Inflammation is a biological response of vascular tissue to aggravation (re- injury). Considering that everyone in their life experiences a significant amount of inflammation there is a surprisingly pathetic amount of information regarding inflammation published. According to many doctors (especially in the health and beauty arena) inflammation is the cause of degeneration of the body. In theory elimination of inflammation is the way to be forever young. As an athlete eating a anti-inflammatory diet will not only help you recover faster and better, it will help you prevent many injuries and sicknesses in the first place.
First understanding inflammation: Inflammation occurs when a foreign substance (ie. splinter, virus, bacteria, knife) enters the body or impact occurs (broken bones, stress fractures, sprains, strains, torn muscles, shin splints etc.). Basically inflammation increases blood flow to the area allowing phagocytic cells (white blood cells) to engulf the foreign matter (http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3979) and bring the essential nutrients to the injured site (this is good for re-building the injured area but can "steal" nutrients from the rest of your body, especially if you are mal-nourished with processed foods). Food causes inflammation when it brings with it chemicals and compounds the body has a hard time recognizing or is allergic to (an allergic reaction is an auto-immune response to something the body sees as detrimental to your health). Body fat also creates inflammation in the body through a release of hormones (estrogens mainly - you don't have to be female). Your body will naturally create inflammation in recovery from exercise because of the "micro-tears" exercise creates on your muscles/joints/ligaments but you can "flush" out that inflammation by staying hydrated and minimize its negative impact by eating anti-inflammatory foods.
Anti-inflamatory foods: Simply they are fresh colorful fruits and vegetables - think about it this way - stick to the perimeter of the grocery store and only buy things for the next 2-3 days. Buy things outside of a package (obviously bagged baby spinach is ok but canned spinach is not - sorry Popeye ergo for fruit, bagged sliced apples = ok, canned fruit = syrup and preservatives)
I like this list put out by metabolismadvice.com
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What is essential to limiting inflammation is getting enough vitamins, minerals, Omega 3 (not 6 or 9, you get plenty of those in everything else you eat and they cause inflammation if they are in excess of Omega 3s) fats and protein. You need enough protein to rebuild all of your tissue after you exercise or experience injury or illness. Unsaturated fats and thus Omega 3 fats help you re-build cells and lubricate your joints, skin, and hair (=sexy hair, not oily hair). Most importantly you need to stay hydrated which means having the right balance of salts in the body - too much sodium creates inflammation so you need to balance it out with Potassium - potassium is usually found in sugary foods (ie. molasses, bananas, coconut water) and sugar is the number 1 inflammation causer for food, however, if you are eating organic molasses, bananas, coconut water right after working out you are feeding your body the carbohydrates it needs to re-fuel and getting in the potassium you need to balance out your sodium/potassium pump which regulates hydration. Outside of exercise you can get your potassium from nuts and seeds and greens.
Avoid at all costs:
-SUGAR - refined, processed, white - this is essentially inflammation city
-DAIRY - all (Ghee is the only dairy that could sorta pass if you are really needing something buttery, because it is clarified which means all the impurities have been taken out - you can buy at a local organic grocery store). Dairy causes inflammation in the respiration track - creating mucus and sinus infections, and in the digestive track which steels nutrients from the body.
-GLUTEN - wheat basically - most people who don't think they are allergic to wheat still show signs of inflammation when consumed - but you should note how you feel when you eat this and decide for yourself - if it makes you feel heavy and sluggish stop eating it.
-Caffeine - here is a big bummer, coffee causes inflammation. This is the one thing I am not willing to give up while I am still waking up at the butt crack of dawn, but you can decide if you need it.
-anything you are allergic to food-wise
Here is what I would recommend for a daily outline of eating:
Breakfast:
-oats with, flax and hemp seeds, walnuts, tbsp molasses or a chopped up bannana, cinnamon (balances out sugar ie. molasses)
-eggs with sautéed veggies, topped with sprouts (broccoli are my fav)
-fruit salad with spirulina, flax, and pumpkin seeds (sprouted)
-salmon (smoked ie. lox is ok-this is what prefer), with 1/2 c oats, 1/4 melon, 1 hand of almonds
-quinoa or brown rice with molasses, flax, sliced almonds, raisins, cinnamon
(drink just-squeezed juice if you want juice, green tea or matte if you need something warm/coffee-like - ooo also dandelion makes a great coffee substitute and is super anti-inflammatory http://www.dandyblend.com/) unsweetened almond milk is good alt. for dairy.
