Daily Rituals for Self-Care I: The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
This article is the first installment of our 6-part series “Daily Rituals for Self-Care.”
A nutritious diet is one of the cornerstones of wellbeing. While there are many ways in which we can eat healthily, a good pointer for all of us who want to feel good and maintain a strong immune system is to increase our consumption of anti-inflammatory foods.
What is inflammation and why stave it off?
Inflammation is a natural process of your body to protect itself against foreign invaders such as microbes or chemicals. However, because of our lifestyles, inflammation may persist and become chronic. A lot of major diseases, including cancer heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer's—have been linked to chronic inflammation (1) .
How can we reduce inflammation?
Tweaking our diet is one of the best ways to reduce chronic inflammation. Think of a Mediterranean style diet, which has been shown to have great effect on inflammation and general wellbeing (2) (3).
What is a Mediterranean Diet?
To follow a mediterranean-style diet, focus on fresh, ideally organic produce. Eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, olive oil, legumes and whole grains every day.
Veggies, such as dark leafy greens should take a big part of your plate, as they are rich sources of folate, iron, vitamin c and other antioxidants (4).
The brassica family – cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage are great liver cleanses and packed with antioxidants (5) (6).
Onion and garlic are both rich in sulphur, which aids in boosting the immune system (7) (8).
Fruits are rich source of live enzymes and antioxidants, including vitamin C. Ideally one should not exceed more than 2 servings (around 160g) a day, to keep our insulin in balance (9).
How often should we consume animal products?
If you consume animal products, you should have fish and seafood 2-3 times a week. Privilege oily fish, like salmon, which are a rich source of Omega3 and fatty acids.
Poultry, eggs and dairy - up to 2 times a week, and red meat once a week, or less. (10) (11)
What about herbs and spices?
For a strong immune system, focus on herbs such as; oregano, sage, mint, rosemary – all of them are associated with healthy immunity and help to fight colds and flu (12) (13).
Don’t forget herbal teas – dandelion, nettle, thyme, chamomile, peppermint- all are very soothing, cleansing, and calming your body and mind (14) (15).
Spices should include turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, fennel, cardamom – all of them help maintain healthy digestive system. (16) (17)
And don’t forget the nuts and seeds for immunity
If you want to boost your immunity, think about Brazil nuts: a rich source of important antioxidant selenium (2 nuts provide around 200mcg of selenium) which are among the most important antioxidants for immunity and may have an uplifting effect on the mood (18) (19).
Seeds should include pumpkin –they are a great source of Zinc, which is important for new immune cells production. 100g of Pumpkin seeds provides around 8mg of Zinc — half of average RDA for adults (20).
This article is the first installment of our 6-part series “Daily Rituals for Self-Care.” Stay tuned for the next chapters.
Sources
(1) Harvard Health Blog https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation
(2) Tosti, V.et al. Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet: Metabolic and Molecular Mechanisms. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018 Mar 2;73(3):318-326.
(3) Bailey, MA. Holcher HD. Microbiome-Mediated Effects of the Mediterranean Diet on Inflammation. Adv Nutr. 2018 May 1;9(3):193- 206.
(4) British Nutrition Foundation. Coronavirus outbreak: nutrition and immunity – be careful of myths and false promises. 19 th March, 2020.
(5) Xu L. et al. Glucoraphanin: a broccoli sprout extract that ameliorates obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance. Adipocyte. 2018;7(3):218-225.
(6) Veber B. et al. Red cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.) extract reverses lipid oxidative stress in rats. An Acad Bras Cienc. 2020 Apr 3;92(1):e20180596.
(7) El-Sabher Baitha et al. Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities of Garlic (Allium sativum L.): A Review. Nutrients. 2020 Mar 24;12(3).
(8) Ohtani M. and Nishimura T. Sulfur-containing amino acids in aged garlic extract inhibit inflammation in human gingival epithelial cells by suppressing intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression and IL-6 secretion. Biomed Rep. 2020 Mar;12(3):99-108.
(9) Papandreoiu D. et al. Consumption of Raw Orange, 100% Fresh Orange Juice, and Nectar- Sweetened Orange Juice-Effects on Blood Glucose and Insulin Levels on Healthy Subjects. Nutrients. 2019 Sep 10;11(9).
(10) Wilett WC. Et al. Mediterranean diet pyramid: a cultural model for healthy eating. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995 Jun;61(6 Suppl):1402S-1406S
(11) Mayo Clinic. Mediterranean diet: A heart-healthy eating plan.Available at; https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and- healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801
(12) Bower A. et al. The Health Benefits of Selected Culinary Herbs and Spices Found in the Traditional Mediterranean Diet. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2016 Dec 9;56(16):2728-46.
(13) Giacometti J. et al. Extraction of bioactive compounds and essential oils from mediterranean herbs by conventional and green innovative techniques: A review. Food Res Int. 2018 Nov;113:245-262.
(14) Ding A. and Wen X. Dandelion root extract protects NCM460 colonic cells and relieves experimental mouse colitis. J Nat Med. 2018 Sep;72(4):857-866.
(15) Samih M. and Ahami AOT. Effects of Nettle on Locomotor Activity and Anxiety Behavior in Male Wistar Rats After Pesticide Intoxication.Pak J Biol Sci. 2019 Jan;22(4):196-200.
(16) Platel K. and Srinivasan L. Digestive stimulant action of spices: a myth or reality? Indian J Med Res. 2004 May;119(5):167-79.
(17). Platel K. et al. Digestive stimulant action of three Indian spice mixes in experimental rats. Nahrung. 2002 Dec;46(6):394-8.
(18) Stockler-Pinto MBet al. razil nut (Bertholletia excelsa, H.B.K.) improves oxidative stress and inflammation biomarkers in hemodialysis patients. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2014 Apr;158(1):105-12.
(19) Benton D. and Cook R. he impact of selenium supplementation on mood. Biol Psychiatry. 1991 Jun 1;29(11):1092-8.
(20) Madej D. et al. Dietary intakes of iron and zinc assessed in a selected group of the elderly: are they adequate? Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2013;64(2):97-104.