Anti-Inflammatory Diet For Dummies

Dr. Artemis Morris is the co- academic director of the Masters in Integrative Heath and Healing at The Graduate Institute, professor of nutrition, and founder of Artemis Wellness Center, an integrative medical center in Milford, Connecticut.Molly Rossiter is an award-winning writer who focuses on emerging research in science and self-improvement.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 3Icons Used in This Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Part 1: Taking the Mystery Out of Inflammation 5Chapter 1: Inflammation, Food, and You 7Defining What Inflammation Is 7Understanding how the immune system responds 8Seeing where inflammation goes wrong 9Differentiating between acute and chronic inflammation 11Gut reactions: Linking food, digestion, and the immune system 13Treating Your Symptoms with Nutrition 15Creating a diet that works for you 15Eating right for long-term benefits 15Supplementing Your Diet with an Anti-Inflammation Lifestyle 16Chapter 2: Understanding How Food Can Be Your Body’s Enemy 19Defining Toxic Foods 20Looking at Allergies and Specific Sensitivities 21Understanding food allergies and sensitivities 23Addressing lactose intolerance 24Confronting sugar and caffeine sensitivity 25Watching wheat: Looking at celiac disease and gluten sensitivity 26Getting Tested for Allergies and Sensitivities 28Working within Your Food Limits to Avoid Inflammation 30Understanding the Role of Environmental Toxicity 31Eating Clean to Ward Off Inflammation 33Chapter 3: Determining Inflammation’s Role in Chronic Diseases 35Understanding Chronic Diseases 36Connecting Heart Disease, Obesity, and Diabetes to Inflammation 38Heart disease: Affecting heart function 38Obesity: Adding extra pounds 41Diabetes: Wreaking havoc with your blood sugar 44Striking the Brain: Neurodegenerative Disease and Inflammation 46Examining Alzheimer’s disease 46Probing Parkinson’s disease 48Investigating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) 49Assessing Huntington’s disease 50Contributing to Cancer 50Altering the Mind with Inflammation 51Examining depression 52Looking closer at bipolar disorder 53Eyeing schizophrenia 54Asthma: Inflaming the Lungs 54Disrupting Your Digestive System 55Knocking Your Immune System Off-Kilter 56Getting to know lupus 57Arthritis: Making your joints ache 58Nerve attacks: Linking inflammation to multiple sclerosis 60Part 2: Deciphering Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition 61Chapter 4: Filling Your Plate to Fight Inflammation 63Following Recommendations for Good and Bad Food Categories 64Adapting General Food Recommendations for Your Needs 65Herbs and spices: Going beyond the five food groups 67Creating the anti-inflammatory food pyramid 68Finding your way to fermented foods 73Implementing the Anti-Inflammation Plan 76Chapter 5: Making the Right Diet Choice for You 77Taking a Closer Look at Diets and Making Them Work 78Reducing Carbs — The Ketogenic Diet 78Considering what it is and how it works 79Taking the inflammation out 80Eating like a Caveman (or Cavewoman) — The Paleo Diet 81Making sure it’s right for you 81Keeping inflammation out of it 82Giving Up Animals — Vegetarian and Vegan Lifestyle 82Warding off the stereotypes 83Making the right choices 83Chapter 6: Feeling the Love (or Hate) in Fats 85Getting the Message: Fat, Inflammation, and Cell Signals 86Exploring Different Kinds of Fat 86Identifying unsaturated fats 87Seeing the bad in (most) saturated fats 87The worst of the bunch: Avoiding trans fats 89Identifying the Best Fat Sources 89Getting your fair share of essential fatty acids: Omega-3 and omega-6 90Getting to the meat of the issue: Animal fats 91Finding other good fats in your diet 93Chapter 7: Conquering Carbohydrates 95Understanding the Role of Carbohydrates 96Types of Carbs: Comparing Simple and Complex Carbohydrates 97Keeping Carbs in Check to Help Inflammation 98The not-so-simple truth about simple carbs 98Steering clear of refined carbs 99Watching for the sugar rush: The glycemic index and glycemic load 100Going complex and unrefined 101Calculating your carb needs 102Choosing Your Carb Sources 102Adding great grains to your diet 103Stocking up on the right fruits and veggies 104Checking the labels on packaged foods 108Chapter 8: Getting the Right Kinds of Protein 109Looking at Protein’s Role in the Body 110Considering Your Protein Sources 110A meat-eater’s menu: Including animal sources 111Taking it to the sea: Fish and seafood 112Trying the vegetarian variety 112Getting the Balance Right 114Chapter 9: Indulging in Sweets 117Connecting Sugars and Sweeteners to Inflammation 118Artificial sweeteners 118Refined sugars 119Natural