Anti-Neuroinflammatory (ANI) Diet & Lifestyle

Source (with acknowledgement):

https://neurofrontiers.org/anti-neuroinflammatory-diet-lifestyle/#:~:text=Avoid
%20irritants%20to%20the%20brain%3A&text=Avoid%20%2F%20cut%20out
%20sugar%2C%20soya,oils%20like%20rape%20or%20sunflower

Please note, whilst the following recital gives general information, these principles should
be used when supervised by a qualified professional. Your doctor can organise necessary
tests and adapt the diet to your specific needs so any deficiencies, high levels, allergies
and gut health can be considered.

The more personalised you make this diet, the more likely it is help.

ANI Diet (Stage 1)

Key points:

Your brain is never supposed to get damaged / inflamed: it’s covered by a hard bony
helmet (the skull) and is washed by cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF). The brain is jelly-like so it
can withstand jolts and movement. It is surrounded by the blood brain barrier (BBB) which
is a highly efficient filtration layer designed to keep bad/big molecules out and to keep the
good stuff in.

Because it is well-protected from injury your brain is not really set up to heal from injury
or other damaging factors like trauma, long-term stress or over-training (too much
exercise).

Inflammation in the brain can take up to a decade (or longer) to go away.

Neuro-glial cells make up 90% of the brain

When a brain is damaged it primes (switches on) neuro-glial cells and inflammation
results.

When they are primed the neuro-glial cells cannot fulfil their primary function (enabling
the brain to work), instead they switch to an immune function and fight inflammation
(repair, clear up debris etc), and do not work on their other ‘normal’ functions, leaving
you feeling ‘not right’ in some way.

Therefore, when glial cells are fighting inflammation, the brain cannot function efficiently,
and neurological disorders present themselves. Symptoms of brain inflammation depend
on which part of your brain is inflamed, but will make you feel unwell. The worse the
neuroinflammation, the worse a person will feel, and the worse their symptoms will be.

Symptoms associated with neuro-inflammation

 Chronic fatigue (intermittent)

 Difficulty focussing (brain fog)

 Difficulty concentrating

 Cognitive endurance issues

 Depression
  Anxiety

 Pain

The aim of the Anti-Neuroinflammatory (ANI) Diet & Lifestyle is to:

 Stop/reduce anything which can irritate and contribute to further inflammation

 Give the brain anti-inflammatory nutrients and therapies

 Dramatically speed up the process of healing from the inflammation

 Reduce / resolve the symptoms of neuro-inflammation (including various

neurological disorders)

The ANI Diet

Please always consult a healthcare professional before starting any dietary changes
(particularly if you are taking any medications in order to check any interactions with
these).

Avoid irritants to the brain:

 Cut out gluten

 Avoid / cut out sugar, soya, corn, dairy

 Avoid artificial sweeteners, artificial colours, artificial flavours (E-numbers)

 Avoid processed food (anything not homemade from natural ingredients)

 ‘Bad’ fats e.g. trans fats, and seed oils like rape or sunflower

 Caffeine

 Alcohol

Use ingredients which dampen down inflammation

Building the following into your diet has been shown to reduce neuro-inflammation:

 A ‘must’ are the flavonoids listed below (adapted from Why is my brain not working
by Dr Datis Kharrizian)

 Drink green tea (try different brands until you find one you like).

 Food sources of Omega3 (oily fish, nuts and seeds)

 Food sources of calming minerals magnesium, zinc, potassium (e.g. plenty of

greens, cashew nuts, almonds, coconut water, lamb).

 ‘Good’ fats e.g. olive oil (the one to have most of), coconut oil (this is a saturated
fat, which may be problematic for some people), grass-fed butter (only if can
tolerate dairy), avocados, nuts such as macadamia, brazil. (The brain is 75-80%
water, of the remaining tissue 60% is fat: your brain needs good fats in order to
work well).

