Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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What components, in order of rank, do you think are most important for anti-inflammatory eating?

flag	asked Nov 27 2011 at 0:41 Brad 2,936●9●30

There is no food that I know of that significantly raises CRP, the standard test for inflammation. Inflammation is a reaction to severe trauma, especially burns. Maybe you mean bloating or high blood sugar? Please be specific about what you mean. – thhq Nov 27 2011 at 3:59

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I don't know how much more specific I can be. Low-level chronic inflammation is the subject of many many posts and many blogs, etc. People here asking for hacks of the results of their CRP tests aren't doing so because they've suffered severe burns. – Brad Nov 27 2011 at 4:57

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You're not specific at all, and that's the problem with all the hacks. Everyone uses the term to mean whatever they define it as. – thhq Nov 27 2011 at 15:10

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thhq, here's the first link that shows up from a google search for "medical inflammation": medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3979. It has a decent definition of inflammation. See also the wikipedia page on the immune system: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_system#Inflammation. The reason people aren't specific is because inflammation is a general term. It's useful to speak about a systems/cellular response that engages the non-specific immune system, despite it having many different mechanisms, causes, and outward signs. – Sara S. Feb 12 2012 at 15:31

@sara, when this was fresh I went back through the old hacks and liked this definition best: "immune response to tissue damage". It's very generic and specific to the individual. We all suffer inflammation with traumatic injury, but beyond that it's more like allergic response. Mold and grass pollens cause me considerable inflammation, with puffiness around the eyes and uncontrolled sneezing. I can't think of a single food that on its own affects me that way, but high amounts of salt and overeating do cause puffiness, especially in my fingers. Restaurant food. – thhq Feb 12 2012 at 22:24

Brad · Answer 1 · 2011-11-27 17:18:24Z UTC

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Thhq,

Your snarky non-answers are the opposite of helpful, and helpfulness is the spirit of PH. Perhaps you need to post your own PH question if you don't understand inflammation, or do your own research elsewhere, instead of hijacking my thread. I am seriously seeking answers, not an argument with a malcontent.

answered Nov 27 2011 at 17:18

Brad
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I'm not snarky about this, sorry about the hijack, and I probably should put it up as a question on its own. If what you mean by the term is bloating, I'd say avoid restaurant food in general. High sodium and large portions do it to me, and pizza is probably the worst. – thhq Nov 27 2011 at 19:16

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I think thhq has made the most helpful responses here. – Kasra Nov 28 2011 at 15:47

Thanks kasra. Playing devil's advocate never gets me anything but downvotes. But sometimes the dialectic gets people thinking. I've learned a lot about inflammation on this thread. – thhq Nov 28 2011 at 16:21

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thhq, it's your tone that gets the downvotes...you can play devil's advocate (as many here do) without all the snark. See your comments throughout this thread about "tummy aches" and ingrown hairs and cold sores and "the good dr." Maybe you don't intend it, but you sound condescending. – Brad Nov 29 2011 at 21:38

I totally agree with thhq here : inflammation doesn't really mean anything unless you say what the inflammation is. – Korion Feb 12 2012 at 16:58

Hanne · Answer 2 · 2011-11-27 17:33:56Z UTC

I avoid the below:
The foremost evil: Gluten, pasteurized milk.

Runner ups:
Grains-especially wild, whole grain,
Beans,
Legumes,
Tomatoes,
Peppers-especially spicy ones,
Nuts, seeds of all kinds,
kiwi, lemon,
Sugar of all kinds except honey,
PUFA's,
Any chemically prepared powders like stabilizer, msg,
Dairy of all kinds.

Also, caffeine, potatoes, alcohol, chocolate.

Diagnosed with Lupus and Celiac. And above is the list I find aggravating my condition.

Sue · Answer 3 · 2011-11-28 12:08:29Z UTC

A lot of foods will end up inflammatory if you have low stomach acid which would not be able to kill off viruses and bacteria that you may consume with your food. Digestion is compromised - undigested food particles may escape into circulation leading to systemic inflammation. So important to heal gut.

