Thursday, October 3, 2013

F is also for Food

I seem to be starting a theme here for Fall -- first fantasy football, now food, perhaps I'll dedicate a whole month to "F" related posts in honor of Fall (then again perhaps I won't since this alliteration was mostly coincidental).

Anyway, the point of this post is to discuss food. Rather, its to discuss diet. I've written a post or two in the past about improving healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise, and since its something that is constantly on my mind you should expect to see this topic come up every now and then. Today I read an article entitled the Anti Inflammatory Diet from JAAPA (The Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants). I have an inflammatory condition so articles like this always intrigue me on a personal level to begin with so of course I read it.

The article touched on concepts we already know: whole grains are better for you than refined grains, excessive sugary and deep fried foods are bad for you, eat more fruits and vegetables. What was different was the extensive number of statistics the article posed with regards to the differences in inflammation within the body of individuals who eat "western diets" (low fiber, high refined grains, sugars, fried foods, red-processed meats) vs. those who eat a "prudent diet" (high fiber, fruits, veggies, fish, whole grains, legumes, etc). The article referenced several studies that showed significant results that should be quite meaningful to any medical practitioner.

Overall, the conclusions were that inflammatory markers (signs of inflammation in the body) were increased in those who consumed the "western diet". This not only meant that these individuals were more at risk for conditions such as cardiac disease from the high fat intake, or diabetes from the high sugar intake, but that they were more at risk for their bodies to be under a chronic state of inflammation, which wears and tears on your tissues over time. Unsurprisingly on the contrary, those with a "prudent diet" had decreased inflammatory markers = less inflammation, less damage, overall healthier and at lower risk for future health conditions. Yay for fruits and veggies!  

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