All Photos: Wendy Goodfriend
Excess inflammation is a major cause of disease in our modern times.
It is linked to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, arthritis and even the
aging process. This makes reducing inflammation one of the most
important ways to promote health and longevity. Luckily our diet play a
key role in controlling the inflammatory process and everyday food
choices can make the difference between health and disease. It’s not
complicated, the equation is simple. By avoiding the foods that promote
inflammation and consuming the foods that decrease inflammation we can
reduce our risk with each meal!
The first step is to eat a diet rich in organic, unrefined foods.
Many whole foods have anti-inflammatory properties because they have
beneficial fiber, vitamins and minerals. However, some stand apart,
possessing powerful medicinal properties. Below I have listed my five
favorite foods to reduce inflammation, prevent diseases and retard the
aging process. Not only are these foods rich in nutrition, they are rich
in flavor.
Five foods that reduce inflammation
- Turmeric
This
asian spice is a medicinal superfood. Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) is a
relative of ginger and is the spice that gives curry powder its
characteristic yellow color. It is one of the most extensively
researched medicinal spices. It protects the liver from toxins and is
effective in killing numerous bacteria and yeasts. It is also and
exceptional anti-inflammatory.
Studies indicate that one of the most important constituents in
turmeric is the yellow pigment, curcumin. It blocks several
inflammatory chemicals reducing inflammation throughout the body. It is
easy to consume turmeric daily by adding it to curries, beans, rice,
sauces or smoothies. Just be careful because curcumin is so powerful
that is stains everything — clothing, towels and countertops. Turmeric
is available as a dried powder or as the fresh root which resembles
yellow ginger. It is best absorbed when it is combined with black
pepper, or other aromatic spices as it is in traditional curry.
- Flax seeds and other rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids
In
our bodies, cells communicate with each other by sending chemical
messengers into the blood stream. These messengers are called cytokines.
Certain cytokines promote an inflammatory response, while others turn
it off. Omega-3 fatty acids cause more of the anti-inflammatory
cytokines to be made. The modern American diet is very low in omega-3
fatty acids. It is difficult to get enough of them without making a
conscious effort to eat high omega-3 foods. Flax seeds are one of the
best vegetarian sources of omega-3s. Other rich sources are cold-water fish, hemp seeds, walnuts, chia seeds and grass-fed beef.
- Berries
Berries have a wide range of health benefits from anti-cancer effects to improving wound healing. One of their most important properties is their ability to reduce inflammation.
This property has been studied in different types of berries as well as
in similar fruit such as pomegranate and cherries. It is easy to eat a
variety of berries regularly as they tend to be accessible and are
delicious. In the winter frozen berries are a good option. Freezing and
thawing the fruit actually makes the powerful flavonoid compounds more
available. Berries can be eaten in smoothies, fruit salads, desserts or
straight from the bowl.
- Kiwis and other high enzyme foods
Enzymes are one of the oldest natural remedies for inflammation. Bromelain,
an enzyme rich extract from the pineapple fruit, has been used by the
medical community for over 50 years. The most effective enzymes seem to
be the ones that break down proteins.
These are found abundantly in several fruits like kiwi, pineapple and
green papaya. When consumed raw, a portion of these enzymes are
absorbed intact into the blood stream where they break down inflammatory
complexes. For acute conditions highly concentrated supplements are
often used. But for low-grade chronic inflammation food is an important
part of prevention and healing. Kiwis are a winter fruit in California.
They are available in most stores, or you can pick your own organic
kiwis at Swanton Farms in Pescadero.
- Olives and extra virgin olive oil
The
Mediterranean diet is well known to promote health and longevity. This
is largely due to the high consumption of olives and extra virgin olive
oil. These oily fruits are packed with anti-inflammatory polyphenols that have been shown to reduce both arthritis and heart disease.
However, these important phytochemicals are not present in the refined
oil. So remember to use the extra virgin, cold-pressed oil or the whole
olives.
Try the simple recipe below for wintertime treat.
Recipe: Almond-Ambrosia Fruit Salad
Serves 4 people as a light meal or 8 people as a side dish.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of kiwis, sliced into rounds or half moons
- 1 cup of pomegranate seeds
- 1 cup of blueberries — fresh or frozen, thawed and drained
- 1 cup of navel oranges, peeled and separated into wedges (for an
attractive presentation remove the outer membrane from the orange
slices)
- 1 cup of blanched almonds
- 4 pitted dates or 2 T. of maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon of diced fresh turmeric or ginger
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup of flax, hemp or chia seeds to garnish
Instructions:
- Put all of the fruit in a serving bowl and mix it gently. You may also layer it or arrange it in circular patterns.
- For Fruit Salad Dressing — Place the almond, dates, spices and salt in a blender with 1/2 cup of water.
- Keep an additional cup of water next to the blender to add while
mixing. Turn the blender on a low (be sure your lid is on tight) and
slowly increase the speed adding water as necessary to process the nuts.
The nuts will not puree effectively with too much water added all at
once.
- Increase to the speed to the highest setting process the mixture
until it resembles a thick cream. This is a dressing for the fruit
salad.
- Serve the fruit salad, almond ambrosia sauce and seeds in separate
bowls and allow people to assemble their own dishes. The seeds will
become soggy and gummy if they are added too soon.
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