 Hydration – drink water (you can use an app to help you with figuring out how much
water to drink each day e.g. Daily Water, Drink Water Reminder, Plant Nanny etc).
 Reduce ‘dry’ foods that you eat (bread, biscuits, crisps, etc – these will suck up the
water which you need), and aim to get a good percentage of your water through
‘wet’ foods including vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, etc. An easy guide is to drink
enough so your urine is a light yellow colour only, not dark.

 Fibre (prebiotics) and probiotic foods. ‘Good’ bacteria in our gut need a wide variety
of plant-based fibre to survive and to multiply. Plant-based foods are prebiotics –
foods which feed good bacteria. Eating a wide variety of plant-based foods (see
table below for the best ones to use as prebiotics – to feed the good bacteria). Try
to have at least 21 types of vegetables per week (chop and freeze them, then add
all 21 to a daily smoothie if this is easier for you). Use shirataki noodles. Do
the Twenty One A Week Challenge: Each day eat at least three different plant-based
foods, at the end of the week see if you have got up to a total twenty one different
ones. NB eating for example carrots each day will only count as ONE.

An easy way to get 21 plant-based foods per week into your diet is to use the Veggie
Mashup (a term coined by Dr Datis Kharrazian, although the concept is originally from
microbiome research findings).

Caffeine

Avoid this, especially if you are suffering from anxiety, lack of sleep, poor quality sleep,
etc

Alcohol

Do not drink alcohol. It is likely to exacerbate symptoms, due to the effect it has on the
brain, particularly the cerebellum.

How to change your diet

One meal at a time:

Giving your diet a huge overhaul is overwhelming for most people, so it is suggested you
start in the following order:

Week 1 Breakfast

Week 2 Dinner

Week 3 Lunch

Week 4 Snacks and drinks

Make a note of how you are feeling and any changes you see after you introduce each
new meal regime.

Flavonoids that
dampen
Microglia
Inflammation Food sources

Apigenin Parsley
 Artichoke
Basil
Celery

Celery
Luteolin Green peppers

Baicalein Chinese Skullcap – capsules

Reservatrol Black grapes

Buckwheat
Amaranth Leaves
Elderflower Tea
Unpeeled Apples
Unfermented Rooibos Tea
Rutin Figs

Tea
Chocolate
Red wine
Apples
Catechin Berries

Curcumin Turmeric

Acai (powder or juice)

Black Rice
Aronia berries
Anthocyanin New Zealand Blackcurrants (available as an extract / supplement)

Hispidulin (GABA-
enhancing
effects) Sage

Quercetin Take as a supplement (with bromelain)

Apples (skin on)
Peppers
Red wine
Dark cherries and berries (blueberries, bilberries, blackberries,
aronia (chokeberries)– dried/fresh as daily snack)
Tomatoes
Cruciferous veggies, including broccoli, cabbage and sprouts
 Leafy green veggies, including spinach, kale
Citrus fruits
Cocoa
Cranberries
Whole grains, including buckwheat
Raw asparagus
Capers
Raw red onion
Olive oil
Black and green tea
Beans/legumes
Herbs, including sage, American elder, St. John’s wort and ginkgo
biloba

Oats
Broccoli
Red pepper
Onion
Bananas
Garlic
NAC (N- Soy beans
acetylcysteine) Linseed

Butyrate promoting foods

Foods Butter (preferably organic, grass-fed), camembert cheese,

containing ghee, parmesan cheese (if you can tolerate dairy). Avoid
butyrate these sources in the initial (non-dairy) part of the ANI Diet

Eat a wide variety of plant-based foods eat 20 different types per

week.

● Whole grains – rice, oats, barley, rye, quinoa, buckwheat,

amaranth.

● Legumes – lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, pinto beans,

mung beans, adzuki beans.

