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thank you for rating! Nine Foods to Eat to Reduce Disease

Low grade chronic inflammation in the body, caused by a number of factors including obesity and environmental exposures, is a particularly important target for good nutrition.  Chronic inflammation has been linked to a number of diseases including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and even cancer. A recent study set out to identify the optimal diet for reducing inflammation.  Based on a survey of dietary factors known to reduce disease, they developed recommendations for an alternative healthy eating index (versus the government’s healthy eating index), and found that those who followed the recommendations the most closely had  30% lower levels of inflammation, which could have a profound impact on reducing rates of death and disease. 

Below you will find an overview of the recommendations as well as practical information on how to incorporate them into your diet on a regular basis.

The Alternative Healthy Eating Index

1.    5 servings of veggies – (1 serving = ½ cup cooked, 1 cup raw).  This can be easily met by having a salad before either lunch or dinner (or both) and 1-2 cups of cooked vegetables with dinner.  It is important to get a variety of colors, particularly deeply colored green (spinach, swiss chard, kale, romaine lettuce) and orange vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots, squash).  In addition, adding a little healthy fat to vegetables (like canola or olive oil) will further increase the health benefits as fat is essential for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins including D,A,K, and E.

2.    4 servings of fruit – (1 serving = ½ cup or small piece).  While I am not in 100% agreement with this suggestion from a weight loss standpoint as I find that too much fruit can impair weight loss in women, these recommendations are geared towards optimal health.   Try having fruit with breakfast, as a healthy morning and/or afternoon snack with a little lean protein, and as a healthy dessert. Again, go for variety and color and choose fresh fruit over dried fruit and juice whenever possible, especially if you are watching your weight.

3.    1 serving nuts or soy.   Nuts are a good source of healthy fat, fiber and are packed with nutrients, just make sure to watch your portions (about ¼ cup per serving).  Toss slivered almonds in yogurt, chopped walnuts on salads, or pack a small bag of nuts with a piece of fruit for a healthy afternoon snack.  Soy is a great plant based source of lean protein and important phytonutrients. Try having a veggie burger for lunch or dinner or whip up a tofu stir fry once or twice a week. 

4.    4:1 ratio of white meat to red meat.  If you are a fan of red meat, you don’t have to completely give up your beloved ribeye.  Just make sure that you have it no more than once or twice a week.  The rest of the time, opt for lean white meat protein like chicken, fish, and turkey. 

5.    15 grams cereal fiber daily.  This recommendation can be met by consuming at least 3 servings of whole grains per day.  Good choices include whole grain bread (shoot for at least 2 grams fiber per slice), cereal (shoot for at least 5 grams of fiber per serving), oatmeal, brown rice, barley and whole wheat pasta. 

6.    Less than 0.5 % trans fats (less than 2 grams per day for average 2000 calorie diet).   Trans fats are the real nutrition villains.  Not only do they raise bad cholesterol like saturated fat does, they also lower good cholesterol (unlike saturated fat which raises good cholesterol).  This lethal combination, in addition to increasing inflammation, can have a very negative impact on your heart health.  To avoid trans fats, it is important to be a smart label reader and look at the ingredient list of packaged foods.  If you see the words hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated anywhere near the top of list, skip the product more often than not.

7.    A ratio of  unsaturated to saturated fat of greater than 1.  Again, good news for butter lovers.  You don’t have to completely give up saturated fat like butter, mayonnaise, and cream.  Just make sure that you eat more of the healthy fats like olive oil, canola oil, nuts, and avocado.

8.    Daily multivitamin.    Researchers found lower levels of inflammation in people who had been taking a multivitamin for at least 5 years.  In addition, I recommend taking an omega 3 fatty acid (fish oil) capsule daily and a calcium/vitamin D supplement daily if you don’t eat at least 3 servings per day of dairy or have limited sun exposure.

9.    Moderate Alcohol: 1 ½ -2 ½ servings daily for men, ½ - 1 ½ servings daily for women.  If you don’t currently drink alcohol, don’t feel the need to start drinking daily.  But alcohol (all types, not just wine) has been associated with lower levels of inflammation.  Just make sure to limit sugary mixed drinks which add hundreds of calories.  Red wine, especially pinot noir, may have additional health benefits due to a powerful phytonutrient called resveratrol. 

In addition to incorporating most or all of these recommendations on a regular basis, don’t forget daily moderate exercise which can also significantly reduce inflammation.

 

Dr. Melina Jampolis, M.D. is a board certified physician nutrition specialist.  She was the host of “Fit Tv’s Diet Doctor”, the author of The No Time to Lose Diet (Nelson, 2007), and the new diet and fitness expert for CNNHealth.com.  She maintains a small, private practice in San Francisco.  You can email her at: DrMelina@SmartNow.com.  For more information, visit www.drmelina.com.