Post-workout (AM and PM)
fruit
Protein powder (whey -it's ok it does not count as dairy, brown rice, pea, hemp)
spirulina and chorella
almonds (1 handful) or almond butter 2tbsp
my fav is to put all of this in a blender with some ice but if you are "on the go" you can just make some zip lock baggies of chopped fruit, nuts, and carry a hand shaker or jar with lid to put your protein pow in.
Lunch:
salad: this is a great opportunity to put whatever you want on a large bed of lettuce (whatever kind you want - baby spinach, mixed baby greens, butter, romaine, cabbage etc.)
you want to include 1-2 of each of the following
Protein:
- rice/beans/lentils
- meat/fish
- nuts/sprouted seeds
Fat:
- olive oil/coconut oil/avocado oil/grape-seed oil/flax seed oil
- avocado
- nuts/seeds
Carbohydrates:
- Veggies
- broccoli rhabb (baby broccoli florets) or broccoli/cauliflower/Brussels sprouts (all in the same family)
- cucumber
- sprouts
- kale
- mushrooms (not really a vegetable per-se but I am putting them here anyway)
- green beans
- sweet potatoes *** this is an important one for you - this will help you get in the amount of carbs you need - eat like 1-3 large sweet potatoes everyday - super nutrient packed
{side note for sweet-potatoes AKA Yams (orange inside, brown skin) - from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato)
| Vitamin A equiv. | 709 μg (79%) |
| - beta-carotene | 8509 μg (79%) |
| - lutein and zeaxanthin | 0 μg |
| Thiamine (Vit. B1) | 0.1 mg (8%) |
| Riboflavin (Vit. B2) | 0.1 mg (7%) |
| Niacin (Vit. B3) | 0.61 mg (4%) |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.8 mg (16%) |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.2 mg (15%) |
| Folate (Vit. B9) | 11 μg (3%) |
| Vitamin C | 2.4 mg (4%) |
| Calcium | 30.0 mg (3%) |
| Iron | 0.6 mg (5%) |
| Magnesium | 25.0 mg (7%) |
| Phosphorus | 47.0 mg (7%) |
| Potassium | 337 mg (7%) |
| Sodium | 55 mg (2%) |
| Zinc | 0.3 mg (3%) |
- Fruit
- Hunza Goji Berries, Hunza Mulberries, Hunza Golden Raisins, Cacao Nibs (http://www.gohunza.com/living-foods-sale-take-hike-large-12oz-p-138.html)
- blue/rasp/black/straw berries
- papaya (eat this before to digest food better)
- pineapple/oranges/grapefruit/lemon or lime juice (citrus)
Salad dressing: 2tbsp apple cider vinegar, lemon/lime juice, and your choice of oil (from above - I use flax seed oil), pinch of celtic sea salt and pepper or your choice of hot sauce - mix in a separate bowl and then throw into salad.
Pre-afternoon or mid-morning workouts:
-fruit (best for 10k steady state or tech row) OR
-dried fruit and nuts (2-3 hands) (best for 10k-30K steady state or long tech row 2+ hours) OR
-protein powder, spirulina, chorella, ground flax seed, multi-vitamin powder - (best before pieces or weights ) http://www.amazinggrass.com/green-superfood.html)
if you have a hard time digesting food pre-practice try the protein pow mix from above or if you are going for a steady state or tech row try
- http://www.amazinggrass.com/whole-food-ingredients-amazing-meal-pomegranate.html X 3 servings
- fruit juice - higher calorie ones like mango, pineapple - get in about 300 calories = 16-20oz
- Heed (http://www.hammernutrition.com/products/heed-sports-drink.he.html) or hammer gels - these should be a last resort or with the knowledge that they are mostly artificial, packaged, and processed and therefore are not anti-inflammatory - BUT they do meet the requirements of helping your body function under the stress of exercise and are MUCH better than nothing because when you fuel your body properly you decrease inflammation because you have the resources available in your blood to instantly address the demands on your body.
