The Mahogany Queen: Improving Your Quality of Life with an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

As some of you may recall, I’ve had several public rants on Facebook regarding my debilitating back pain, P90X, $3000 mattresses, and a few explicatives that my mother would be ashamed of. After months of crying, praying, and cursing, my lovely doctor was kind enough to inform me of something that I have been trying to ignore and deny. Her exact words were, “You’re getting old.”

Well, I wanted to tell her…….”And you are already there, Mrs. Dr. “I’m-full-of-bad-news-with-a-smile”.

Yet, all I could do was to ask, “What?” She further explained that I have a small tear in one of my spinal discs, which is leaking fluid, and “Oh, by the way, you also have a ‘little’ arthritis.” What the……just a “little”? Does that mean it should hurt, “just a little”? Or, are you “just a little” crazy?!

I know…..this is not the Big C. Why am I whining? Maybe I’m a little selfish about having to ask my kids to lift a cast iron skillet from under the cabinet. I have been through the 5 Stages of Grieving for my younger body. I went through denial, anger, bargaining, and depression within 5 days. I have just recently approached acceptance. It was at that moment that I asked the question “What is God trying to tell me”. I heard “Change your lifestyle, and you will be okay”.

That’s where the Anti-Inflammatory Diet comes in. Understand that this is not necessarily a ‘diet’ as you and I may think – it is a way of life. Look at this as a path to “pseudo” vegetarianism (whatever that means). This way of life is also very similar to the infamous Mediterranean and Asian diets.

Chronic inflammation is believed to be the root cause of many serious illnesses, including heart disease, many cancers, and Alzheimer’s. When it persists, it damages the body and causes illnesses. Stress, inactivity, genetics, and toxins (such as pesticides and tobacco smoke) can all contribute to chronic inflammation. As humans grow older, inflammation can inflict devastating degenerative effects throughout the body. Yet, there is persuasive scientific evidence that shows if we correct the inflammation, many of the effects of aging may prevented or reversed.

I am going to cut this “essay” short by giving you the lists. You will see a list of ailments and/or symptoms caused by inflammation, a list of anti-inflammatory foods, and a list of helpful links for further information. If you see your ailment or symptom….you may want to look further into making serious changes in your lifestyle. As for me, I am putting this into the testing phase and I will follow up with everyone with my results. Happy Changes!

Conditions Related to Inflammation
• Acid reflux/heartburn
• Acne
• Allergies and sensitivities
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Anemia
• Aeortic valve stenosis
• arthritis
• asthma
• atherosclerosis
• bronchitis
• cancer
• carditis
• celiac disease
• chronic pain
• Crohn’s disease
• cirrhosis
• colitis
• congestive heart failure
• dementia
• dermatitis
• diabetes
• dry eyes
• edema
• emphysema
• eczema
• fibromyalgia
• fibrosis
• gastroenteritis
• gingivitis
• Heart disease
• hepatitis
• High blood pressure
• Insulin resistance
• Interstitial cystitis
• Joint pain
• Kidney failure
• Lupus
• Metabolic syndrome (syndrome X)
• myositis
• nephritis
• obesity
• osteopenia
• osteoporosis
• Parkinson’s disease
• periodontal disease
• polyarteritis
• polychondritis
• psoriasis
• scleroderma
• sinusitis
• Sjögren’s syndrome
• spastic colon
• stroke
• systemic candidiasis
• Tendonitis
• UTI’s
• Vaginitis

Anti-Inflammatory Food List *** (Eat organic, fresh and unprocessed whenever possible)

Healthy Sweets -Dark chocolate with at least 70% Cacao
Red Wine – no more than 1-2 glasses per day
Supplements – High quality multivitamin, 2000 IU of Vitamin D3
Tea – 2 to 4 cups of white, green, oolong teas per day
Healthy Herbs & Spices – Unlimited amounts of turmeric, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, basil, cinnamon, rosemary, cloves
Protein – 1 to 2 servings per week of eggs, skinless and grass-fed poultry and meat, natural cheese and yogurt.
Nuts & Seeds – Almonds, ground Flax seed, Walnuts, Cashews (raw and unsalted)
Fish & Seafood – 2-6 servings weekly of Salmon, Trout, Oysters, Tuna, Sardines, Halibut, Snapper, Whitefish
Healthy Oils – 5-7 servings per day of Avocado Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Grains – 3-5 servings per day of whole & cracked grains
Beans & Legumes – 1-2 servings per day
Vegetables – 4-5 servings per day minimum
Fruits – 3-4 servings per day
Water – Throughout the day!