The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Posted January 12th, 2007 at 5:00 PM by Paul Petersen
Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Health & Fitness
Early in the summer of 2006, my “running” hit an all-time low. I use the term “running” loosely, because at that time I had not actually ran in over two months. A better description would be that my overall physical well-being hit an all-time low, as I was suffering from an adductor strain, lower pain back and acute plantar fasciitis all at the same time. My training and racing plans had spiraled into the toilet of pain and inflammation. All I really wanted at that point was just to feel like a healthy twenty-something again … never mind running!
The worst point was in mid-June when I was at a week-long professional conference. I was engaging in my typical travel diet: eating meals at brewpubs every night that consisted primarily of foods high in “vitamin B” (batter). Of course I’d wash these delightful fried foods down with plenty of “hoppy” adult beverages. It sounded good, but it didn’t feel good. Every morning it felt like a chore just to bend over, tie my shoes and limp over to the continental breakfast. The inflammation in my lower back and plantar fascia was at an all-time high.
When I got home from the conference, I was a bit tired of meat, grease, and salt; so my wife and I started making vegetarian cuisines over the next few days just for variety. A week or so later I noticed that my back pain was diminishing, and even my foot was a bit less inflamed. I knew immediately it was the inadvertent change in diet. At that point, I started researching the effects of diet and nutrition on inflammation and applying them religiously. Here is what I found:
Foods such red meat, eggs, and wheat products, contain arachidonic acid, which can increase inflammation if consumed too liberally. Similarly, junk foods and processed foods often contain excess sugar or starch carbohydrates that can cause inflammation as well. Unfortunately for runners, most pastas fall into this category; so aim for whole-grain pastas rather than white pasta to get your carb fix. Dehydration is another factor that causes inflammation, a reminder to us to pay attention to what we drink as well as what we eat. Since caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, they should not be consumed in excess.
In contrast, anti-inflammatory foods consist of whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats and oils. In particular, Omega-3 fatty acids will help reduce inflammation, and are found in oily fish (such as salmon, tuna, and trout), walnuts, and flax seeds. Canola, grape-seed, walnut, and olive oils are the healthiest oils to cook with. Tumeric is an excellent anti-inflammatory spice. Olive oil has even been shown to help with pain relief.
Superb protein sources include fish/seafood, low-fat poultry, nuts, soy, legumes, and seeds. The best vegetables are anything green, and berries and apples are among the best fruits. But you really can’t go wrong with anything whole, unprocessed, and colorful.
So the creating a viable anti-inflammatory diet can be broken out into two aspects:
- avoiding inflammatory foods and;
- seeking anti-inflammatory foods. Good hydration habits are essential as well.
Utilizing the idea of the anti-inflammatory diet literally changed my life. I switched from burgers and fries to salmon and brown rice. Eggs and bacon were swapped for oatmeal with a banana. Snacks likes potato chips and ice cream were given the boot for nuts and apples. I still consume coffee and alcohol in moderation, but always drink an equal or greater amount of water to offset the diuretic effects. And I feel great!
By August, my back, adductors, and foot had improved to the point of being able to run again. It is now January, and I have a high energy level, am running 55 miles per week, and am absolutely loving it. My recovery from injury was a multi-faceted approach that included physical therapy, chiropractic, and massage, and changing my diet helped the “healing snowball” roll, rather than hinder it. In addition, I even dropped 10 pounds and got rid of my “skinny fat guy belly” through eliminating junk food. I am now at my college weight again, and no longer have that extra baggage forcing my knees, foot, back, and other joints to be at perpetual war with gravity during each running foot strike.
I had to give up mozzarella sticks, but gained so much more.
For more info: About:Nutrition, DCDoctor, MetabolismAdvice.com
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Tags: adducotr strain, alcoholprotein, anti inflammatory, dietary fat, essential fatty acids, essential oils, fish, fruit, fruits, healthy fats, hydration, inflammation, injuries, lean, lower back, natural, olive oil, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, omega 6 fatty acids, pain, tumeric, vegetables, vegetarian, whole food, whole grains, whole wheat pasta
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The Final Sprint
Paul,
I could not agree with you more about the effects food has on our well-being. Two summers ago, I decided to really crack down on my food intake, which also required a complete change in mindset as well. In order to do this, I really had to convince myself that by cutting out certain foods (a.k.a. Chicken finger BLTs from TGIFridays), I was in fact doing myself a world of good. To do this, I focused on nutrition articles–mainly focusing on those providing personal experience.
I want to congratulate you for helping instruct others on the benefits of caring for your body and mind. It’s articles like yours that helped me to overcome my “demons” and step into a world of good health and fitness.
January 13th, 2007 at 12:20 amThanx for sharing your diet post with us.
May 20th, 2007 at 12:55 pmThanks for the article. A change in diet is definately the way to lose the weight. My husband did a complete change 3 years ago and lost 100 pounds between the two of us and have kept is off. No processed foods, all whole foods and lots of cooking at home. I’m looking for a way to rid my body of inflammation now due to recurrent bouts of asthmatic bronchitis and think some foods like whole mild and not enough water may be to blame. Most of the other things we have cut out (just haven’t made the switch to the half and half out of the coffee!) Thanks again! We’ll give it a try and see what happens.
August 18th, 2007 at 12:15 amI have read several articles on anti-inflammatory foods and find that Omega-3 fatty acids - contained in salmon and tuna, spinach, sweet potatoe, brocolli, cabbage, pumpkin, Brussels sprouts, soyabeans, soy milk/low fat milk, whole grain bread and herbal tea are high on the list.
The pro-inflammatory culprits appear to be saturated fats found in fast food, processed food such as sausages, sodas and carbonated water, caffeine, fried foods and eggplant. Some also state that potatoes and tomatoes that fall under the category of night shade foods are pro-inflammatory and should be taken in moderation. I was a little surprised to see one list state that tomato was non-inflammatory, when most articles state otherwise.
August 30th, 2007 at 6:24 amI was wondering how/if this anti-inflammatory diet is still working well for you. I am new to marathoning and, thus, have recently discovered that I have arthritis in my knees, which has led me to research. The anti-inflammatory diet appears to be the answer. Thanks for your article!
October 27th, 2007 at 11:43 amAngelic - yup still on it, still works! Try a glucosamine supplement as well for your knees.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:33 pmdid this diet improve your mood as well? inflammation is now being blamed for anxiety and depression and i went on a sort of anti inflammatory diet(only consumed boiled veggies and raw fruits,no fats or oils at all) for my depression and anxiety for just 3 days. it made my depression anxiety worse and i was having an inability to pass stools which cleared as soon as i switched to regular diet can you tell me if i did some thing wrong was i supposed to consume some oil???
March 31st, 2008 at 1:01 pm