SO… WTF IS AN “ANTI-INFLAMMATORY” FOOD??

09.16.2019

anti-inflammatory foods

I recently spoke to the Loyola women’s soccer and volleyball team about exercise-induced inflammation. This is the body’s response to injury due to physical activity and the immune system response causes redness, swelling, and pain. That’s no surprise considering how many hours of training these girls put in a day. Short term inflammation is a normal response to high-intensity exercise, but prolonged ( or “chronic” ) inflammation affects the whole body.

Many of you asked me what’s the sitch with this whole ~anti-inflammatory diet~… Nutrition can play a role in an athlete’s recovery from exercise… But what about the average AHTK reader??

Simply put, inflammation is the body’s natural response to harm. There are generally 2 types of inflammation:

  • Acute Inflammation
    • a healthy response that protects and repairs the body from something damaging
    • evidence of this includes: scabbing, redness, pus, and swelling
    • ex. infection from a paper cut, strained muscle, etc.
  • Chronic Inflammation
    • your body’s response to unwanted substances in the body
    • ex. cigarette smoke, excess fat cells (2).

So… What is the secret sauce to an anti-inflammatory diet?

*drum roll please*

A HEALTHY DIET!

Not surprisingly, an “anti-inflammatory diet” is essentially just a diet that includes healthier foods!

COULD THAT HAVE BEEN ANY MORE ANTICLIMACTIC ??! 

If you already have an inflammatory disease (ex. Chrohn’s, Celiac, etc. etc.), that is a WHOLE 👏🏻 OTHER 👏🏻 STORY !!

For the average, healthy person, I’ll explain a little bit more of what food to look out and why.

INFLAMMATORY FOODS

A diet rich in saturated fats, trans-fat, or refined sugar is associated with a higher production of pro-inflammatory molecules. Here are some examples…

  • SATURATED FATS: fatty beef, chicken with skin, butter, dairy products from whole milk
    • Think: “s” for solid at room temperature
    • Tip: aim for at least 90% lean meat
  • TRANS FAT: Fried foods, baked goods (cakes, pie crusts, biscuits, frozen pizza, cookies, crackers, and margarines)

AGAIN, most of the foods that cause inflammation are considered bad for our health.

But, I’m not a fan of talking about the foods you should avoid… I’m a HUGE FAN of crowding in the good, so let’s talk about some anti-inflammatory foods!!

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS

FISH

  • I geek out talking about omega 3s. Omega-3 fatty acids are an essential fat (meaning that your bod can’t synthesize it on it’s own) that support brain health and reduce inflammation.
    • Fish oil is the richest source of omega-3 fatty acids. The American Heart Association recommends eating two, 3.5 ounce servings of non fried fish, or about 3/4 cup of a flaked fish/week (3).
    • FYI: 3.5 ounces is about the size of a deck of cards, so you want to eat ~2 deck of cards sized salmons a week. If you want to get REAL specific, join me on my food scale bandwagon.😎 

FRUITS + VEGGIES

  • No shocker here – a “healthy diet” consists of fruits + veggies; they’re high in natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds
    • Instead of focusing on specific fruits + veggies, I just recommend eating the rainbow… NOT THE SKITTLES!

FIBER

NUTS

  • This study suggests that a greater intake of nuts was associated with lower amounts of inflammatory markers… PASS THE ALMOND BUTTA PLS & THX (4)

CURCUMIN

  • Is a component of turmeric and can help with managing inflammatory conditions, anxiety, and metabolic syndrome. It may also help in the management of exercise-induced inflammation and muscle soreness. A relatively low dose can provide health benefits for people that do not have diagnosed health conditions (6).
    • PS… did you know that black pepper has been shown to increase the bioavailability of curcumin by 2000% (6). Black pepper and turmeric is the new salt and pepper!
    • PPS… be careful to not get turmeric all over your white shorts. I learned the hard way 🙃

CHERRY JUICE

  • This one is for you, AHTK athletes!!
  • This study suggests that tart cherry juice may reduce certain blood markers of inflammation. Athletes often supplement their diets with cherry juice to recover faster, reduce pain during performance, increase strength, and aid in muscle recovery (5).

What are your fave anti-inflammatory foods?

xx hails

This post isn’t intended to provide medical advice, just to educate. If you’re interested in supplementing your diet, talk to your doctor or dietitian!

References:

  • (1) Chen, L., Deng, H., Cui, H., Fang, J., Zuo, Z., Deng, J., . . . Zhao, L. (2017). Inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated diseases in organs. Oncotarget,9(6). doi:10.18632/oncotarget.23208
  • (2) Pahwa R, Jialal I. Chronic Inflammation. [Updated 2019 Jun 4]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/
  • (3) Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/fish-and-omega-3-fatty-acids
  • (4) Yu, Z., Malik, V. S., Keum, N., Hu, F. B., Giovannucci, E. L., Stampfer, M. J., … Bao, Y. (2016). Associations between nut consumption and inflammatory biomarkers. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 104(3), 722–728. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.134205
  • (5) Howatson, G., Mchugh, M. P., Hill, J. A., Brouner, J., Jewell, A. P., Someren, K. A., . . . Howatson, S. A. (2009). Influence of tart cherry juice on indices of recovery following marathon running. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports,20(6), 843-852. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01005.x
  • (6) Hewlings, S. J., & Kalman, D. S. (2017). Curcumin: A Review of Its’ Effects on Human Health. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 6(10), 92. doi:10.3390/foods6100092