Anti-Inflammatory Foods - Cynthia Moon | Intuitive Vegan & Plantbased Consultant

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(The blog image is an actual picture that I took while visiting Mercato Centrale Firenze, a fresh market in Florence.)

European vs. American Lifestyle

While visiting Italy during a recent family vacation, I noticed that the majority of Europeans seemed healthier and happier than most Americans.

Aside from some basic lifestyle and cultural differences, I believe that the way we eat here in America is physically making us sick and tired!

Just a small glance at the eating habits of most Europeans, you will notice an over appreciation of each morsel of food rather than an over abundance of food.

Most towns in Europe have weekly or daily street markets where you may purchase locally produced fresh food. Also, their supermarkets aren’t usually so super. They seem to have less food options and are rarely packed with customers as compared to American supermarkets.

Moderation is Key

As you may have read in my previous blog, Diet Is Not A Bad Word, I briefly discuss the topic of quality vs. quantity. Now, I’m not saying don’t ever have treats like chocolate.

But, what I’ve noticed about Europeans like my French mother is that they generally eat foods in moderation. My mom enjoys a pastry every now and then but not on a daily basis because she knows that if she did that, she would not feel well.

Optimal Health

Which is exactly where I’m going with this blog….how you feel is key to knowing which foods cause inflammation in your body. If you really aren’t sure, please be advised to see your physician, naturopath, allergy specialist or book your appointment with me as your holistic nutritionist. (Click Here to Book Your Session)

During our session, we will discuss and decide together which strategies to take to significantly improve the way that you feel.

Depending on the type of food, your gender, age and metabolism, food may take anywhere from a half hour up to 12 hours to metabolize in your body. Inflammation in the body can be seen or felt anytime within that time frame or even longer.

Symptoms and Causes of Inflammation

Signs or symptoms of inflammation can come on all of a sudden even without a drastic routine in your regular eating habits. Inflammation may be a result of a weakened immune system due to use of antiobiotics or other chemicals, as well as, stress.

Symptoms of inflammation may include:

Allergic reactions likes hives, blisters

Rashes or itchy skin

Congestion

Headaches

Fatigue

Brain fog

Scratchy throat or small bumps in throat

Nausea or vomiting

Diarrhea or constipation

Heartburn

Edema

Or any other types of indigestion

Disease

Difficulty breathing or even asthma

High blood pressure

Food Combining and Supplements

There’s a great book called Food Combining & Digestion by Steve Meyerowitz. It gives insight into the reasons why one might suffer from indigestion. There are also easy-to-follow food combining charts that you may google or take a glance at on Pinterest.

If food combining is too strict or difficult for you to follow, I suggest using some natural digestive aids which for me are three tiered.

1) Probiotics

2) Enzymes

3) Herbal support

Healthy Bacteria

Probiotics are healthy, good bacteria that help to repair your intestinal tract. They also help to rebuild your healthy flora so that you may avoid any type of bad bacteria or unwanted foods that pass through.

I always tell people that if you take probiotics with food they will help you to digest your food but if you take them on an empty stomach they will go a step further by restoring your intestinal wall, allowing it to be more protected against those unwanted toxins.

One of the biggest issues with gluten intolerance is due to the damage done to our intestinal tract from the glyphosates in our foods. Probiotics taken in larger amounts on a regular basis, may repair this damage. (To learn a bit more about GMO’s, PLEASE READ my blog: Organic Farming.

Enzymes

Digestive enzymes are naturally occurring in raw foods but are generally void in cooked, processed foods. To help support a typical american diet, I believe it’s important to use enzymes on an almost regular basis so that you may properly digest your foods and to get the most nutrients out of your foods. Ideally, you will want to transition to a plant based diet for optimal health.

Enzymes will also aid your body in assimilating needed vitamins and minerals. They may also help break down any possible allergens including candida (yeast i.e. bad bacteria).

Herbal Remedies

Lastly, herbal support may include things like ginger which naturally contains enzymes and helps to reduce nausea. Peppermint oil helps with expelling flatulence and calms an overactive stomach.

There are also herbs or plant extracts that help to cleanse the body by increasing elimination like aloe vera juice or triphala, which I mentioned in Ayurveda Part 1.

For irritable bowel or leaky gut syndrome, I highly suggest Pure Therapeutics: Leaky Gut Defense. (To purchase, click the hyperlinked text.)

But, even if we use any or all of these digestive aids when dealing with our stomach woes, we can’t completely protect our bodies from foods that cause inflammation.

Switching from Crappy to Happy

The most common food allergies are dairy, nuts, shellfish, eggs (unless they are hard-boiled) non-gmo soy, meat and gluten.

Also, according to the American Journal of Psychiatry, “A Western diet of processed or fried foods, refined grains, sugary products and beer was associated with higher odds for major depression and anxiety disorders.”

So…what can we do about this? Learn to listen to your body and what it is telling you about what you are eating. This life of yours is meant to be enjoyable so why not feed your body feel-good food with long-term health benefits.

With the help of the occasional digestive aid and proper food combining, start switching out foods that make you feel crappy.