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Dietary Tips: Anti-Inflammatory Diet general and soybeans in particular.

It is becoming increasingly clear that chronic inflammation is the • Become familiar with the range of whole soy foods
root cause of many serious illnesses - including heart disease, many available and find ones you like.
cancers, and Alzheimer’s disease. We all know inflammation on
carbohydrates
the surface of the body as local redness, heat, swelling and pain. It
• On a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, adult women should
is the cornerstone of the body’s healing response, bringing more
consume between 160 to 200 grams of carbohydrates a
nourishment and more immune activity to a site of injury or
day.
infection. But when inflammation persists or serves no purpose, it
• Adult men should consume between 240 to 300 grams
damages the body and causes illness. Stress, lack of exercise, genetic
of carbohydrates a day.
predisposition, and exposure to toxins (like second-hand tobacco
• The majority of this should be in the form of less-
smoke) can all contribute to such chronic inflammation, but dietary
refined, less-processed foods with a low glycemic load.
choices play a big role as well. Learning how specific foods influence
• Reduce your consumption of foods made with flour and
the inflammatory process is the best strategy for containing it and
sugar, especially bread and most packaged snack foods
reducing long-term disease risks.
(including chips and pretzels).
General Tips • Eat more beans, winter squashes, and sweet potatoes.
• Aim for variety. • Eat more whole grains (not whole-wheatflour products)
• Include as much fresh food as possible. such as brown rice and bulgur wheat, in which the grain
• Minimize your consumption of processed foods and fast is intact or in a few large pieces.
food. • Cook pasta al dente and eat it in moderation.
• Eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables. • Avoid products made with high fructose corn syrup.

Caloric Intake FATs

• On a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, 600 calories can come
• Most adults need to consume between 2,000 and 3,000
from fat - that is about 67 grams. This should be in
calories a day.
a ratio of 1:2:1 of saturated to monounsaturated to
• Women and smaller and less active people need fewer
polyunsaturated fat.
calories.
• Reduce consumption of saturated fat, especially from
• Men and bigger and more active people need more
meat and unskinned chicken; avoid products made with
calories.
palm kernel oil.
• If you are eating the appropriate number of calories for
• Use extra-virgin olive oil as a main cooking oil. If you
your level of activity, your weight should not fluctuate
want a neutral tasting oil, use expeller-pressed grape
greatly.
seed oil or organic expeller-pressed canola oil. Organic,
• The distribution of calories you take in should be
high-oleic, expeller pressed versions of sunflower and
as follows: 40 to 50 percent from carbohydrates, 30
safflower oil are also acceptable.
percent from fat, and 20 to 30 percent from protein.
• Avoid regular safflower and sunflower oils, corn oil,
• Try to include carbohydrates, fat, and protein at each
cottonseed oil, and mixed vegetable oils.
meal.
• Strictly avoid margarine, vegetable shortening, and all
Proteins products listing them as ingredients. Strictly avoid all
• On a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet your daily intake of products made with partially hydrogenated oils of any
protein should be between 80 and 120 grams. Eat less kind. Avoid products made with refined soybean oil.
protein if you have liver or kidney problems, allergies, or • Include in your diet avocados and nuts, especially
autoimmune disease. walnuts, cashews, almonds, and nut butters made from
• Decrease your consumption of animal protein except for these nuts.
fish and high quality natural cheese and yogurt • For omega-3 fatty acids, eat salmon (preferably fresh
• Eat more vegetable protein, especially from beans in or frozen wild or canned. sockeye), sardines packed
Updated September 2014
 Dietary Tips: Anti-inflammary Diet | Page 2

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in water or olive oil, herring, black cod (sablefish, tocopherols (d-alphatocopherol with other tocopherols,
butterfish),omega-3 fortified eggs; hemp seeds and or, better, a minimum of 80 milligrams of natural
flaxseeds (preferably freshly ground) and walnuts; mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols) + Selenium: 200
or take a fish oil supplement (look for products that micrograms of an organic (yeast-bound) form + Mixed
provide both EPA and DHA, in a convenient daily carotenoids: 10,000 IU daily.
dosage of 2-3 grams) • The antioxidants can be most conveniently taken as
part of a daily multivitamin/multimineral supplement
Fiber that also provides at least 200-400 micrograms of folic
• Try to eat 40 grams of fiber a day. You can achieve this acid and 1000 IU of vitamin D. It should contain
by increasing your consumption of fruit, especially no iron (unless you are a female and having regular
berries, vegetables (especially beans), and whole grains. menstrual periods) and no preformed vitamin A
• Ready-made cereals can be good fiber sources, but (retinol). Take these supplements with your largest
read labels to make sure they give you at least 4 and meal.
preferably 5 grams of bran per one-ounce serving. • Women should consider supplemental calcium,
preferably as calcium citrate, 300-500 milligrams a day,
phytonutrients
depending on their dietary intake of this mineral. Men
• Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and mushrooms to should avoid supplemental calcium.
get maximum natural protection against age-related
diseases (including cardiovascular disease, cancer, other dietary supplements
and neurodegenerative disease) as well as against • If you are not eating oily fish at least twice a week, take
environmental toxicity. supplemental fish oil, in capsule or liquid form (2-3
• Choose fruits and vegetables from all parts of the color grams a day of a product containing both EPA and
spectrum, especially berries, tomatoes, orange and DHA). Look for molecularly distilled products certified
yellow fruits, and dark leafy greens. to be free of heavy metals and other contaminants.
• Choose organic produce whenever possible. Learn • Talk to your doctor about going on low-dose aspirin
which conventionally grown crops are most likely to therapy, one or two baby aspirins a day (81 or 162
carry pesticide residues and avoid them (visit www. milligrams).
foodnews.org). • If you are not regularly eating ginger and turmeric,
• Eat cruciferous (cabbage-family) vegetables regularly. consider taking these in supplemental form.
• Include soy foods in your diet (such as edamame, soy • Add CoQ10 to your daily regimen: 60-100 milligrams
nuts, soy milk, tofu, tempeh). of a softgel form taken with your largest meal.
• Drink tea instead of coffee, especially good quality • If you are prone to metabolic syndrome, take alpha-
white, green or oolong tea. lipoic acid, 100-400 milligrams a day.
• If you drink alcohol, use red wine preferentially and in
moderation. Water
• Enjoy plain dark chocolate in moderation (with a • Drink pure water, or drinks that are mostly water (tea,
minimum cocoa content of 70%). very diluted fruit juice, sparkling water with lemon)
throughout the day.
Vitamins and minerals • Use bottled water or get a home water purifier if your
• The best way to obtain all of your daily vitamins, tap water tastes of chlorine or other contaminants,
minerals, and micronutrients is by eating a diet high in or if you live in an area where the water is known or
fresh foods with an abundance of fruits and vegetables. suspected to be contaminated.
• In addition, supplement your diet with the following
antioxidant cocktail: Vitamin C: 200 milligrams
a day + Vitamin E: 200-400 IU of natural mixed

Updated September
May 2014