● Fruits and vegetables – leafy green vegetables, apples,

Prebiotic foods to
kiwifruit, berry fruits, bananas, citrus fruit.
feed the good gut
bacteria which ● Seaweeds – wakame, brown seaweeds
make lots of
● Fermented foods – sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, natto
butyrate (short
chain fatty acids) ● Mushrooms – try different varieties
Prebiotic foods for producing short-chain fatty acids (from the ‘good’ bacteria
that they feed)

Dietary source Bacteria they feed

Cashew, green banana, white beans, oats, potatoes, cooked Ruminococcus

and cooled white rice Bacteriodes

Bacteriodes
Seaweed Ruminicoccus

Eubacterium
Bacteriodes
Apples, apricots, cherries, oranges, carrots Faecalbacterium

Bacteriodes
Asparagus, leek, onion, banana, garlic, chicory, artichoke Faecalbacterium

Eubacterium
Atopobium
Enterococcus
Lactobacillus
Prevotella
Clostridium cluster
Oat, barley, rye, mushrooms, seaweed XIVa

Seaweed, shirataki noodles Prevotella

Artichoke, beans, beetroot, broccoli, chickpeas, fennel, lentils,

lettuce, radicchio, onion Bifidobacterium

Bifidobacterium
Onions, chickpeas, beans, peas, lentils Lactobacillus

Probiotic foods: foods which are loaded with probiotics

Fermented vegetables e.g. sauerkraut, kimchi and any fermented

Foods vegetables. Miso, natto.

Drinks Kombucha, kefir, coconut water kefir

Promoting Glutathione: the master antioxidant in the body

Glutathione
Transdermal glutathione cream
transdermal
cream (is an Exercise (building muscles naturally produces more glutathione
antioxidant but for the body -never go over your personal ‘limit’ though, as this
not a flavonoid) will have a negative impact on brain recovery)

Glycine

Gelatine is found in bone broth, particularly from joint bones or

whole carcasses. This is a cheap way to get an excellent
nutritional food (it is also very high in amino acids). Take a cup
per day, or if you don’t like to drink it straight, use it in cooking
e.g. stews or to cook rice with.

Glycine is from (If you are sensitive to glutamate seek advice on the use of bone
gelatine, and can broth and consider a gelatine / collagen / glycine supplement
aid sleep instead).

Stage 1 supplements to consider

Always consult with a relevant licensed healthcare professional, especially if taking any
medications, before including any of the following in your protocol.

Magnesium – may reduce anxiety, improve sleep and reduce tense muscles and any
spasticity

Take daily Epsom salt or Magnesium Chloride baths e.g. get BetterYou flakes from Holland
and Barrett or from the internet (at least 30 mins in the bath each day). A daily dip in the
sea can also help – even just paddling your feet in the water at the edge)

Use a supplement which can cross the blood brain barrier (to reach the brain) like
Magnesium l-threonate. Start slowly, as magnesium can have a laxative effect when
taken orally. Take as per instructions on the supplement packaging.

Omega3 – a high quality supplement with up to 1,000mg EPA (consult your relevant
licensed healthcare practitioner to recommend one specific to your needs)

Butyrate – consider using a supplement in the short term until all dietary changes have
been made

Resveratrol – powerful antioxidant to bring down brain inflammation

Curcumin – another powerful antioxidant for brain inflammation. Use one which has
piperine in it.

Black seed oil – powerful nutraceutical for reducing brain inflammation (do not use if
pregnant or breastfeeding).

Recipe Ideas

Here are some examples of recipes you can try.

Reminder: always work with a relevant licensed healthcare practitioner to tailor a diet to
your individual needs.

“Golden bullet” – a warming drink full of anti-neuro-inflammatory ingredients.

 Gently warm one tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan

 Add a heaped teaspoon of curcumin

 Add a pinch of black pepper (couple of turns of a pepper mill)

 Add two pinches of ground ginger

 Add two cracked cardamom pods

 Add half a teaspoon of nigella seeds

 Stir the mixture and warm on a medium heat.

 Add 400ml unsweetened almond milk

 Turn the heat to high and bring to the boil.

 As soon as it is boiling, turn off the heat.

 Pour into a cup and drink when cool enough to do so.

 (add a teaspoon of honey if you want to)

“Veggie Mashup” – an easy way to provide your gut microbiome with lots of pre-biotic
foods. ‘Veggie Mashup’ is a name coined by Dr Datis Kharrazian.

Increasing the diversity of gut microbiome for oral intolerance.

How To Make a “Microbiome Mash”