Anti-Inflammatory Foods

[Kit]

Hi.  I read through a lot of the forums trying to find help for myself.  I have several autoimmune conditions which cause inflammation.  I think I'm understanding correctly that general CR, in terms of not overeating in general, helps with inflammation.  What I'm confused about, and can't seem to find consistent answers about, are what foods are strong anti-inflammatory foods and what foods are strong inflammatory foods.  There seems to be differing opinions about what foods are anti-inflammatory and which are inflammatory.  Can you help me with science based information on what foods are truly anti-inflammatory?  Thank you.

[Mike Lustgarten]

Hi Kit, the easy answer is to cut out all processed junk foods. Beyond that, to address your question on a whole-food based diet, blood testing can be useful. For example, I routinely measure hs-CRP (as a marker of inflammation), and look for correlations with my diet. For me, a higher intake of MUFA (which I get exclusively form nuts, seeds, olives) is correlated with lower hs-CRP (see2:49 in the video). Whether that is causative, or if it would work for you is unknown. However, I'd encourage regular blood testing in conjunction with diet tracking to see which foods may impact inflammation for you.
 

 

[Kit]

Thank you for replying, Mike.  It's been a year since my doctor has checked my CRP.  It was good at that time, but I can tell my body is going through a flare right now.  My next testing won't be for another month.  Do you recommend I get the standard CRP test, or the hs-CRP?  My doctor recently tested 6 different foods, and I had a fairly strong response to wheat, dairy, and yeast, a slight reaction to corn, and a minor reaction to cocoa and eggs.  I asked him to have more foods tested to help me narrow down what my body is reacting to right now.  When I'm not having a flare, my body is not so hyper-sensitive, and I don't overreact to foods, but when my body is in this state, it feels like I'm reacting to just about everything.  I'm just trying to figure out quickly what I'm reacting to, and what foods in general tend to contribute to inflammation, so that I can get my body under control.  I get intense inflammation and nerve pain when this is happening; it is very uncomfortable and exhausting.  I appreciate your help.

[Sibiriak]

 

Is food tolerance testing evidence-based?

 

[Mike Lustgarten]

hs-CRP, as you might be within the reference range, but there may be systemic effects even within the < 1 mg/L. I've had food sensitivity testing done, too, and that's good for identifying potentially pro-inflammatory foods. Beyond the IgG test, figuring out which foods actively trigger/contribute to the flares, and adding an objective test like hs-CRP in conjunction with the subjective feel is the best that one can do.

[Kit]

Okay, thank you.

[Saul]

On 5/13/2021 at 11:26 PM, Sibiriak said:

 

Is food tolerance testing evidence-based?

 

Nice post Sibiriac.

Kit, you should read Sibiriac's post.

  --  Saul

[Kit]

Thanks. I do know about the controversy surrounding that type of testing.  Because we have various levels of reactive inflammation each time we eat, my main goal is simply to find out what foods my body reacts to the strongest, and to minimize those foods when I'm having a flare, not because I think the foods themselves are inherently problematic.  I'm just trying to help myself minimize overall inflammation when my body is in a state of auto-immune inflammation flare up.  Anything I can do to help minimize, or not add to, my body's state of high alert and struggle is worth doing.  I already figured out on my own that my body struggles with yeast when I'm having a flare (immediate swelling that can be seen visually, hives/rash, etc.), so I wasn't at all surprised when that came back as a strong positive, yet, when I'm not having a flare, I can have yeast based foods with no problem at all.  For my body, and whatever is going on internally during a flare, knowing what foods my body is suddenly sensitive to does help.  Although I agree in a general sense about the sensitivity food testing, I do think, for certain individuals, it's a helpful tool in their toolbox for certain disease states.  So, despite what science says, which is true for the general public, I'm going to do what works for me because I also understand that scientific testing cannot factor in every variable, scenario, and disease state, which would alter its applicability.