What is the Anti-Inflammatory Diet?

The anti-inflammatory diet usually refers to a diet plan espoused by Dr. Andrew Weil that includes plentiful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes (especially soy), and cold water seafood.  It can also refer more generally to a diet that decreases intake of foods that have been connected to inflammation, and increases the consumption of anti-inflammatory foods.

Why choose this diet?

Inflammation is the body’s normal reaction to an injury or disease.  However, inflammation that causes your body to attack otherwise healthy tissues is linked to a wide variety of diseases including IBS, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, lupus, and heart disease.

The theory behind anti-inflammatory diets is that by reducing inflammation they reduce the risk of and/or symptoms of these diseases.

Anti-Inflammatory diet problems

Inflammation is a general term that can refer to elevated CRP, the presence of IgE (allergy) antibodies, actual swelling, and many other related processes.  Most anti-inflammatory diets do not deal with all types of inflammation, and so the diets often have conflicting advice.

Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory diet, in particular, recommends high intakes of many foods that are known to cause inflammation in susceptible populations.  For example, Weil recommends eating cold water fish such as sardines and salmon.  Unfortunately, these fish contain high levels of purines which are the primary trigger of gout, a painful form of joint inflammation found in over 3 million people in the US.  Many others may experience milder joint stiffness caused by the purines in cold water fish.

Many versions of the anti-inflammatory diet also recommend whole grains including wheat.  Unfortunately, wheat can cause an allergic inflammatory reaction in a large segment of the population that has a gluten spectrum disorder, including celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.  Tree nuts and soy are two other common allergens frequently promoted on these plans that can trigger inflammation in many individuals.

Finally, the diet promotes the consumption of chocolate, one of the most frequent dietary triggers of an intestinal disorder called Inflammatory Bowel Disease - IBD.

A new anti-inflammatory diet

We believe that a truly anti-inflammatory diet must consider more inflammation pathways, and therefore:

1. Avoid all common allergens: fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, dairy, soy, and wheat. IgE antibodies to common allergens are present, even at low levels, in about 50% of the population – not just those with documented food allergies.
2. Minimize foods known to raise C-reactive protein (CRP), such as all meats, simple carbohydrates, and processed foods.
3. Restrict the intake of Advanced Glycation End-Products (AGEs) found in meat as well as processed and fried foods. Diets with higher AGEs appear to play a general role in inflammation but have been particularly linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis.
4. Add fiber. High fiber diets are effective at reducing CRP levels and associated inflammation.
5. Limit purines by reducing the intake of fish, meat, and beans.
6. Add inflammation-fighting Omega 3 fatty acids, but through high fiber vegetarian sources.
7. Choose lower glycemic carbohydrates.

GentleBelly, 

GentleBelly’s philosophy is to avoid foods that can do harm to humans or the environment.  We engage a third-party lab to test our products for 18 common allergens, and everything we offer is 100% vegan, minimally processed, and low glycemic.