Top 5 Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Inflammation. While the word itself sounds daunting, inflammation is actually a natural response by your body to a stressful situation. Inflammation is the first response as your immune system protects your body from infections, irritation and allergies. Even good sources of stress—such as exercise—can increase inflammation in your body. Unfortunately the swelling, redness, and pain that inflammation can cause is not always wanted, and chronic inflammation can cause more serious illnesses. Help your body protect itself by adding foods that promote health, while reducing unnecessary inflammation. Here are 5 anti-inflammatory foods to add to your grocery list today:

1. Spinach

Want to reduce inflammation after exercise? Popeye knew what he was doing with his spinach consumption! Spinach contains antioxidants vitamin C, and E, as well as carotenoids and flavonoids—all which fight against inflammation. If you’re already eating spinach salads, try adding a handful to your Vega One[http://myvega.com/product/vega-one-nutritional-shake/] smoothie for an extra green boost!
2. Tart Cherries or Tart Cherry Juice

Tart cherries contain compounds called anthocyanins, which can block inflammation while helping to prevent muscle damage.(1) Add tart cherry juice to your post-workout drink to gain benefits, or eat a couple as an after-dinner treat.

3. Garlic

It’s no wonder that garlic is loved by many countries around the world—it’s rich in anti-inflammatory compounds diallyl sulfide (DAS) and thiacremonone.(2) Just one clove of garlic offers many compounds that are known to help lower inflammation and increase circulation, such as phosphorus, selenium, zinc, polyphenols, arginine and vitamins B6 and C.

4. Omega-3 Fatty Acids

When you consume Omega-3s, your body makes resolvins. Resolvins help fight inflammation by inhibiting the production and regulating the movement of inflammatory chemicals.(3)Top plant-based sources of Omega-3s include flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, SaviSeeds (sacha inchi)[http://myvega.com/product/vega-saviseeds/], and walnuts.
5. Kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha

Fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha contain probiotics that help to support your immune system and fight inflammation.(4) Probiotics help to support immune system by nourishing your good gut bacteria while crowding out of bad bacteria.

Looking for more ways to reduce inflammation? Check out Thrive Forward for recipes and nutrition tips through a personalized lesson plan relevant to you, including more anti-inflammatory foods: thriveforward.com

References
Connolly, DA et al. (2006).Efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 40(8):679-83. Accessed 7/1/13 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2579450/
Ban JO, et al. (2009). Anti-inflammatory and arthritic effects of thiacremonone, a novel sulfur compound isolated from garlic via inhibition of NF-kappaB. Arthritis Research and Therapy. 11(5):R145. Accessed 7/1/13 fromhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2787296/
Serhan, Charles N. and Petasis, Nicos A. (2011) Resolvins and Protectins in Inflammation-Resolution. Chemical Reviews, October 12; 111(10): 5922–5943. Accessed 7/1/13 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3192290/
Jirillo E, Jirillo F, Magrone T. (2012). Healthy effects exerted by prebiotics, probiotics, and symbiotics with special reference to their impact on the immune system.) International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research. 200-8

How Bad Science and Big Business Created the Obesity Epidemic

Published on Feb 1, 2013

David Diamond, Ph.D., of the University of South Florida College of Arts and Sciences shares his personal story about his battle with obesity. 

Diamond shows how he lost weight and reduced his triglycerides by eating red meat, eggs and butter.

You can download Dr. Diamond's PowerPoint and the iTunes U podcast here: http://www.cas.usf.edu/news/s/169/#VI...

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Link: http://youtu.be/Cf-tnVZtPgU

"The Trouble with Fructose: a Darwinian Perspective" by Robert Lustig, MD

Published on Jun 9, 2012

SLIDES: http://www.slideshare.net/ancestralhe...

ABSTRACT: Rates of fructose consumption continue to rise worldwide, and have been linked to rising rates of obesity, type-2 diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. Elucidation of fructose metabolism in liver and fructose action in brain demonstrate three parallelisms with ethanol. 

First, hepatic fructose metabolism is similar to ethanol in that by accelerating the process of de novo lipogenesis, both promote hepatic insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hepatic steatosis. 

Second, fructosylation of proteins with resultant superoxide formation can result in inflammation similar to acetaldehyde, an intermediary metabolite of ethanol.

Lastly, by stimulating the "hedonic pathway" of the brain both directly and indirectly, fructose creates habituation, and possibly dependence; also paralleling ethanol. 

On a societal level, the treatment of fructose as a commodity on the open market exhibits similarities to ethanol. Fructose induces alterations in both hepatic metabolism and central nervous system energy signaling, leading to a "vicious cycle" of excessive consumption and disease consistent with metabolic syndrome. These dose-dependent actions of fructose on the liver and on the hedonic pathway of the brain recapitulate the effects of ethanol.

Released by The Ancestral Health Symposiumhttp://ancestryfoundation.org/ under the Creative Commons licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

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Link:  http://youtu.be/Yh4JBXaKnmA

Asia’s Pastry Pirates Crack the Cronut Code

 
By Josephine Cuneta and Eric Bellman

Wildflour Cafe + BakeryA croissant doughnut from the Wildflour Cafe + Bakery in Manila.
Born just a few months ago, the cronut — the New York pastry phenomenon — is already being pirated across Asia.

This doughnut-meets-croissant treat invented by Dominique Ansel in May is an over-the-top pastry made of croissant dough that is deep fried, then injected with cream or jam and topped with icing. 

It has New Yorkers —including cronut scalpers — lining up at 3 a.m. at Mr. Ansel’s bakery in SoHo to snatch up the few made each day before they sell out.

Ana Lorenzana-De Ocampo knew she had to have it in her high-end Manila eatery, the Wildflour Cafe + Bakery, the minute she heard about the food craze.

She sent her brother, who works in New York, to stand in line and investigate. He waited for two hours to get some allotted cronuts, and then flew one over from New York to Manila. 

Ms. De Ocampo reverse-engineered the flaky, flavor-packed pastries and came up with her own version. She decided to generically name them croissant doughnuts, to avoid any trademark infringement.


Thanks to her extended global network of Filipino friends and family, Ms. De Ocampo figures she may be the first to bring a cronut knockoff to Asia.

While cronut creator Mr. Ansel has says he is flattered by the imitation, few consumers or even pastry pirates know how close their Asian versions are to the original cronut, so it is bound to evolve into a sort of croissant-frying free-for-all. 

Whether the fad fades like the Harlem Shake videos or sticks around like gourmet cupcakes remains to be seen.


 

Read More:
Asia’s Pastry Pirates Crack the Cronut Code - Scene Asia - WSJ

Link:  

http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2013/07/30/asias-pastry-pirates-crack-the-cronut-code/?mod=e2tw