Anti-inflammatory diet

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http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02012/anti-inflammatory-dietAnti-Inflammatory Diet Tips

Courtesy of Dr. Weil on Healthy AgingIt

is becoming increasingly clear that a host of illnesses - including

heart disease, many cancers and Alzheimer's disease - are influenced in

large part by chronic inflammation. This is a process in which the

immune system becomes off balance, and persists unnecessarily in its

efforts to repair the body and repel pathogens. The prolonged process

results in damage to healthy tissue as well. Stress, lack of exercise,

genetic predisposition and other lifestyle factors can all promote

inflammation, but poor diet is perhaps the main contributor, and the

ideal place to begin addressing inflammation. (Find more details on the

mechanics of the inflammation process and the Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid.)The

Anti-Inflammatory Diet is not a diet in the popular sense - it is not

intended as a weight-loss program (although people can and do lose

weight on it), nor is it an eating plan to stay on for a limited period

of time. Rather, it is way of selecting and preparing foods based on

scientific knowledge of how they can help your body remain optimally

healthy. Along with influencing inflammation, this diet will provide

steady energy and ample vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and

dietary fiber.You can also adapt your existing recipes according to these anti-inflammatory diet principles:advertisement & lt;script

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width="300" height="250" border="0" & gt; & lt;/a & gt; & lt;/noscript & gt;General Diet Tips:Aim for variety.Include as much fresh food as possible.Minimize your consumption of processed foods and fast food.Eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables.Caloric IntakeMost adults need to consume between 2,000 and 3,000 calories a day.Women and smaller and less active people need fewer calories.Men and bigger and more active people need more calories.If you are eating the appropriate number of calories for your level of activity, your weight should not fluctuate greatly.The

distribution of calories you take in should be as follows: 40 to 50

percent from carbohydrates, 30 percent from fat, and 20 to 30 percent

from protein.Try to include carbohydrates, fat, and protein at each meal.CarbohydratesOn a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, adult women should consume between 160 to 200 grams of carbohydrates a day.Adult men should consume between 240 to 300 grams of carbohydrates a day.The majority of this should be in the form of less-refined, less-processed foods with a low glycemic load.Reduce

your consumption of foods made with wheat flour and sugar, especially

bread and most packaged snack foods (including chips and pretzels).Eat

more whole grains such as brown rice and bulgur wheat, in which the

grain is intact or in a few large pieces. These are preferable to whole

wheat flour products, which have roughly the same glycemic index as

white flour products.Eat more beans, winter squashes, and sweet potatoes.Cook pasta al dente and eat it in moderation.Avoid products made with high fructose corn syrup.FatOn

a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, 600 calories can come from fat - that is,

about 67 grams. This should be in a ratio of 1:2:1 of saturated to

monounsaturated to polyunsaturated fat.Reduce your intake of

saturated fat by eating less butter, cream, cheese and other full-fat

dairy products; unskinned chicken and fatty meats; and products made

with coconut and palm kernel oils.Use extra-virgin olive oil

as a main cooking oil. If you want a neutral tasting oil, use

expeller-pressed, organic canola oil. High-oleic versions of sunflower

and safflower oil are acceptable also, preferably non-GMO (genetically

modified).Avoid regular safflower and sunflower oils, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and mixed vegetable oils.Strictly

avoid margarine, vegetable shortening, and all products listing them as

ingredients. Strictly avoid all products made with partially

hydrogenated oils of any kind. Include in your diet avocados and nuts,

especially walnuts, cashews, almonds, and nut butters made from these

nuts.For omega-3 fatty acids, eat salmon (preferably fresh or

frozen wild or canned sockeye), sardines packed in water or olive oil,

herring, and black cod (sablefish, butterfish); omega-3 fortified eggs;

hemp seeds and flaxseeds (preferably freshly ground); or take a fish

oil supplement (see below).ProteinOn

a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet your daily intake of protein should be

between 80 and 120 grams. Eat less protein if you have liver or kidney

problems, allergies, or autoimmune disease.Decrease your consumption of animal protein except for fish and reduced-fat dairy products.Eat

more vegetable protein, especially from beans in general and soybeans

in particular. Become familiar with the range of soy foods available

and find ones you like.FiberTry

to eat 40 grams of fiber a day. You can achieve this by increasing your

consumption of fruit, especially berries, vegetables (especially

beans), and whole grains.Ready-made cereals can be good fiber

sources, but read labels to make sure they give you at least 4 and

preferably 5 grams of bran per one-ounce serving.PhytonutrientsTo

get maximum natural protection against age-related diseases (including

cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease) as well

as against environmental toxicity, eat a variety of fruits, vegetables

and mushrooms.Choose fruits and vegetables from all parts of

the color spectrum, especially berries, tomatoes, orange and yellow

fruits, and dark leafy greens.Choose organic produce whenever

possible. Learn which conventionally grown crops are most likely to

carry pesticide residues and avoid them.Eat cruciferous (cabbage-family) vegetables regularly.Include soy foods in your diet.Drink tea instead of coffee, especially good quality white, green or oolong tea.If you drink alcohol, use red wine preferentially.Enjoy plain dark chocolate in moderation (with a minimum cocoa content of 70 percent).Vitamins and MineralsThe

best way to obtain all of your daily vitamins, minerals, and

micronutrients is by eating a diet high in fresh foods with an

abundance of fruits and vegetables. In addition, supplement your diet

with the following antioxidant cocktail:Vitamin C, 200 milligrams a day.Vitamin

E, 400 IU of natural mixed tocopherols (d-alpha-tocopherol with other

tocopherols, or, better, a minimum of 80 milligrams of natural mixed

tocopherols and tocotrienols).Selenium, 200 micrograms of an organic (yeast-bound) form.Mixed carotenoids, 10,000-15,000 IU daily.In

addition, take daily multivitamin/multimineral supplements that provide

at least 400 micrograms of folic acid and at least 1,000 IU of vitamin

D. They should contain no iron and no preformed vitamin A (retinol).Take

supplemental calcium, preferably as calcium citrate. Women should

supplement with 500-700 mg daily, for a total daily intake of

1,000-1,200 mg from all sources. Men should get no more than 500-600 mg

daily from all sources, and probably do not need to supplement.Other Dietary SupplementsIf

you are not eating oily fish at least twice a week, take supplemental

fish oil, in capsule or liquid form, 1-2 grams a day. Look for

molecularly distilled products certified to be free of heavy metals and

other contaminants.Talk to your doctor about going on low-dose aspirin therapy, one or two baby aspirins a day (81 or 162 milligrams).If you are not regularly eating ginger and turmeric, consider taking these in supplemental form.Add CoQ10 to your daily regimen: 60-100 milligrams of a softgel form taken with your largest meal.If you are prone to metabolic syndrome, take alpha-lipoic acid, 100 to 400 milligrams a day.WaterTry

to drink 6-8 glasses of pure water a day, or drinks that are mostly

water (tea, very diluted fruit juice, sparkling water with lemon).Use

bottled water or get a home water purifier if your tap water tastes of

chlorine or other contaminants, or if you live in an area where the

water is known or suspected to be contaminated.Join Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging

for more in-depth information on the anti-inflammatory diet, plus over

200 anti-inflammatory recipes, dozens of diet tips designed to help

prevent age-related disease, and an exclusive version of Dr. Weil's

Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid!