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The Role of Diet in Chronic Pain and Inflammation (Part Two)

HEALTH NEWS YOU CAN USE-Eating Well

By: Dr. Robert Neposlan

In Part One of this article, we shared some information on the idea that diet and specific food choices can lead to inflammation and chronic pain in the super-foods-list-e1414255217133body. We shared a list and guideline of certain foods that have been shown to contribute to inflammation. This week, I’d like to further share some suggestions for reducing inflammation in your body.

As we discussed in our previous article, the best thing we can do to improve our health is to make smarter lifestyle and dietary choices. When it comes to inflammation, this means eating a variety of anti-inflammatory foods, limiting or avoiding all together the pro-inflammatory foods (discussed last week), exercising and quitting smoking (if you do).

Anti-inflammatory foods, if eaten regularly, can reduce inflammation in the body and assist in bringing the problem under control. Below is a list of anti-inflammatory foods that if incorporated into your diet on a regular basis will help reduce inflammation. Try and feature some kind of anti-inflammatory food in every meal that you eat. Not only will this benefit you in terms of the pain that you feel but in time will also provide you with a greater ability to control your weight. In addition, as suggested numerous times in earlier articles, 70% of modern disease and conditions that we are dying from in our culture is a product of lifestyle choices. Our modern diet happens to be a big part of that and inflammation happens to be one of its side effects.

Here is a list of some anti-inflammatory foods:

Vegetables Fruits Herbs & Spices Oils
Bell Peppers Cherries (Acerola) Basil Avocado
Bok Choy Apples Cayenne Peppers Extra Virgin Olive Oils
Broccoli Avocados Chili Peppers Rice Bran Oil
Broccoli sprouts Black Currants Cinnamon Grape seed Oil
Cabbage Blueberries Cloves Drinks
Cauliflower Fresh Pineapple Cocoa Green Tea
Chard Guavas Licorice Fish
Collards Kiwifruit Mint Cod
Fennel Bulb Kumquats Oregano Halibut
Garlic Lemons Parsley Herring
Green Beans Limes Rosemary Oysters
Green Onions/Spring Onions Mulberries Thyme Rainbow trout
Kale Oranges Turmeric Salmon
Leeks Papaya Nuts Sardines
Olives Raspberries Almonds Snapper Fish
Spinach Rhubarb Flaxseed/linseed Striped Bass
Sweet Potatoes Strawberries Hazelnuts Tuna
Turnip Greens Sunflower Seeds Walnuts Whitefish

As far as supplementation, there are over 15,000 published articles on the benefits of Omega 3 essential fatty acids (stroke, cardiovascular health, brain function, cell communication/function, lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation etc.) We have recommended it for some time now and seen its benefits in reducing inflammation. These, along with probiotics are the two supplements that we recommend for everyone, every day for a lifetime! Research has shown that we ALL require it and we ALL are grossly deficient in terms of how much we are getting from our diets. A great source is pure sourced fish oil. Flax seed, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds are OK sources but will not provide the quantities that the body needs. We cannot overemphasize that supplementation is strongly recommended for everyone. We have excellent sources in our practice available to everyone.

Remember, small changes over time will make great improvements in your health. This is a great place to start.

Until next week,

Eat well

Dr. Rob

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