Eating a Healthy Diet Part 2

For years I have known that most diseases are caused by an over abundant inflammatory response by our immune system. Over the past million or so years human beings have developed a highly sophisticated immune system allowing most of us to long and healthy lives. Our bodies live with a balance of some bacteria, e. coli in the colon, and viruses, herpes zoster in the spinal canal, which is called a symbiotic relationship. Sort of like the birds you see on the backs of cattle. Both organisms benefit from being together. But over the course of evolution, our immune systems have also developed the capacity to kill us while trying to save us. As our behavior developed and created the "fight or flight phenonomen", our immune system did the same, unfortunately when our immune system decides to fight to the death it is our own death it causes. I am convinced with the current Coronovirus pandemic the many younger people who are dying is because of what is termed Cytokine Storm which simply their immune system going into overdrive to kill the virus but in the process kills all the internal organs. But without Coronovirus humans over the years have killed themselves off by eating foods that increase the inflammatory response to a fault. And for the most part all chronic diseases have at some point as their basis inflammation. The best example is coronary heart disease. Decades ago I joined the American Lipid Society and went to all of their annual meetings. I went to learn all about the best and current medication to reduce cholesterol and lipids in the blood because a build up of cholesterol plaques in the coronary arteries caused heart attacks. Right? No, wrong and was I surprised. Turns out the medical field has understood for decades that what causes heart attacks is artery endothelial inflammation. Yes cholesterol builds up in the lining of the artery over years but that build up is met by an inflammatory response by the body trying to get rid of those plaques. Eventually what happens is there is so much inflammation that the inflammation breaks open the plaque causing platelets to swarm around the area and in the end blocks off the artery causing said heart attack. So yes reducing cholesterol is needed and helps but the real problem is the inflammation which we will see is caused by our poor diet. 

This food article today is an update to my previous blog on eating a healthy diet with some new recommendations. With a lot of time on my hands I spent a large amount of time researching inflammation and diets and can offer additional information. Spoiler alert my research again confirmed the BEST diet for low inflammation is the Mediterranean Diet. Go figure. To maybe simplify this concept I found this listing of foods you want to eat. So an anti-inflammatory diet should include lots of these foods: 

Tomatoes 

Avocados, their anti-inflammatory properties are very strong 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil in place of butter 

Green leafy vegetables, spinach, kale, collards, Swiss Chard 

Almonds and Walnuts 

Fatty fish like Salmon, Mackerel, Tuna, and Sardines and Anchovies 

Fruits like strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges 

If you just ate the above foods for all of your meals you would go a long way to reduce overall inflammation. 

Though there is at times conflicting research a glass of any wine once a day provides some Resveratrol which you also find in the dark-skinned fruits above.  All wine has some but red wine has more of course.  For most of us, one glass a day is most likely ideal and an entire bottle everyday maybe not such a good idea!

I also have read for years benefits of drinking a glass of lemon water every day and my current research confirmed that. A simple recipe is: 

1/2 Cup Lemon Juice 

4 Cups of water 

1/2 tsp liquid stevia or small amount of maple syrup for sweetness 

May also add some ground Ginger 

Many recipes call for the addition of some turmeric but I recommend turmeric in a different form so I don't add it to the lemon water. 

I continue to recommend from my original blog that we all continue to take zinc, Vitamin D, B12, and optimized Folate. In addition to those supplements I now recommend adding SLCP Longvida Optimized Curcumin and L Glutamine. Almost since the beginning of time in India Ayurvedic medicine has recommended taking Curcumin or Turmeric. But research out of NIH clearly shows anti-inflammatory benefits of Curcumin and a recent paper shows significant survival of ICU patients given IV Curcumin. The problem is that regular over the counter Curcumin is not absorbed orally that well, hence the need to IV administration in the ICU. But other research at NIH has shown a different formulation of Curcumin, SLCP Longvida Optimized Curcumin is much better absorbed orally. A recent study of this better compound showed a dose of 160 mgs a day for 90 days significantly improved function and pain for knee osteoarthritis. I was only able to find online at Amazon in a 400 mgs vegetable capsule so my wife and I plan to take one of those daily. One additional supplement to take is L Glutamine 1000 mgs tablets. The literature talks about taking over 30 grams a day which to me is too much. One article says the maximum recommended safe dose is 14 grams a day. I plan on taking 2-3 grams a day. 

So to improve your health through diet try the above recommendations and see how they work for you. Don't forget nothing is a 100% and those recommendations hopefully will help most people.  Unfortunately, there are not treatments or foods best for everyone as we all can react differently.