Diet and Inflammation

Women in my family before me have suffered osteoarthritis so I am looking at how to improve my habits to avoid the onset. Osteoarthritis is the breaking down of cartilage in the joints. Why would they breaking down? Age, genetics, overuse, they say. I thought inflammation was a major factor, but WebMD says that is a major factor in rheumatoid, but not osteo. I was disappointed as I can't change genetics or reduce the use of my joints but realized that degenerating joints would cause inflammation. Andrew Weil says that inflammation is the "cornerstone of the body's healing response, bringing more nourishment and more immune activity to a site of injury or infection. But when inflammation persists or serves no purpose, it damages the body and causes illness. Stress, lack of exercise, genetic predisposition, and exposure to toxins (like secondhand tobacco smoke) can all contribute to chronic inflammation."

I read a book about inflammation a few years ago to learn about rheumatoid arthritis as my niece has this. I learned that many diseases in our society today are caused by inflammation. According to arthritistoday.org, heart disease, cancer and obesity are all linked to inflammation problems.

Chamomile is credited with reducing inflmmation. Caffeine, sugars and refined foods, of course, cause inflammation.
Scientists know that the enzymes cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and 2 (COX-2) are major causes of joint inflammation. According to a study, chamomile works similarly to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs due to inhibition of COX-2 enzyme activity! We are advised to take in more omega-3 fatty acids relative to omega-6 fatty acids (3:1 or 5:1).

According to The Juicing Bible, people with arthritis (rheumatoid or osteo) should maximize:

chamomile, lemon balm, and peppermint should be used to improve absorption of nutrients during digestion

oily fish which are anti-inflammatory - herring, salmon, tuna, sardines

anti-inflammatory herbs such as chamomile, ginger, licorice, meadowsweet

herbal circulatory stimulants like stinging nettle and ginger to get blood and nutrients to the joints

and a few other things...

Chamomile is listed as being
1. analgesic
2. anti-inflammatory
3. and improving digestion

The Juicing Bible also says to eliminate sugar, corn products, meat, citrus, vinegar (except cider vinegar), alcohol, processed foods, and to minimize caffeine, salt and acidic fruits and vegetables.

Today is day 1 of a juicing fast... see my other blog entry on juice fasting. I felt inspired since I have 4 days off with the house to myself, and I just came back from a visit with my family over Christmas which included a few cookies and crackers. I am juicing carrots, celery, daikon, beets, pomegranate and ginger wrapped in mustard greens, apples and zuchinni. I also am making chamomile and kleri-tea (contains senna leaf, peppermint and chamomile) to assist in some cleansing of the system.

What about turmeric? This is well-known anti-inflammatory spice used so much in Indian cooking. One herbalist recommends a teaspoon a day of turmeric honey. The recipe is
9 parts dried turmeric powder
1/2 part freshly ground black pepper (grind it finely)
1/2 part dried ginger powder
(A pound of turmeric added to runny honey will fill a 20 oz. jar.)
So I will just mix a teaspoon of turmeric to a teaspoon or so of honey, and add a dash of salt and dash of powdered ginger!

Most of us have heard that it is good to alkalinize our bodies. An acidic body has more inflammation, so I should avoid dairy products and red meats, eggs, saturated fats, refined and processed foods, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and foods that are high in gluten (bread, pasta and pastry). Our bodies should be between 7.36 and 7.44 pH! Meats acidify because of nitrogen by-products when digested. Alkaline sources of protein include lentils, almonds, brazil nuts and grains like quinoa and spelt.

I found charts of acid-forming and alkalininzing foods! Not sure what is right, there are some conflicting listings: http://www.alkaline-alkaline.com/ph_food_chart.html

I plan to:
1. eat turmeric honey every day (it's tasty)
2. drink chamomile tea every day
3. avoid coffee (ouch!) and have green tea instead
4. eat more herring (I love kippered snacks!) and salmon for omega 3's
5. avoid gluteny bread; maybe have sprouted grain bread sometimes
6. have more lemon in my water
7. eat almonds and brazil nuts while avoiding walnuts and peanuts
8. eat more parsley, raw spinach, asparagus, broccoli, celery
9. eat amaranth, millet, wild rice, quinoa
10. avoid oats (ouch!), rice (ack!), pasta
11. avoid dairy except goat cheese and goat milk see my blog on goat milk
12. eat more grapefruit, mangoes (yes!), papayas (yipee!)
13. plant lemon balm and papaya plants in the spring

Here is a photo taken today of my baby papaya trees that I will plant in the spring: