How to stay healthy by controlling inflamation?

Hi

I was reading this article from a doctor who was saying that it is not cholesterol which cause heart problems - it is inflammation. It is not animal fat (in moderation) but dietary fat that is bad. Animal fat does not promote inflammation but dietary fat does.

Anyway, I was thinking about my other post about carbo and he seems to agree that carbo is really bad for you and it promotes inflammation. That was what I was interested in seeing what he said.

Anyway, I wanted to summarize the tips he gave to help us IBS people to lead a healthier living.

For a healthy living (I have condensed it)

1) Fish oil - Omega3, get plenty of it. It seems we cannot get enough from our food, so it may be wise to take fish oil supplement. Remember the tip I gave on Fish Oil. Omega-6 is not so good because it causes inflammation. So avoid overloading of Omega-6 oils. Avoid vegetable oils, margarine and foods fried in vegetable oil, and processed or prepared baked goods as much as possible. In fact, avoid all hydrogenated oil. Cook with butter, coconut oil, canola oil or olive oil.

2) Take vitamins and minerals especially anti-oxidants. There are some demonstrations that getting vitamins and minerals from foods are better than supplements but there is no conclusive evidence. Anyway supplementing them moderately does not hurt. Especially Vit C (500mg), Vit E (200 International units per day).

3) Don't smoke and avoid secondary smoke

4) Lose 10% of body weight. High blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol have all been demonstrated to be cured or dramatically improved by weight loss.

5) Monitor your alcohol consumption. Red wines seems to have some interesting compounds that have anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects. But also in moderation.

6) Exercise, Exercise and Exercise.

7) Don't worry, Be Happy. Keep stress under control. what you can and accept what you can’t. Ask yourself "Am I living a life that makes me happy?"

8) Take baby Aspirin but of course consult your doctor. For most of us, the majority of us and almost every single one of us, aspirin is extremely beneficial and perfectly safe.

9) Get rid of junk food. Beware of carbohydrate content, trans-fat (typically fried stuff) and when it says low-fat, it usually also means high sugar.

10) Replace vegetable oils with olive oil, grape seed and coconut oil. Use Butter for baking and use olive oil, coconut oil for dressing vegetables

and here is the tip.

"To choose healthy foods, color matters. Don’t eat anything white. Choose colorful vegetables, leafy vegetables and non-starchy vegetables. Choose whole grains and cracked grains when you consume breads and pastas but consume them in moderation. As difficult as it may seem, avoid refined flour products, instant rice and potatoes. Basically, if it’s white, it’s probably not good for you."


11) A tip when going to a restraurant.

"Have a steak but not a potato. Dress your salad with olive oil and vinegar. Take a pass on the bread and dessert. Ask for steamed vegetable or fruit instead of pasta sides or rice. " ( Now, this is going to be tough for me....)

12) We can't really avoid fast food but here are some of tips.

Fast Food
Order a cheese burger, or chickent burger. Discard the buns, remove the sauces (they are loaded with sugar). Leave the fries and order a glass of water instead. ( on a side note, ... I am dead meat.. How am I going to do this?)

Sandwich Shops
Enjoy the meats, cheeses and vegetables—just discard the roll, bread or bun. ... Hmm... not too bad, I can do this.


Fried-Chicken Shops
Avoid barbecued, breaded and deep-fried chicken. Opt for grilled or roasted chicken instead. Stay away from rolls and mashed potatoes (oh man, I love potatoes). Ask for vegetables, fruits or even yogurt as your side dish. ( ok, this I can do).


I am going to try to do this.

Terrence