The medical consensus on optimal eating has swung like a wobbly pendulum from one extreme to the other over the last few decades.

And diseases associated with inflammation are still among the top causes of death. Heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer's, and diabetes are in the top 10 leading causes of death, along with kidney disease, accidents, and intentional self-harm. 

 

So what are the latest guidelines on nutrition from research studies on the role of diet, disease markers, and health? I must disclose that I am not a nutrition expert, but rather a college educated health care professional trying to make sense of changing guidelines for healthy eating! Is anyone out there a little confused? I'll bet I am not the only one wondering what is best, if even the "experts" do not agree, and as noted above, diseases related to inflammation are still the leading overall causes of death in the US. In the following paragraphs I provide information and links to give you a wealth of information, and note that many of the MD's listed offers books and some offer supplements for nutrition boosters; I do not advocate any one brand or item purchase as part of this nutrition update. The exciting thing is that lifestyle factors that we can control and cultivate as part of healthy living, such as eating well, may help ward off disease!

 

FAT: The pendulum has swung from decades of low fat recommendations to a revised diet including "good fat". Good fats include raw nuts, olive oil, avocado, and omega 3 rich fish such as salmon, tuna, or trout. A handful of nuts a day appears to be good for us. A friend who is a registered dietician advised a client with heart disease risk to eat a handful of nuts a day to help his health, and he thought she said a "can full of nuts!" A year later she met him at a conference, and noting his weight gain, they discussed his diet and he told her he had gained weight from the daily "can full" of nuts. The RD then clarified the portion size of nuts recommended. Portion size equates to total calorie consumption of any item, and large portion sizes of any nutrient group may cause the body to create fat from excess calorie consumption. Dr Ski Chilton advises we reduce our overall calorie consumption 20% -30% if overweight or obese;  CLICK HERE for his advised anti-inflammatory nutrition program, with a free information guide on healthy eating and suggested good fats.

 

CARBOHYDRATES (carbs): Grains, fruits, and vegetables have been the mainstay recommendation of the old food pyramid. Currently all MDs advocate a diet with ample fruit and vegetables, yet the advise differs when it comes to grains. MD's vary in their recommendations on grains, from Dr David Perlmutter advising a grain-free diet (See The Grain Brain reference) to a diet still including grains, as long as they are "whole grains", by Dr Stephen Devries. Common grain-derived carbohydrates that we consume include breads, cereal, pasta, chips, crackers, cookies, cake, soda and alcohol. The problem with most carbs is they are quickly metabolized to sugar in our blood, and that may spike blood sugar, and cause an inflammatory reaction in the body over time.  Click on the glycemic index link #4 listed below for an understanding of which foods are most likely to spike blood sugar.

 

Any carb containing wheat includes gluten. Gluten, a component of wheat, is all over the news lately as some individuals have digestive problems and inflammation with gluten consumption; gluten free diets will not be addressed here other than to note that reducing carbs, and for some specifically eliminating gluten, may reduce the inflammation in the body. Reducing grain consumption is a current healthy eating trend that demonstrates a change from the old food pyramid, which was carb focused, to a food pyramid with more good fat and protein.

 

Dr. Stephen Devries, a preventive cardiologist affiliated with Northwestern U, stated on Medscape "An executive summary would be a Mediterranean-style diet - which is heavy on vegetables and fruit, and involves whole grains instead of refined and more fish and less red meat. In addition, the cooking oils should be predominantly olive oil and canola-based oil. "According to research summaries, a Mediterranean diet using extra virgin olive oil and/or mixed nuts may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events by as much as 30% in subjects at high risk of developing heart disease, as compared with people advised to eat a reduced-fat diet. (The reduced fat diet was the advice most often given to people from the 1970's well into recent times). 

 

PROTEIN: Looking into the topic of protein in the diet, there is an emerging trend for the Paleo Diet, which includes no processed foods, sugars, or grains, and emphasizes a diet that relies on protein, vegetables and fruit. The Paleo diet attempts to simulate that of our ancient ancestors. The ancient hunter gatherers had a whole food diet of natural items, and depending on the era, may have included sparse or alternately high meat consumption. The paleo diet is popular with fitness enthusiasts such as cross fit. In this regard, the paleo diet is at the opposite pole of the food pyramid guidelines from that last few decades that emphasized whole grain, low fat eating, which was more carbohydrate focused. It appears to be human nature to take everything to extremes, and the paleo diet does not mean eating huge quantities of animal protein each day, something I have unfortunately observed in some fitness enthusiasts. The Mayo clinic link below explains more about the paleo diet. 

 

A recent seminar I attended by the The Institute for Brain Potential reviewed the effect of diet on inflammation in the body. The speaker, Dr Michael Lara, advised a modified Mediterranean diet, with a possible benefit of no grains. Dr. Lara advocates healthy fats, and includes coconut oil as a healthy fat in small doses. He advocates exercise and some calorie restriction for health benefits, as cognitive impairment increases along with excess weight gain. Dr Lara presents evidence based research studies on the beneficial health effects of many natural foods and spices such as cinnamon, curcumin (turmeric), cocoa, green tea, and fish oil (omega 3 fatty acids). These items work by altering cellular and metabolic pathways involving chemical messengers.

CLICK HERE for a tremendous outline of slides explaining the inflammatory process and the role of nutrition, supplements, and exercise in health and disease. My hope in providing such a wealth of information here is that you can begin some positive behavior change towards optimum health! 

 

Why does it matter what we eat? Dr Ray Strand recognized a few decades ago that as blood sugar rose, blood pressure (BP) tended to increase, as well as cholesterol levels and weight circumference. Dr Strand tracked the development of metabolic syndrome, which is a pre-diabetes condition of the increases in BP, blood glucose, blood lipid levels, and weight. Dr Strand advocates eating a diet of relatively low glycemic foods, which are foods that are not rapidly turned into sugar in our blood. Look at the links from Dr Strand below, referring to glycemic levels and another link on recommended foods and the problems with the "old" food pyramid listing.

 

Ginger Garner is a PT from North Carolina who teaches medical yoga and the integration of healthy eating for health and wellness. To visit her website, CLICK HERE. She has posted a resource list of nutrition guidelines that include medically researched anti-inflammatory diet choices. She also has links to free guided meditation podcasts; a lifestyle including meditation as well as healthy eating may prove to be the best combination for reducing stress and inflammation levels in the body.

 

Finally, I have listed 2 links at the bottom of this article from the Mayo clinic, which will summarize the current medical guidelines, which are to consume a Mediterranean style diet, and a discussion of the potential health benefits of the "paleo" diet.  So eat more heart healthy good fats, fewer processed carbs, and exercise for your brain and body health and insulin regulation. Consider excess calories and limited exercise as the lifestyle related contributors to poor health in some degenerative diseases! Discuss any herbal or nutritional supplements with your MD if you are considering using new products and have health care concerns.

 

Note: Medscape is an online free medical education site utilized primarily by MD.s, however for detailed medical information consumers may create an account to view articles and search topics. Another resource is google scholar, simply log on and type in your search topic to find scientific articles. 

 

3. Dementia, Is gluten the culprit? Bret S. Stetka, MD, David Perlmutter, MD (Grain Brain Reference): medscape.com/viewarticle/819232 

4. Glycemic Index: raystrand.com/glycemic-index.asp 

5. Recommended Foods: raystrand.com/recommended-foods.asp 

6. Mediterranean Diet: mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801 

7. Paleo Diet: mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182 

  

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