A Healthy Alternative to Inflammatory Foods
Could you eliminate some of the pain you have by what you eat? Nearly all patients that come to my office for pain share one common mistake. They consume inflammatory foods. You may be surprised to know which types of food cause inflammation.
The five types I cover in this article are sugar, cow´s milk, sodium and salt, red meat and white flour.
Sugar is found in soft drinks, fast foods and even processed fruit juice. You may be surprised to find out that salad dressing and lunch meat are loaded with sugar, as are many of our packaged and processed foods. What are some healthy alternatives to sugar? I suggest using stevia, honey, agave or natural molasses. The rule of thumb is the more natural the product, the better it is for your health.
The truth of the matter is that cow´s milk is not good for the human body, because it causes inflammation. Mother´s milk is best for babies to drink. Milk and milk products (cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc.) cause excess phlegm. So your question may be; how do I get my calcium? These days there are so many healthy alternatives to milk, such as unsweetened almond milk which has 50% more calcium; coconut milk; or rice milk. Personally, I prefer the unsweetened almond milk made by Silk.
Excessive sodium or salt can cause inflammation. I what to clarify that I do not believe in a no salt or low sodium diet; however, there are certain foods that are very high in sodium, such as packaged and processed foods. There are many soups, canned or fresh, which may be high in sodium, as well. Our bodies need some sodium, so my choice is to use Himalayan natural salt.
Red meat can trigger an inflammatory response, because it may take anywhere from 3 to 4 days to be digested. Red meat has been linked to cancers, especially colon cancer. This includes processed meats which have been smoked, cured, salted or chemically preserved. What are some healthy alternatives? Turkey, chicken and wild caught fish are some good options. If you are a steak person, I suggest organic beef that has been fed a vegetarian diet.
Most of the bread and pasta in the supermarket use processed white flour. These refined grains may cause inflammatory response. So, what is a healthy alternative? I suggest sprouted bread found in our health food stores and in some supermarkets in the freezer section.
This list does not include all inflammatory foods; however, it highlights the top five.
Please call my office at 352-340-7471 if you have any questions regarding this article. At Dr. Laura´s Acupuncture and Holistic Practice, our services include Acupuncture, Hypnotherapy Aromatherapy, Nutritional Counseling and Reiki.
Laura Bertoncini, AP, DOM