The Los Angeles Times has an interesting piece about anti-inflammation diets, which it says are part of an emerging field of science.
According to the paper, “ The point of an anti-inflammation diet is not to lose weight, although it is not uncommon for its followers to shed pounds. The goal: to combat what proponents call ‘chronic silent inflammation’ in the body, the result of an immune system that doesn't know when to shut off. ” The damage caused to the body by years of inflammatory problems include heart disease, cancer and neurological disorders, which is why the adoption of an anti-inflammation diet can be so critical to extending one’s lifespan.
Experts tell the Times that an anti-inflammation diet includes “vegetables, whole grains, nuts, oily fish, protein sources, spices such as ginger and turmeric and brightly colored fruits such as blueberries, cherries and pomegranates” – many of the same foods contained in the so-called Mediterranean diet. “Foods that promote inflammation -- saturated fats, trans fats, corn and soybean oil, refined carbohydrates, sugars, red meat and dairy -- are reduced or eliminated,” the Times writes.
Doctors say this is not a quick fix – but that a long-term and dedicated approach to such a diet can have a profound effect.
According to the paper, “ The point of an anti-inflammation diet is not to lose weight, although it is not uncommon for its followers to shed pounds. The goal: to combat what proponents call ‘chronic silent inflammation’ in the body, the result of an immune system that doesn't know when to shut off. ” The damage caused to the body by years of inflammatory problems include heart disease, cancer and neurological disorders, which is why the adoption of an anti-inflammation diet can be so critical to extending one’s lifespan.
Experts tell the Times that an anti-inflammation diet includes “vegetables, whole grains, nuts, oily fish, protein sources, spices such as ginger and turmeric and brightly colored fruits such as blueberries, cherries and pomegranates” – many of the same foods contained in the so-called Mediterranean diet. “Foods that promote inflammation -- saturated fats, trans fats, corn and soybean oil, refined carbohydrates, sugars, red meat and dairy -- are reduced or eliminated,” the Times writes.
Doctors say this is not a quick fix – but that a long-term and dedicated approach to such a diet can have a profound effect.
- KC's View:
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Yet another example of the direct, thick black line that can be drawn between food and health maintenance – and how retailers need to be aware of these connections in order to market and merchandise their products for a generation with far more options and information than shoppers ever have had before.
It is interesting to note, I think, how much anti-inflammatory diets have with other much-lauded approaches to eating. The ultimate message seems to be that eating healthy isn’t that hard…except that in 2009 America, it is very hard…or everyone would be doing it.
