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Sugars and Starches Cause Bursts Of Inflammation
As sugars and starches are eaten, they cause a burst of inflammation throughout the body. As a proponent of anti-inflammatory diet, need I say more.
Slimming Seasonings and Condiments
Season fish, poultry, vegetables, and even fruit -yes, fruit- liberally with a variety of fresh and dried herbs and spices. Try an apple sprinkled with cinnamon, a pear with a pinch of ginger, or strawberries with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Nothing in the plant world can rival the many medicinal properties of spices, from helping to lower and stabilize blood sugar, offering protection from free radical damage, providing anti-aging benefits and helping to speed up the metabolism.
Anti-Inflammatory Tips For Navigating The Holiday Table
-First, remember to eat your protein first. Eat your turkey before diving into the veggies. This will help to prevent any rises in blood sugar and also help to curb your appetite.
-When it comes to purchasing a turkey, check with your natural food store or co-op or the poultry -section of your supermarket. Look for free range birds that are fed organic vegetarian diets, contain no antibiotics, growth hormones or other undesirable additives.
-Buy organic vegetables and eat the skins – the greatest concentration of nutrients and fiber are in the skin or right beneath the skin.
-Substitute baked organic whole sweet potatoes for regular potatoes. Bake and serve hot with the skin for high fiber.
-Sprinkle cinnamon on winter squash and sweet potatoes. Cinnamon helps to stabilize blood sugar and adds great flavor.
-Ditto for that holiday slice of pumpkin or apple pie – liberal use of cinnamon will help offset the high glycemic effects of these special occasion treats.
-Make your pie crust flourless – use ground nuts and real butter – stay away from shortening which contains dangerous trans fats.
-Try adding a little finely minced garlic to freshly steamed and mashed turnips and squash – adds delicious flavor and antioxidant health benefits.
-Enjoy mixed nuts in the shell as opposed to salted, canned varieties.
-When baking pies, choose raw, unfiltered dark honey in place of cane sugar.
Tomorrow, a list of some great anti-inflammatory foods loaded with antioxidants.
Eat Fiber to Fight Fat
For maximum fiber, eat lots of raw fresh fruits and vegetables. Adding fiber to the diet helps regulate blood sugar levels, which is important in avoiding diabetes, metabolic disorders, and unwanted weight gain. Eat the skins of your fruit and vegetables if they are organic and unwaxed; the greatest fiber and anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory properties are in the skin.
Supplements and Skin Care For That Radiant Glow
Supplements and Skin Care
In addition to the complete spectrum of vitamins and minerals recommended by nutrition experts world-wide, (B-complex, Vitamin E, calcium-magnesium, etc.) Here are some recommended supplements. I recommend other nutrients to banish dull skin.
Fish for Compliments
Fish is the only natural and significant food source of the healthy Omega 3 fat, EPA and DHA. In addition to eating fish such as salmon and halibut, take plenty of high quality omega 3 fish oil. Luminous, radiant, wrinkle-free skin, improved mental faculties, weight loss, preservation of muscle mass, enhanced absorption of nutrients from foods, and a happy, positive mood are just a few of the benefits accrued by incorporating the omega 3’s into our daily diets.
Back in Circulation
Take alpha lipoic acid supplements because it has the capacity to regulate the production of nitric oxide, which controls blood flow to the skin. When alpha lipoic acid is applied topically, it helps to transform the complexion from dull, pasty, and pale to vibrant and glowing. It will shrink pores, even out skin tone, decrease lines and wrinkles and eliminate puffiness.
Light and Bright
Pycnogenol® also has superior anti-inflammatory properties, making it ideal in promoting youthful, beautiful skin and healthy aging of all organ systems. When taken as a supplement and applied topically, Pycnogenol will significantly brighten skin.
All About Supplements
Nutritional supplements have come a long way from the minimal, “one-a-day” multivitamins of past generations. Now we have highly targeted antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that can do everything from sharpening our brain power, repairing our bodies on a cellular level, increase the burning of body fat, regulate blood sugar and insulin, increase muscle [...]
Essential Fatty Acids
The omega 3 essential fatty acids are particularly important and the best sources are the aforementioned cold water fish and fish oil capsules, with nuts and seeds as the second best source. However, omega-3 is not the only type of essential fatty acid necessary for good health. Also important are the omega-6 and omega-9. All [...]
Amino acids
Amino acids – The building blocks of protein. Twenty amino acids are needed to build the various proteins used in the growth, repair, and maintenance of body tissues. Eleven of these amino acids can be made by the body itself, while the other nine (called essential amino acids) must come from the diet. The classification [...]
Essential Fatty Acids
The omega 3 essential fatty acids are particularly important and the best sources are the cold water fish and fish oil capsules, with nuts and seeds as the second best source.
However, omega-3 is not the only type of essential fatty acid necessary for good health. Also important are the omega-6 and omega-9. All are needed to form and maintain the structural and functional integrity of cell membranes, provide fuel for cellular energy and create the hormone-like messenger chemicals, the prostaglandins and the eicosanoids, which regulate many key metabolic functions.
Because the body cannot make these essential fats, we must obtain them from our diets. This is a lot easier said than done. For one thing, many of us consume a low ratio of essential fatty acids compared to our intake of saturated fatty acids, such as those found in full fat dairy products and meat (we all know that saturated fats are pro-inflammatory and are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease).
Unfortunately, when most of us do consume essential fatty acids, they tend to be omega-6, which is found in grains and vegetable oils such as corn and safflower. In fact, very few of us are getting the proper ratio of omega-3 to omega-6, which may account for the growing prevalence of serious health conditions like heart attacks, cancer, asthma, lupus, schizophrenia, depression, accelerated aging, ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes in our society.
This imbalance upsets the proverbial fat-metabolizing apple cart. An overabundance of omega-6 is inflammatory and interferes with the body’s ability to use omega-3s—a serious situation because of the positive effects of omega-3s we talked about earlier: They inhibit the calories we consume from being stored as body fat, while promoting the burning of body fat we already have. It is believed that humans evolved with a 1:1 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6. It is now believed that the Western diet is 15:1 or significantly greater with the omega 6 intake far surpassing the omega 3 intake. To prevent disease and to look and feel your best, drastically limit intake of omega 6, eliminate all refined vegetables oils other than extra virgin olive oil and increase your intake of the omega 3’s.
Tomorrow we’ll discuss the best food choices to get your Omega 3s and Omega 6s.
The Power of Protein
Protein is the basic material of life. In fact, the word “protein” comes from an ancient Greek root meaning “of first importance.” The body could not grow or function without it. When protein is broken down by digestion the result is 22 known amino acids. Eight are essential (cannot be manufactured by the body) the [...]
