October 24, 2015

How To Feel Better With An Anti-Inflammatory Diet

A primarily produce-based diet is the key to avoiding inflammatory diseases. Unfortunately, our Standard American Diet (or “SAD” for more reasons than just the acronym…) is largely inflammatory: fried foods, sugary foods, processed foods or “food-like” products, sodas – all in great quantities. This is what Dr. Bill Sears calls “sticky stuff” and in his latest book “The Inflammation Solution,” he describes how when you put sticky stuff in your mouth, it becomes sticky stuff in your body, and how the build-up of sticky stuff in the body causes the 3Ds: disability, disease, and doctors.

6S PLAN

Are you ready to change your diet from SAD to an anti-inflammatory/anti-aging diet? Here is Dr. Sears’ “6 S” (sounds like “SUCCESS”) plan:

1 – Eat more Seafood, especially wild Alaskan salmon. Try to eat it 3 to 4 times a week.

2 – Have at least one Smoothie daily. Juice Plus has a great gluten-free, vegan, produce-based protein shake mix. When you make your smoothie, be sure to blend in some fat (avocado, flaxseeds, nut or seed butters, etc.) to ensure all the nutrients get absorbed. The avocado (about 1/2 of a small one, 1/4 of a large one) also makes it creamier! Smoothies can help stabilize insulin levels and, like salads, can fill you up without many calories. This “sipping solution” should be a regular part of your anti-inflammatory solution.

3 – Eat at least one Salad each day and make it as colorful as possible. Dr. Sears’ recommendation is to eat 10 fistfuls of a wide variety of fruits and veggies daily, so salads are a great way to get some of those 10 fistfuls in.

Unlike most of the rest of the country, Fall in Arizona is the beginning of the best 8-9 months of growing for our veggie gardens. Greens, especially spinach, kale, chard, and lettuces are particularly easy to grow in the Tower Garden. Cucumbers, peppers, squash, tomatoes and eggplant are also prolific growers during the next several months. What better way to get your “10 fistfuls” of veggies than to pick them fresh off your patio Tower Garden every day!

4 – Spice it up! Use spices and herbs: turmeric or black pepper in your salad dressing, garlic or rosemary on your steamed veggies, cinnamon or ginger in your smoothies, etc. Think outside the box!

5 – Supplements. Some supplements you should consider taking are: Omega 3 fish oil (unless you eat 3-4 servings of wild Alaskan salmon a week on a regular basis), Juice Plus, spirulina, Vitamin D, and Astaxanthin (pronounced asta-ZAN-thin, a powerful natural anti-oxidant you probably haven’t heard of but make sure it is from algae, not synthetic).

6 – Snack. Instead of eating 3 large meals each day, GRAZE throughout the day. Grazing helps keep all the inflammation hormones in balance and stabilizes insulin levels.

KEEP ON MOVING

Two more tips to help you on your journey: eat local, organic, non-GMO foods whenever possible, and add more movement – especially outdoors – into your daily routine.

Like anything natural, it will probably take 6-12 months to notice an appreciable difference, but the more you stay on this plan, the better you’ll feel.

If you are looking to make a change in your diet from SAD to 6S, I can do a pantry make-over with you, or you can get a Tower Garden to take advantage of our long growing season, or get some Juice Plus capsules to amp up your nutrition, or all three! Let me know how I can help.

I am so very grateful for the SEVEN community. I have been able to grow personally through the great friends I have made at SEVEN; I have grown professionally through the lessons I have learned in the meetings (not always having to do with the topic!); and I have grown my business through the clients and referrals from within the SEVEN community.

Susan Wehrle