A topic I have passionately researched the last few months is inflammation and anti-inflammatory foods. I did a cooking workshop in February on it and just gave a talk at Whole Foods last week. Here is a little summary I published in my newsletter on the top anti-inflammatory foods.

Inflammation is the body’s natural response to stress, infection, or injury. However, when the natural balance of the immune system is disrupted, the system shifts into a chronic state of alarm. This “silent” prolonged inflammation can show up in many different ways – bloating, inability to lose weight, joint pain, headaches, premature aging, etc. The more inflammation there is in the body, the more likely you are to develop diseases like cancer, heart disease, autoimmune issues and the more likely you are to advance the progression of these. Some of the causes of inflammation include a poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, chronic infections, and environmental allergens.  Sugar, refined flours, processed meats, food additives, trans fats, as well as many cooking oils like cottonseed, sunflower, corn are all highly inflammatory.

The best way to prevent inflammation is to eat real, whole foods – stay away from the processed junk.

My top 10 anti-inflammatory foods are:

•  dark leafy greens (kale, chard, spinach)
• wild salmon
• sulfur rich veggies (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, onion, garlic)
• avocados
• sea vegetables (seaweed, kelp, nori)
• berries
• sweet potatoes
• coconut
• spices (I talked about them in this newsletter)