Inflammatory food!: There seems to be quite... - PMRGCAuk

PMRGCAuk

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Inflammatory food!

Ryeland profile image
13 Replies

There seems to be quite contradictory, vague, dogmatic sometimes scary advice out there regarding what to eat or to avoid with PMR....and for a range of other conditions. Can anyone suggest sources of evidence based findings regarding anti inflammatory diets. I've looked through a few books and internet articles on nutrition but it's difficult to pin sources down.... some are quite evangelical in tone but very short on evidence regarding anti inflammatory food. Kate Gilbert, in her excellent book, points out that this area is short on evidence.

My diet is generally sensible and moderate anyway, and since my PMR diagnosis earlier this year I've made some changes and adjustments but would like to know just how much I ought to do. I don't eat much processed food anyway, nor meat, fries etc but am now more vigilant regarding the contents of any packaged dishes.

I suppose the motivation behind this posting is that my allotment, (a huge source of mental and physical health) has produced great quantities of tomatoes and potatoes this year....do I have to give them all away?

Thank you to everyone on this forum for all your ongoing support and positivity.

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Ryeland profile image
Ryeland
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13 Replies
DenderaLight profile image
DenderaLight

Hi there, my thoughts would be to firstly undertake a hair sample analysis. This will identify any sensitivity to a large range of food items, metals, vitamins, digestive enzymes and gut bacteria. They will support you eliminate and then reintroduce if applicable. Generally plant based eating is best if possible, not all anti inflammatory diets exclude meat which is bizarre considering it has inflammatory compounds, but pending your hair analysis results some lean meat maybe still an option. Remember inflammation is a symptom not the cause reducing it helps but focusing on healing the gut is the key so diet is important and reducing stress on your body by eliminating what sensitivity you personally have if any is the very first step 👍 good luck 😊

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply toDenderaLight

The has been some evidence to show the results differ from one lab to another - so which would one believe? Not that I consider them to have any validity at all ...

Morning, you sound to me as though you're doing your best and eating a healthy diet. I wouldn't give your produce away unless you have too much of course. Toms are really good for us, but pots less so. I do like my pots and on occasions chips too. At our ages do we have to be that strict to deny ourselves what we enjoy (hubby is always telling me this) However, a friend of mine who's a nutritionist would say, when I say, everything in moderation, her reply to that would be, well you'll only be moderately healthy. But we all know that carbs cause inflammation. I know I shouldn't eat my chocolate every day, but I enjoy it so will have it. I've never smoked or drunk alcohol.

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador

It basically comes down to what works for YOU. I tried cutting nightshade veggies - made no difference at all except to make my diet very restricted and boring. Some people find specific things make them worse - ranging from alcohol to particular foods.

If you cook your toms - making tomato sauce as the Italians do for example - that improves the lycopene content and that has been shown to be aniinflammatory.

What a lot of people have found is that cutting carbs, especially processed foods, has helped them a lot. There are a lot of hidden carbs in processed foods that are not obviously carb-based.

cycli profile image
cycli

if you like lasagne and risotto I have found that preparing the sauce then cooking leaving to cool freezing and then reheating reduces calorific level 50%., also replacing pasta with aubergines , sweet potatos, or courgette sliced and layered produces a very nice meal. I always top with grated cheese . Have fun and enjoy. freezing bread also reduces calorific content similarly.

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply tocycli

No - have to but in - freezing does NOT change the calorie count of foods. It DOES change the structure of starch in some foods which changes it metabolically speaking. But it doesn;t reduce the calories.

cycli profile image
cycli in reply toPMRpro

maybe. Have to refer to Dr Moseley and his program which did the research. My understanding came from this and they recorded the drop. worth looking into. If wrong I stand corrected.

fmkkm profile image
fmkkm in reply toPMRpro

smithsonianmag.com/smart-ne...

Maybe less caloric not fewer calories. We absorb fewer calories based on how the food is prepared but the calorie count is the same.

cycli profile image
cycli in reply tofmkkm

that sounds right so the fattening process is reduced. Still tastes good and hopefully better for us.

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply tofmkkm

That's what I mentioned - the structure of the starch is changed, but only the starch. Don't think it happens with protein or fat.

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply tofmkkm

That's not quite the same though - that is adding coconut oil so another step of chemistry, The BBC health editor woman isn't quite correct either if I remember my biology right! "Those sugars get stored and then converted into glucose," - not, converted to glucose to be absorbed and excess glucose is stored as fat. That's why low carb works for weight loss ...

fmkkm profile image
fmkkm in reply toPMRpro

I just realized Dr. Moseley is the author of the Fast 800 diet. I have not read the book but surely if you’re trying to sell people on an 800 calorie a day diet you have to offer some hacks so they can feel the food is more satisfying. I can’t live on 800 calories myself.

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply tofmkkm

You aren't meant to permanently - it is 2x a week, preferably not on consecutive days - and even when it is used every day in the context of the Newcastle diet it is only for 8 to 12 weeks at most. Then it is to reverse Type 2 diabetes and avoid the long term consequences - almost a parallel to chemotherapy which no-one would choose without a very good reason.

Carefully planned, you can have a very good and satisfying menu for 800 calories. If all your drinks are zero calories for the day, 800 calories can look a lot and bulk, in the form of low calorie veggies and salad leaves, is very important too.

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