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Reading Food Labels

Posted on May 4, 2013

Reading food labels can be confusing. Over the next several months I will provide some information to help you decipher the food label.

Labeling on food can be misleading and conufusing, but here are 6 criteria when reading  the Ingredient list that can help you. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Ingredients are listed in order from the greatest amunt to the least amount.

The fewer the number of ingredients , the better.

The first or second ingredient should be what the packaging claims the poduct to be.

If the first ingredient is "sugar", put it back!

If the first ingredient says "enriched wheat flour" think twice.

If there's a long list of scary-sounding ingredients you can not pronounce.... not a good idea!

Say no to artificial sweeteners, coloring and flavorings--they mess with your brain.

Check in next month for more helpful information on reading food labels.

Other Problems with Grains

Posted on April 5, 2013

As you may know, calcuim is important for bone health. Grains contain phytic acid which is known to reduce the absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Grains also promote the PH of our body to become more acidic which is known to be inflammatory. Are you wondering why grains are heavily promoted as good for us. First, whole grains do contain nutrients and fiber which are healthy and anti-inflammatory. Unfortunately, these benefits most likely do not ou tweigh the problems with grains previously discussed. We can obtain the nutrients and fiber required by eating good meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts and using supplements wisely. So we have covered the issue of Health vs Disease involving inflammation issues to varying degrees.

What about those grains?

Posted on March 9, 2013

It can be frustrating and depressing to discover that so many foods are pro-inflammatory, leaving you wondering what to eat. More depressing is suffering from many of the numerous diseases and conditons associated with inflammation: chronic pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, sinusitis, allergies, acne, asthma,, digestive conditions, flu symptoms, dysmenorrheal, endometriosis, alzheimer's disease, parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, hypertension, depression, insulin resistance syndrome, and diatebes. In reality, "everything in moderation" is a poor term when referring diet. With every bite, we wither increase or reduce inflammation. If you are fortunate and have "good" genes, you may handle pro-inflammatory foods better thatn your family member or friends. The problem is most inflammatory diseases develop slowly and without symptoms until it is too late. We need to be careful about consuming pro-inflammatory foods and not take for granted what appears to be current good health. The fewer inflammatory foods we eat, the less inflammation we will have.

Dietary Factors:

Posted on February 2, 2013

How Many Factors Apply to You?

I regularly take anti-inflammatory or anti-pain medications, such as: ibuprofen, aspirin, or Tylenol or similar prescriptions drugs.

I regulary eat grain products, such as: white bread, pasta, cereal, pretzels, crackers, and any other grains.

I regularly eat refined sugar.

I regularly eat partially hydrogenated oils found in most margarines, deep fried food, and most packaged foods

I regularly eat corn oil, safflower oil,sunflower oil,cottonseed oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, and foods with oils such as mayonnaise, tatar sauce, margarine, and nearly all salad dressings.

I regularly eat meat and eggs from grain fed animals.

I regularly drink or eat dairy products.

If these factors apply to you then inflmmation may be playing a role in your declining health.

 

Inflammation Checklist

Posted on January 11, 2013

Signs and Symptoms

I have chronic aches and pains, such as: back pain, neck pain,headaches, or general muscle and /or join soreness.

I am overwweight.

It is hard for me to lose weight/fat.

I can grab too much fat around my waist.

I do not exercise regularly.

I don't feel well when I exercise.

I have difficulty recovering from moderate to light exercise.

I am physically lethargic.

My skin looks old and is sagging

This list will give you an idea if inflammation is a problem for you. In the next blog we will look at some dietary factors and some specific causes of the inflammation.

Pro-Inflammatory Foods

Posted on December 7, 2012

Here is a list of the pro-inflammatory foods(food that should be avoided especially if you are prone to inflammation)

 

 

  • All grains and grain products(including white bread, whole wheat bread, pasta, cereal, pretzels, crackers and any other products made with grains or flours . This also includes most deserts and packaged foods.
  • Partially hydrogenated oils(found in margarine, deep fried foods and most packaged foods)
  • Seed and legume, oils (corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil,peanut oil,soybean oil,and foods made with these oils such as mayonnaise, tartar sauce, margarine, salad dressing and many packaged foods)
  • Soda and sugar
  • Dairy and soy(when consumed as staples)
  • meat and eggs

It can be frustrating and depressing to discover that so many foods are pro-inflammatory, leaving you wondering what to eat. More depressing is suffering from many of the numerous diseases and conditions associated with inflammation: chronic pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, sinutitis, allergies, acne, asthma,digestiv conditions, flu symptoms and many more. Some people may handle the pro-inflammatory foods better than others. The problem is the inflammatory diseases develop slowly without symptoms until it is too late. The fewer inflammatory foods we eat, the less inflammation we wil have.

 

 

 

 

Health vs. Disease

Posted on November 16, 2012

We all suffer from inflammation issues to varying degrees. Eash of us needs to focus on reducing our individual inflammation issues and diet is the foundation to reducing inflammation . Here is a list of anti-inflammatory foods to eat: 

  •  All fruits and Vegetable( eaten raw or lightly cooked)
  •  Red and Sweet potatoes(eaten with pretien such as eggs , fish, meat, or fowl)
  •  Fresh Fish(avoid farm-raised tifapia, catfish, basa nad bronzini they have elevated levels of   inflammatory omega 6 fatty acid)
  • Meat, chicken, eggs from grass-fed animals
  • Wild game including deer, elk, etc.
  • Anti-Inflammatory Omega-3 eggs and or/egg white
  • Raw Nuts
  • Spices( ginger, turmeric, garlic, dill, oregano, coriander, fennel, basil,rosemary,)
  • Oils and Fats(coconut oil,extra virgin olive oil)
  • Salad Dressing- extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.