Silverspeed · Answer 4 · 2011-11-28 03:37:12Z UTC

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This website has inflammation ratings for a ton of foods. Here's a list of the most anti-inflammatory foods:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000992000000000000000.html

Edit: Also, this for the most inflammatory foods:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000991000000000000000.html

I got these links from this page: http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/nutrient-search

answered Nov 28 2011 at 3:37

Silverspeed
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Thanks...and interesting. I wonder why beef and pork are listed so frequently under the "most inflammatory" headings? – Brad Nov 28 2011 at 4:11

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I wouldn't rely on inflammation ratings from the nutritiondata website. They're based on conventional wisdom. For example, it considers all PUFAs to be strongly anti-inflammatory. Case in point: nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/7577/2 It gives canola oil a -800 anti-inflammatory rating. Ha – Logically Illogical Nov 28 2011 at 5:39

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Absolutely. It also says a lot of nuts are anti-inflammatory. Totally non-true. – Korion Nov 28 2011 at 10:38

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The problem remains with how inflammation is defined. A vegan's list would be the polar opposite of a paleo's list. Acute CRP effects are simple, but cumulative dietary effects are highly subjective. – thhq Nov 28 2011 at 14:45

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Their inflammation rating is based on a book by a nutritionist which rates foods' inflammatory potential according to a specific (but to me unknown) formula. It probably does take into account some conventional wisdom, but even so--based on my calculations using her numbers--a paleolithic-type diet with fish at least once a week, balanced omega-3s and 6s, lots of greens (3-5 servings a day), and no grains is extraordinarily anti-inflammatory (score of +2000 vs. her recommendation of +200 or so). Even with intake of plentiful coconut milk, which she rates as one of the most inflammatory foods. – Curt Feb 12 2012 at 15:52

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NicoleRM · Answer 5 · 2011-11-28 13:07:05Z UTC

I just read the book 'Anticancer' - found it gave a thorough explanation of 'encouragers' and 'inhibitors' of inflammation in our bodies from food.

Basically, you want to avoid most of the foods listed above (refined anything, grains, sugar, too much Omega 6) and eat more fish oil, green tea and organic vegetables, among loads of other things.

akman · Answer 6 · 2011-11-27 17:53:50Z UTC

Wheat Sugar Alcohols Carbs in excess of 200g/day from any source

These are my N=1 sources of inflammation. By inflammation, I mean if I eat these items, I will weigh considerably more over the next few days-weeks, have lots of mucous in my lungs, and my joints will start hurting. These items seem to cause me to pack on water in my cells.

I have not experimented with HFCS.

Cutbert · Answer 7 · 2012-02-12 14:27:30Z UTC

Alcohol by far is my biggest inflammation ingredient. Since I've cut out all other sugar sources (grains, fruits but not veggies). I've seen an allergist to determine what I am / am not allergic to and avoid those things, potatoes came up as a non-allergen for me so......as a stress relieve at the end of the day sometimes I'll have some nice Polish Potato Vodka and wha lah my joints are swollen and painful the following morning. I can't drink beer or wine because when I do that I don't even make it to the next morning, it starts right away!!

My suggestion: see an allergist find out what you are and are not allergic to, then do some experimenting on your own. Keep a log of your food intake, external stressors of the day and see how your body responds/reacts that night and following day(s). I've noticed if I get some of my allergens inadvertanatly (wheat, legumes, nuts) I can feel the affects for at least four days.

I now know I can't drink alcohol, even my beloved Potato Vodka. It's not even a "hurts so good" for me anymore.

Laura · Answer 8 · 2012-02-12 16:49:00Z UTC

Any foods that are high in omega-6s are extremely inflammatory. arachidonic acid is the precursor to many eicosanoids that produce an inflammatory response in the body. by upping our intake of omega-3s verus omega-6s, it can have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. the eicosanoids produced from omega-3 fatty acids are less inflammatory, if not anti-inflammatory, compared to the ones produced from omega-6 fatty acids.

the issue with our country today is that our ratio of O3:O6 is 1:6, or even 1:10. This ratio, in favor of O6, promotes inflammation in our bodies. by consuming more omega-3s, we can bring the ratio closer to 1:3 or even 1:1, fostering a more anti-inflammatory environment in our bodies.

bottom line - watch your intake of omega-6s, while increasing consumption of foods high in omega-3.

Anti-inflammatory eating

8 Answers