Miriam Nelson, PhD, is a runner and hiker, the director of the Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Tufts University in Boston, and the author of several books on about strength training. But in her latest book, Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis, she touts exercise and diet. Thanks to the anti-inflammatory effects of certain foods, she has seen arthritis sufferers reduce reliance on medication and improve their ability to function. Hoping to prevent arthritis herself, Nelson is busy applying her rules to her own diet. “Unless there’s a lot of evidence, I’m slow to change,” she says. Now she is adding flaxseed to her breakfast cereal and eating more tuna and salmon.
It’s not just arthritis sufferers who need anti-inflammatories. Researchers now believe that inflammation contributes to heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and type 2 diabetes—and that anti-inflammatory compounds in your food can counteract it. You don’t have to go out of your way to find these substances: Try the fish market, produce bin, and even the curries at your favorite Indian restaurant.
Inflammation isn’t always bad. A cut looks red and swollen because the body sends in white blood cells to fight infection, oxygenated blood for repair, and other fluids to cushion the injured cells. But a low-grade inflammation can result from less obvious damage, such as oxidation within blood vessel walls. Antioxidants can help prevent this damage. But when that fails, you need anti-inflammatories. Otherwise the body’s attempts to repair itself can lead to chronic inflammation. Persistent inflammation slowly attacks healthy tissue in joints, arteries, and the brain.
Next page: Where to find anti-inflammatory foods
Comments (16)
I just read another article including much the same advice as this and devised a little acronym ROYG for red, orange, yellow and green veggies and fruits are anti-inflammatory. I hope this comment adds to this article and helps others as it will me in the future. :)
I am not diabetic, but my Mother had it and her Father also. What I DO have Multiple Sclerosis, a 4-foot long, non-cardiac arterial bypass Goretex graft and a history of blood clots following radiation therapy for Cancer, now in remission since 1993.
I am told to AVOID dark leafy greens, green tea, and certain other high-Vit. K foods. How is it possible to incorporate the anti-inflammatory foods, when so many are restricted from my diet?
I recently had a bout with excruciating pain and swelling in my right big toe. After my husband told me that it was a sympton of “gout,” I went online, researched the subject, and discovered that fish, including salmon, contained mercury, and thus was detrimental for any arthritis sufferer to eat. I also read that spinach and broccoli were harmful to arthritis suffers. I had been largely a consumer of wild-caught salmon, and Alaska King Crab legs, as well as spinach, broccoli, and other dark, leafy veggies. Your article, contradictory to what I have read elsewhere online, indicate that salmon and spinach are okay to eat. I am conflicted by the variations of what is considered harmful, or helpful, to the diet of arthritis suffers.
I started taking Signature Grain which is a FDA approved Whole food and it has all of the Omega’s. Thyis seed has no taste and can be taken with any food.It has lowered my Cholestrol and Tri. over 1/2 and in a three month period I have lost 30 lbs. LifeMax.net
I read where Flax seed grounded over 5 oz is the same as sinine posion, I would be careful being that Flax still can’t get FDA approval after 40 years trying.
This is in response to Jimmy. I’m curious to find out just what “sinine posion” actually is?
OT
Otis:
Jimmy is trying to drum up business for his multi-level marketing scam Lifemax Signature Grain. Saying flax is a “sinine posion” is one of their marketing tactics. When you’re attempting to generate interest to sign up distrubutors for a product that is literally overpriced by 1000 percent you need all the help you can get!
If money isn’t a big concern, look into ultra-pure marine phytoplankton. Pricey, but effective. If money is tight, then consider stabilized rice bran. Both are incredibly nutrient-dense and do not need to be ordered from network marketing companies.
You don’t have to consume fish to get omega 3
just try grounded Flaxseed
don’t forget how overburdened the fish populations are already
All good foods are not good for all people. Keep a record of what does what when you eat it. Common sense tells you to stay away from that which keeps giving you problems. For example: Orange Juice which is supposed to be good for everyone is not good for everyone. Some people must be very careful not to eat or drink very much of anything that is acidic. Listen to your body.
sinine=cyanide?
You probably have a lot of E-mail regarding Crohns. My son, Ben, 20 yrs old, has Crohns, and for the umpteenth time had been scheduled for a colonoscopy today, but they were unable to go through with it. He was too inflamed. This, in spite of his having been put back on steroids, which seemed to have been producing a positive effect, a remission. This was a remission of symptons, however. He’d been feeling better, but still his condition was progressing. I can’t convey my frustration. An old smarmy maxim comes to mind…” When in doubt, use a bigger hammer .” Theyve been using one big hammer after another on Ben, and, predictably, nothing works. A friend advised me to look up anti inflammatories, oriented to a nutritional. not pharmaceutical, context. I’ve looked at macro-biotics, as well as other more holistic approaches. I’m at a crossroads here, and with an awareness of the hard to overstate miserable effects of the general American diet, I am feeling more urgent about nutritional paradigms. Crohns is all over the place, all sorts of digestive misery is becoming epidemic. What’s going on? He seemed O.K. until they looked inside, then, this inflammation! It was a symptomatic, in other words, veiling therapy.
Debbie, It is sad that you can’t see when someone is trying to help someone. Jimmy, who reccomended LifeMax, gave out the company website and not a personal one, which if he is trying to sell something, he will not benefit from it. If you will do you research, you will find out that what he says about Flax is true. I am on the Signature Grain (now Mila) and would reccomend it to anyone! My health has improved 100% and I have the bloodwork to prove it! It is worth every penny and I am thankful someone shared it with me!
Boy this is crazy. Who do you believe anymore? I heard that flaxseed was great. Well, for the first time I’ve read it’s not from this kellie . So I ask is it or not the best for omega 3. if that is the case I’m 50 and everybody is wrong in your eye Kellie. The biggest loser , The Doctors , we hace all these peps saying one thing then you say this whats up? Not mad just wondering :) whos really right?
Be careful with salmon for Omega 3’s. The farm raised salmon is actully low in Omega 3’s and can be toxic. The wild salmon is high in Omega 3’s and is on the “good fish to eat” eco list. The following article describes this in detail: How Does Wild Salmon Measure Up to Farmed Salmon?
As a licensed massage therapist and health coach, I applaud the information in this article. I see daily how inflammation negatively impacts health and well being. I agree that diet plays a HUGE role in the body’s inflammatory process. I also support supplementation with good sources of Omega 3’s. Living in the desert Southwest, I’ve recently been hearing a lot about the Nopal (prickly pear)Cactus as an excellent anti inflammatory. Funny thing is, it’s been used for thousands of years by people native to the Sonoran Desert. And only now are there clinical studies being done on it. I’m actually heading to Phoenix today to listen to some very well respected medical researchers on this subject. I’ll be happy to give an update later if anyone is interested.