sweeteners 120Eating Less Sugar 121Giving In to Your Sweet Tooth 122Getting natural sugars from fruit 122Finding ways to enjoy processed sweets 123Part 3: Enjoying Recipes for Less Inflammation and Better Health 125Chapter 10: Starting the Day off Right: Unbeatable Breakfasts 127Simple Starts: Smoothies and Yogurts 128Sweetening Toasts, Cereals, and More 135Enjoying Savory Egg Breakfasts 142Chapter 11: Something on the Side: Appetizers and Snacks 149Making Dips Everyone Enjoys 150Choosing Vegan Cheeses for Cheesy Appetizers 157Whipping Up Seafood Starters 161Enjoying Stuffed Starters and Wraps 168Setting Out Simple Snacks 174Chapter 12: Bringing Out the Bowls: Soups 179Finding Variety in Vegetarian Soups 179Making Soups with an Asian Twist 190Cooking Some Hearty Chicken Soup 193Chapter 13: Keeping It Light: Salads 195Starring Greens and Other Veggies 196Making a Meal of Salads with Meat or Seafood 204Fixing Bean Salads 211Chapter 14: Making the Main Course: Basic Entrees 215Packing Vegetarian Dishes Full of Flavor 216Serving Up Poultry and Seafood Entrees 223Chapter 15: Cranking Your Entrees Up a Notch 231Making Main Dishes Special 232Preparing Vegetarian Entrees that Pop 247Chapter 16: Topping It Off: Desserts 251Refreshing Desserts: Smoothies, Parfaits, and More 252Going Traditional with Cookies, Rice Pudding, and Baked Fruit Desserts 257Satisfying Your Craving for Chocolate 263Part 4: Living an Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle 267Chapter 17: Making Home Cooking Less Inflammatory 269Stocking an Anti-Inflammatory Kitchen 270Flour, sugar, and other baking supplies 270Fats and cooking oils 272Dry goods 274Canned foods 275Refrigerated items 276Fruits and vegetables 276Beverages 277Choosing the Right Cooking Methods 278Baking meats, veggies, and more 279Steaming things up 280Poaching delicate foods 280Healthy frying methods 281Other methods: Grilling, broiling, and microwaving 281Making Favorite Dishes Less Inflammatory 282Using this for that: Healthy substitutions in main dishes and sides 282Staying sweet 283Chapter 18: Keeping Your Cool When Dining Out 285Choosing a Restaurant 285Planning Your Order 286Reading menus and nutritional information 288Considering substitutions and special orders 289Finding Anti-Inflammatory Foods at Restaurants 290Choosing appetizers and main courses 290Drinking for health 292Getting your just (and good-for-you) desserts 292Exploring Food Options by Restaurant Type 293Deciding on fast food 293Choosing ethnic fare 294Keeping Portions Under Control 295Chapter 19: Looking at Prescription-Drug Alternatives and Supplements 297Treating Inflammation with Over-the-Counter Medication 298Exploring how anti-inflammatory drugs work 299Navigating your way through over-the-counter drugs 299Using aspirin for heart disease: Take two and call me in the morning 300Pointing to the Positive Side of Probiotics 301Examining how probiotics work 301Raising the levels of “good” bacteria 302Using Dietary Supplements to Fill in the Nutritional Gaps 303Taking vitamins as a defense against inflammation 303Finding the benefits of fish oil tablets 305Getting a boost from mighty magnesium 306Taking herbal supplements and spices 307Choosing Dietary Supplements Wisely 308Getting some professional guidance 308Understanding labels 310Considering quality standards 310Chapter 20: Making Strides against Inflammation 313Fighting Inflammation with Cardiovascular Activity 313Starting off simply with walking and swimming 314Get it going good: Stimulating exercises 315Slowing it down: Relaxing moves 317Finding Stress Relief in Meditation and Yoga 319Centering yourself through meditation 319Going with the flow: Enjoying yoga 321Part 5: The Part of Tens 325Chapter 21: Ten Benefits of Stopping Inflammation in Its Tracks 327Making You Feel Happier 328Staying Sharp 329Lowering Your Risk of Heart and Cardiovascular Disease 329Decreasing Your Cholesterol Levels 329Decreasing Your Risk of Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome 330Losing Weight 330Strengthening Your Bones 331Decreasing Your Risk of Autoimmune Disorders 331Affecting Risk and Ability to Fight Cancer 332Improving Fertility 332Chapter 22: Ten Inflammation-Fighting Foods 333Salmon 333Flaxseeds 334Blueberries 335Natural Almonds 335Mushrooms 336Broccoli 336Quinoa 337Brussels Sprouts 337Onions 338Green Tea 338Chapter 23: Ten Anti-Inflammatory Supplements and Herbs 339Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Mixed EPA and DHA from Fish Oils 340Ginger 340Turmeric/Curcumin 341NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) 342Zinc 343Boswellia 343Vitamin D 344Vitamin C 345Papain 346Coenzyme Q10 347Appendix A: Metric Conversion Guide 349Index 353