We normally associate the word inflammation with pain, swelling and redness and joint stiffness but did you know that many of the common diseases that people suffer with these days are related to chronic inflammation?
Researchers have found that chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, some cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, eczema, psoriasis, asthma, diabetes, obesity, and many others are related to underlying inflammation in the body. Even aging is due to an inflammatory process in the skin. So you are probably wondering what this has to do with a detox diet?
First let’s have a look at what exactly inflammation is.
Inflammation is a normal response of the body to fight an infection. For example if you get an infection your body produces a fever a part of the process to kill the bacteria or virus that is causing it. And inflammation is part of the healing process. If you have an injury your body produces inflammation as part of the process that repairs and heals it. We could not do without it
But in some cases a low grade inflammatory process is constantly switched on. When this happens you become more susceptible to disease and the aging process. You may have low grade inflammation for hears without knowing it because the body can control it to a certain extent for a while. Then one day you start to get niggling symptoms and realize that something is not right.
What causes chronic inflammation?
Many factors, including stress, emotions, diet and lifestyle, contribute to inflammation.
- Stress causes an increased output of cortisol from the adrenal glands which fuels inflammation.
- Lack of sleep places a stress on the body and an increase in cortisol
- Too much fat, sugar, protein, processed and junk foods, sodas and caffeine
- An imbalance of organisms in your gut causes your immune system to overreact.
- Toxins from food, water, your environment and personal care products
- Food sensitivity or intolerance and food allergies cause low grade inflammation
- Leaky gut – an increase in the permeability of the intestinal lining can result in toxins leaking from the bowel resulting in inflammation.
- Obesity – the fatty tissues of the body secrete hormones that regulate the immune system and inflammation, but in the case of an overweight individual this can become out of control.
- Dehydration makes inflammation worse
You are probably beginning to see now how a detox diet can help drive inflammation out of your body. When you cleanse your bowel and body of toxins, heal a leaky gut, restore the balance of gut organisms, reduce stress and avoid foods that contribute to inflammation you dramatically reduce and prevent inflammation.
Inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods
There has been a lot of research on which foods contribute to inflammation and which foods are anti-inflammatory. The food you eat has a direct impact on the inflammation in your body.
Inflammatory foods
- Sugar, all types (white sugar, brown sugar, confectioners sugar, corn syrup, processed corn fructose, turbinado sugar, etc)
- Processed (refined) foods including processed meats
- Junk food & most fast food, fried food
- Excess red meat and fatty meat
- High saturated fat foods
- Food additives
- White bread
- Ice Cream
- Snack Foods
- Oils such as vegetable and corn (unless cold pressed)
- Hydrogenated, trans fats and heated polyunsaturated oils
- Soda, caffeine and alcohol
Anti-inflammatory foods
- Fresh whole fruits, vegetables
- Dark green leafy vegetables
- Bright multi-colored vegetables
- Cold water low mercury oily fish
- Olive oil (good quality)
- Lean poultry
- Nuts, especially very fresh walnuts, legumes and seeds
- Low glycemic load foods
- Pure Water
- Spices, especially Turmeric and Ginger
The Detox Diet & Control of Inflammation
If you have been reading about detox diets you will recognize that the inflammatory foods are the ones that are excluded on a detox diet and the anti-inflammatory ones are the ones that are included. While poultry is not always included on a detox diet it is part of the maintenance diet.
If you have any of the health conditions that are associated with low grade inflammation, want to get off anti-inflammatory drugs or have been eating a pro-inflammatory diet and want to prevent inflammatory disease in the future a my 14 Day Recharge Detox Diet is the ideal solution.
I have been on Lipitor for many years, and 3 blood pressure medicines, and a few other medicines, thyroid, depression medication, Prevacid, and all my blood levels are low or high, especially the ck is elevated to 377H and my Dr. just took me off of Lipitor last Saturday, but I am still feeling the stomach cramping, Legs and arm muscles hurting badly. I am drinking alot of water and eating regular, but I am very weak and lack of energy and all the aches is getting me down. Does it take longer than a week to get Lipitor out of the system?
Hi Marlene, Everyone is different depending on how well your detox system works. The cramping may not be due to the Lipitor still being in your system but from the muscle damage that it has caused. There is some evidence that CoQ10 can help lessen the pain but it does not work in all cases. You have to make sure you are taking enough of a good absorbable form. Not all CoQ10 supplements are absorbed well enough to have any effect. Dr John Briffa has an article about it here:
http://www.drbriffa.com/2007/05/30/coq10-found-to-reverse-the-side-effects-of-statin-drugs/
It’s important to make sure that your thyroid hormones especially T3 are at the upper end of the reference range. Doctors do not always check T3 levels. Taking thyroxine does not guarantee that that it will be converted to T3 the active hormone. You can have low T3 levels in spite of a normal TSH.
Best wishes for better health soon.
Sandy
Hi Sally, I am booked for gallbladder surgery on June 8th, 2011. My concern is that I have irregular heart beats. Will the surgery increase my heart rate? Again, what I can be eating after the surgery? Your News letters have been of great help. Thanks Sally.
Hi Nikky, I am Sandy, not Sally, but for some reason I get called that from time to time!
Sorry to hear that you have to have surgery and about your concern over your irregular heart rate. Surgery is a stress on the body so it could increase your heart rate. I’m sure your doctors will be monitoring you afterwards.
A lot of Vitamin C is used up by the stress of surgery and together with Zinc and Vitamin A it is needed for wound healing and tissue repair. Vitamin C is highest in fresh fruit and vegetables. Dark green leafy, orange and red vegetables and fruit contain betacarotene that the body can use to convert into Vitamin A.
A light, easily digested whole food, low fat diet is probably best. You should eat little and often to keep your blood sugar stable. It’s hard to say exactly what you should eat afterwards because everyone is different and some peole tolerate certain foods better than others.
Vegetable soup may be the best thing to eat immediately afterwards. Raw food like fresh fruit can be a problem for some people until the digestion settles down. Whole grains, fruit and vegetables will help prevent constipation. Some people get diarrhea after gall bladder surgery until their digestion settles down so you may have to cut back on fruit.
Zinc is most concentrated in foods like meat and beans but beans can give you gas if you are not used to them so may not be a good idea. Light, lean meat like chicken and turkey or some mercury free white fish would be good.
Keep fats to a minimum to start with. The best fats to have are cold pressed oils like olive oil, hemp seed and flax seed oil. Avoid alcohol until you have really recovered from the surgery. Drink plenty of pure water and herbal or green tea.
I hope it all goes well and glad you find the newsletters useful.
Sandy
Great article Sandy. For me the best diet program is with organic aloe vera. It can really help you lose weight and detox body.
Thanks Ivana. A good quality aloe vera certainly has some unique benefits. Glad you have found something that helps you.
Good health,
Sandy
I have a friend who had taken traditional medicine and a diet plan from Nze Njoku Herbal Home on google to treat Arthritis and High Blood Pressure and for some years now he looks normal. From severe pain always a sick guy Now he looks so healthy and enjoying normal productive life😊 Praise God