Dr. Mark Hyman – Book- Food What the Heck Should I Eat? or blog posts- Inflammation and Immune Balance, and Inflammation how to cool the fire..