10 Steps to Prevent Inflammation
Step One: Be mindful of your consumption of industrial vegetable oils such as corn, soy, cottonseed, sunflower, and safflower found in many processed and packaged foods. Limit partiallyhydrogenated vegetable oils (a.k.a. trans-fats).
Step Two: Eat traditional saturated fats and limit your consumption to 10% of your total daily caloric intake. For example, “put butter (1 tsp) on your dinner roll rather than a dinner roll on your butter.” Unrefined coconut butter and oil are great substitutions for typical butter as coconut tends to be burned off immediately as an energy source.
Step Three: Sugar is fine in moderation, but aim at eating less.
Step Four: Eat and drink nutrient-rich.
-Green leafy vegetables, beans, berries, apples, grapes, tea, and dark chocolate
-Spices: curry, chili pepper, ginger, garlic
-Grains (lentils, chick peas, brown rice, wheat germ, oats, and oatmeal)
-Protein (poultry, fish, grass-fed low-fat bison, venison and other game meats, and soy)
-Pure water
Step Five: Eat fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kim chi, and kambucha as
they contain vitamin K2, a vitamin that assists calcium to be deposited in bones and teeth
and prevents calcium deposits in the arteries.
Step Six: Supplement wisely with omega-3 fatty acids. The recommended dose for most
people is 1,000 mg daily (i.e. 500 mg EPA and 500 mg DHA) for brain and heart health.
Step Seven: MOVE! Aim for 30-minutes of low to moderate physical activity most days of
the week. Being outdoors is great for psychological benefits and exposure to the sun for
natural vitamin D - a “super nutrient” that many are deficient in.
Step Eight: Maintain a healthy weight and body composition.
Step Nine: Do not smoke and minimize your exposure to other toxins.
Step Ten: Manage stress, enjoy life, and strive for optimal sleep - the latter about 7-8 hours
a night.
Chrissy Barth, MS, RD, BHT, RYT, is a registered dietitian and nutritionist for the Arizona Cardinal Professional Football Team. She is also a consultant at Balanced Physical Therapy, Pilates & Wellness Center in Glendale, AZ.