Inflammatory foods question

[agni]

Hi All !

A friend of mine has asked a question: "How do you know certain foods are inflammatory ? How do you figure out inflammation happens when you take such kind of food ? How do you know it's inflammation and not something else ?

While I can answer first question, that one can test for it, I had difficulty answering the rest.

The Ultra-Simple Diet:re-introducing foods

Pay attention for possible allergic reactions including flu like symptoms, itchy eyes, anxiety or crankiness, any mood changes, joint pains, indigestion, headaches, fluid retention, sleep problems, pain in the back, "raw" gums, skin rashes, fatigue, nausea, bloated belly, itchiness, brain fog, weight gain, water retention etc. It can be literally anything.

My understanding, that these are the symptoms of inflammation. What is the scientific data behind this ?

How to distinguish food is inflammatory vs certain foods forcing even more toxins out of the system which can be accompanied with symptoms that can be attributed to inflammation ?

Thank You.

 

[Gaby]

My understanding, that these are the symptoms of inflammation. What is the scientific data behind this ?

Detoxification and healing by Sidney Baker explains this very well. It is quite a good reading.

How to distinguish food is inflammatory vs certain foods forcing even more toxins out of the system which can be accompanied with symptoms that can be attributed to inflammation ?

Thank You.

During the first one or two weeks when you do the diet strictly, it gives your body enough time to clear itself out of toxins. Die-off symptoms usually last for a few days and with the help of vitamin C and magnesium, they can be tackled easier. But this is not so cut and dry as to be applied to everybody. But if you test positive for a food, you are supposed to stay away from it for several months. During these months you are still detoxing and when you re-test, you'll likely know better if this is a food that is good for you or not. Certain foods have a history for being inflammatory (gluten, dairy, soy). With other foods it is very individual, some can tolerate night shades, others not. Some can tolerate eggs and nuts, others can't. Some people are very sensitive to lectins and so forth. Experimenting is important, but know that foods are a key to health and if your body is intolerant to something, it will likely stay inflamed if you keep eating it.

It is certainly a learning curve while one gets educated in basic health matters, but it is worth the adventure. For instance, I'm intolerant to some of the foods listed as very save for the first two weeks of the elimination diet. I didn't learn this immediately, it took me like 6 months, but I was still able to see some health improvements from removing inflammatory foods.

Hope this helps. I think your friend will enjoy Sidney Baker's book because it gives you the basic tools and scientific basis for this diet and other detox protocols.

 

[agni]

My understanding, that these are the symptoms of inflammation. What is the scientific data behind this ?

Detoxification and healing by Sidney Baker explains this very well. It is quite a good reading.

Hi Psyche !

Thank for direction. I will read this book. If I to chit-chat with people about health, foods, diets, it's only responsible to have solid knowledge behind it. Too bad I am irresponsible and did not do it earlier. But the closest opportunity to do it is now.

How to distinguish food is inflammatory vs certain foods forcing even more toxins out of the system which can be accompanied with symptoms that can be attributed to inflammation ?

Thank You.

During the first one or two weeks when you do the diet strictly, it gives your body enough time to clear itself out of toxins. Die-off symptoms usually last for a few days and with the help of vitamin C and magnesium, they can be tackled easier. But this is not so cut and dry as to be applied to everybody. But if you test positive for a food, you are supposed to stay away from it for several months. During these months you are still detoxing and when you re-test, you'll likely know better if this is a food that is good for you or not. Certain foods have a history for being inflammatory (gluten, dairy, soy). With other foods it is very individual, some can tolerate night shades, others not. Some can tolerate eggs and nuts, others can't. Some people are very sensitive to lectins and so forth. Experimenting is important, but know that foods are a key to health and if your body is intolerant to something, it will likely stay inflamed if you keep eating it.

Understood.

It is certainly a learning curve while one gets educated in basic health matters, but it is worth the adventure. For instance, I'm intolerant to some of the foods listed as very save for the first two weeks of the elimination diet. I didn't learn this immediately, it took me like 6 months, but I was still able to see some health improvements from removing inflammatory foods.

I absolutely agree about a learning curve, and it's a learning in so many different ways. It is totally worth the adventure it & it's lot's of fun too !

It's interesting that you were inflammatory to foods on the safe list in elimination diet. I am glad that you have been able to discover it. I am curious to find out how did you figure out these particular two foods ? I am thinking in the direction that it makes sense after two weeks of elimination diet to test for foods on safe list.

Hope this helps. I think your friend will enjoy Sidney Baker's book because it gives you the basic tools and scientific basis for this diet and other detox protocols.

Thank you for informative post psyche ! I certainly look forward reading this book and will gladly share it with ones who would like to read it.
Unfortunately it's not so completely about friend, rather realization that I am not really knowledgeable yet on this subject and talking about it with people :O

 

[Gaby]

Thank for direction. I will read this book. If I to chit-chat with people about health, foods, diets, it's only responsible to have solid knowledge behind it. Too bad I am irresponsible and did not do it earlier. But the closest opportunity to do it is now.

That is understandable and as you read and learn more, you'll see there is power and motivation in understanding and knowing why you are doing certain things i.e. the diet.

It's interesting that you were inflammatory to foods on the safe list in elimination diet. I am glad that you have been able to discover it. I am curious to find out how did you figure out these particular two foods ? I am thinking in the direction that it makes sense after two weeks of elimination diet to test for foods on safe list.

One day in Spring time, I was having a healthy salad with raw onions and celery. I soon had flu-like symptoms and had a very bad allergy. My mouth was itchy and so were my eyes. I was reminded of the oral allergy syndrome.

This happened as well with meals prepared with garlic, especially if I ate it on consecutive days. I removed garlic, onions and celery and my allergies will clear out. I re-tested several times with the same results. I can still get away with some garlic on a meal if I eat it only once a week maximum, especially in winter. In spring and summer, I'm more sensitive.

I tested the broth not too long ago to find out that it gave me allergies. I just don't mesh well with herbs, spices and plants in general. I'm safe with roots though.
I have a very sluggish liver and I need liver enhancing supplements in order to feel better.

In the link above you might get ideas of what foods to test to see if they're okay.

 

[Turgon]

Thanks for the info on testing for inflammatory foods, Psyche. And agni, for asking the question. Even though I have been staying away from gluten, dairy and soy, I haven't been testing myself for food allergies. I was just going on a general what to stay away from and everything else is fair game type of attitude.

But I'm definitely getting inflammatory responses after certain meals, that I only recently started noticing. I just had some cabbage on its own as the first food that I notice may be affecting me, and my neck is tight as well as a burning sensation as I digest it.

I tested the broth not too long ago to find out that it gave me allergies. I just don't mesh well with herbs, spices and plants in general. I'm safe with roots though.
I have a very sluggish liver and I need liver enhancing supplements in order to feel better.

I hadn't received allergic reactions, but inflammation when eating the broth, which surprised me. Finding the proper diet for ourselves really does involve a lot of experimenting and trial and error.

 

[theos]

I just found out that eggs don't sit well with me either. They were never my favorites but I would have them once in a while. Recently, I added them to my breakfast regime. I had them for several days in a row and found through stopping and starting them again that they were the cause of the headaches I was having. That's good to know.

In the last week I've been keeping a calendar of the foods I've been eating, supplements and any physical or mental positives or negatives that I notice. The calendar really helps me track what's going on. Otherwise, I'd forget.

You may want to keep a food calendar or journal to sort through things, Agni.