EATING TO "DIAL DOWN" INFLAMMATION

 Yesterday I did a post about inflammation and how it affects our bodies. Today we will start a few days posts on how to dial down inflammation. First we will look at some foods. There's an old saying, "You are what you eat." Research proves this to be more than just an old saying or words. It is very true. Here are some of the foods research shows can help slow down your body's inflammatory response.

A recent article in a Journal of Nutrition study found the dark yellow and orange vegetables are a key to eating for anti-inflammatory results. Below are some examples of these foods:

• sweet potatoes
• carrots
• squashes, especially butternut and acorn

All these foods are tasty and can be easily incorporated into ones diet on a routine basis. The reason they are helpful? They are full of carotenoids which are antioxidant plant pigments that protect healthy cells. If you have a problem with inflammation, and most of us do, some worse than others, try including more of these healthy veggies into your diet weekly. 

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INFLAMMATION, GOOD OR BAD?

I like the answer to inflammation, good or bad, that I read recently in a health segment in a BH&G magazine. As one who suffers from many auto-immune diseases, I am greatly affected by inflammation so I was intrigued by the article titled "dialing down INFLAMMATION". David Rakel, M.D., professor and chair of the department of family and community medicine of The University of New Mexico called it a complicated relationship and I think that describes it well. He went on to explain that inflammation serves as protection in some instances. "Inflammation is one of the body's ways of healing itself," he stated. For instance, if you cut your finger your body starts an inflammatory process by directing white blood cells to the wound to fight bacteria and start tissue repair. That is when inflammation is helpful or good.

For many of us inflammation just simply gets out of hand and starts to attack our bodies unnecessarily. This can start by us being chronically stressed day after day, having a lack of sleep, eating too much processed food, etc. And I might add on my own here, some of us just have what I call a genetic flaw that causes auto-immune disease. Dr. Rakel went on to say, "When your body has an inflammatory response, it produces proteins researchers call the grenades of the immune system." A targeted grenade is helpful for fighting a specific infection but when they flow continuously throughout the body, they "begin to destroy healthy cells in arteries, organs, joints, and other parts of the body and can trigger various ailments." This is when inflammation is bad!

Here is the good news. Researchers have discovered that we can do some things to calm down and in some cases even prevent inflammation. Over the next few days, I will write about some of this good news. So back to Dr. Rakel's thought on inflammation, it is a complicated relationship.

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VITAMIN B12 DEFICIENCY IN OLDER ADULTS

 

Studies have shown that half of all older adults are deficient in vitamin B12. If you follow my blogs you probably know I have had several colon surgeries and have lost part of my colon thus I am susceptible to this deficiency. My late husband suffered from depression and dementia. We both took vitamin B12. My husband was on pills prescribed by his doctors for several years now and his dementia stablized. I have had to take shots at various times over the years, My status is checked every few months and I have been off shorts for awhile not. So you can see why I am bringing this to the attention of older adults. Did you know that vitamin B12 only comes from meat, poultry, and seafood? That is a lot of my problem, I'm sure, could it be yours? If you feel tired, have trouble sleeping, walk around 'in a fog', etc, ask your doctor to check your vitamin B12 levels. Here are what some of the experts have to say on the subject:

• "Being even mildly deficient in vitamin B12 may put older adults at a greater risk for accelerated cognitive decline."^[6] - Tufts Nutrition News, 2013
• "B12 deficiency is common, with troubling symptoms...that are similar to many other problems related to growing older."^[8] -The Mayo Clinic Health Letter, September 2013
• B12 deficiency can be sneaky, harmful and is relatively common, especially among older people."^[9] -The Harvard Medical School's health blog January 10th, 2013
• "B12 is the most important nutrient you aren't thinking about...B12 deficiency can mimic all of the effects of aging."^[7] - Dr. David Katz of the Yale University Prevention Research Center in 2012

EGGS FOR MOODY BLUES

A BMC Psychiatry journal study found that eating two eggs daily cuts the risk of blue moods by up to half, especially in the elderly. The reason: the vitamin B-12 and choline boost the production of dopamine. Dopamine is known to steady moods. 

LACK OF SLEEP COULD SABATOGE YOUR DIET

It's true, a lack of sleep may sabotage your diet! Studies have shown that persons who don't get enough sleep are not only crabby, but they are also hungry! Dr. Oz, who so many of you follow religiously, warns that "People who don't sleep crave carbs." A University of Chicago study showed that persons who only slept 5 1/2 hours a night snacked more the next day. Most people need 7 hours of sleep for their bodies to be rested.

 

Researchers at McLean Hospital in MA did a study by hooking people up to functional-MRI machines and showed them pictures of high-calorie foods such as chocolate cake. Those who had earlier reported daytime sleepiness had lower activity in the "willpower-regulating" areas of the brain than when they viewed salads, etc. The lead author of the study, William D.S. Killgore, Ph.D. stated, "If your zzz's get cut short, a siesta may help strengthen your resolve."

HEALTH BENEFITS OF PUMPKIN SEEDS

 

MAKE YOUR OWN HIGH-PROTEIN ICE CREAM

Substituting a high protein dessert for a carb-heavy one is a good way to melt some of that belly flab. If you love ice cream and find yourself over-indulging, give this ice cream maker hack a try:

You can mix any protein shake with a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of dry pudding mix (flavor to enhance your shake choice or just simple vanilla). Process according to the maker's directions for a tasty protein dessert.

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DID YOU KNOW ORANGES ARE DE-STRESSORS?

Everyone knows there are healthful benefits to eating oranges, but did you know they can also help relieve stress? According to a German study a few years ago in Psychopharmacology the vitamin C found in oranges boosts the immune system and helps regulate blood pressure after a stressful incident. Now you have another reason to reach for an orange.

EATING TO CONTROL STRESS - PART 4

Continuing my posts on 'Eating to Control Stress' we get into another category of foods and that is whole-grains. Yes, whole-grain cereals such as oatmeal, whole-grain breads and pasta can help you reduce stress. Dr. Judith J. Wurtman, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet has stated that serotonin can only be made when we have certain building blocks in our bloodstream. In order for tryptophan, vitamin B and omega-3 fatty acids to assist in the production of serotonin, you need carbohydrates. Carbs slow down the digestion process, giving the body time to release that feel-good chemical known as serotonin. Note: Be sure you are choosy healthy whole-grain carbs to avoid that big stressor - weight gain!

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EATING TO CONTROL STRESS - PART 3

Today I am continuing to write about eating to control stress. Our society seems to be stressed to the max and some of that may be due to the fact that we grab quick meals, often fast food and we may not be eating properly in our stressed out state. Have you ever noticed that everyone feels rather lazy after the Thanksgiving meal? We usually blame it on eating too much, which we usually have to admit we actually did. But that may not the be reason we feel so relaxed. Turkey has an abundance of tryptophan, discussed in the previous articles, so after consuming a good amount of turkey most people find their mood has improved, they have less anxiety, and a reduced craving for carbs. This is due to a surge in serotonin and not only does it make us less stressed, eating turkey helps to build muscles. So don't save turkey just for the holidays. Enjoy it on a year-round basis especially if you need to destress.

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