Other Alternative meals - Dinner or Lunch:
-Brown Rice/Quinoa/Lentils with:
- hemp and flax seeds or sliced almonds or crushed walnuts
- tamari (soy sauce but better because it is fermented longer), braggs liquid aminos, or meso dressing (meso, apple cider vinegar, flax seed oil mix until fluid)
- tuna/salmon/ or whatever other fish you prefer
- steamed broccoli, on a bed of wilted spinach
-Polenta and peas with chicken, basil/oregano, chopped kale, garlic, zucchini, and cabbage
- Bake chicken in lemon/lime juice, olive oil, celtic sea salt, pepper corns in oven (365degrees for about 35 min) - wrap chicken and sauce in aluminum foil and bake until center is no longer pink - another option is to grill the chicken (http://www.elanaspantry.com/rosemary-lemon-chicken/)
- Saute (in olive oil - but DO NOT let it smoke, cook on low heat or you will burn the olive oil and it will become a hydrogenated oil = inflammation OR use coconut oil OR grape-seed oil) (*** do not cook flax seed or avocado oil!) chopped kale, chopped garlic, sliced zucchini, and chopped cabbage (purple or green) in a pan until al-dente
- cook polenta (http://freeculinaryschool.com/how-to-cook-polenta/ ) add chopped basil and oregano, add in frozen or fresh peas (corn+peas = complete protein and complex carb)
- cover the base of your plate with polenta/pea, place chicken on top and cover that with veggies, sprinkle with dulse, nutritional yeast, or hemp seeds
Notes and helpful hints -
- before you go to practice when you have some down time, bake several yams (just throw them in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour), in some aluminum foil bake onion slices, garlic cloves, zucchini slices, chopped cabbage, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, and/or brussels sprouts. Buy a rotisserie chicken from whole foods on your way home from practice and you have a complete meal.
- make 2-3x as much as you think you need at dinner and save the left-overs for the next day lunch/dinner
- make a bunch of rice and beans/lentils at the start of the week and keep them in the fridge for the rest of the week
- when you get home from the grocery store - chop up all of your mats (materials/ingredients/food) and put in tupperware/baggies so that it is easy to just eat when you need to cook.
- If you bake a whole chicken put the carcass in a big pot with onions, garlic, celery, carrots, fennel and let simmer over-night - you will then have a great and super nutritious bone broth that you can sip on through-out the rest of the week at meals which will increase your nutrient uptake - also a great base for polenta, rice/beans, you can cook anything in this.
- Always keep a bag of nuts, a bag of sliced carrots/cellery/broccoli florets, and a bag protein powder with you so that if you end up somewhere without food you have a complete meal.
(side-note: fruits/veggies in the night-shade family ie. tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes - are not anti-inflammatory - they actually cause inflammation - BOOOOO I know - you can choose to still eat them since they are still fresh fruits/veggies and therefore are good for you nutritionally just know that they may actually cause inflammation depending on how your body reacts to that family (ie. allergies) and the injuries/inflammation you are experiencing)
Side- Note #2 - hot sauce decreased inflammation (case and point icy-hot or tiger balm) because of the capsaicin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin) which can cause aggravation of cells but usually flushes inflammation.
Grocery Store List:
Side- Note #2 - hot sauce decreased inflammation (case and point icy-hot or tiger balm) because of the capsaicin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin) which can cause aggravation of cells but usually flushes inflammation.
Grocery Store List:
- tamari or braggs liquid amino acids (http://www.bragg.com/products/la.html)
- Apple cider vinegar
- olive oil/ grape-seed oil/ flax seed oil/ avocado oil/ coconut oil
- nutritional yeast (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast)
- bulk almonds (slices, sprouted, ground in to butter, or raw)
- bulk walnuts
- bulk sprouted pumpkin/sunflower seeds
- celtic sea salt and pepper corns in a grinder
- flax seeds - ground and whole
- hemp seeds
- spirulina/chorella
- protein powder (brown rice, pea, hemp, egg, whey, casin)
- molasses
- regular oats
- quinoa
- polenta
- brown rice
- lentils
- beans (black, pinto, kidney)
- green peas
- sprouts
- Any and All fruits and veggies you like to eat
- any organic meat/sea-food you like
Other Resources:
- http://itslivorganic.com/ - 5 tips for avoiding sugar - ignore the 5th one about yogurt
- http://nutrition.about.com/od/dietsformedicaldisorders/a/antiinflamfood.htm - notes nightshade family as inflammatory
