Benefits of Anti-Inflammatory Diet

by MyArticlesWeb | August 13, 2016

Chronic inflammation can wreak havoc on you. When you eat foods that have inflammatory elements — ones that your body responds to as if it’s being attacked, it’s likely that chronic inflammation will crop up. You may notice that you have achy joints, puffiness in the face, bloating, an allergic response, or irritable bowel symptoms.

Dr. Mark Hyman explains that treating the symptoms of chronic inflammation rather than the cause(s) is like “taking a lot of aspirin while you’re standing on a tack. The treatment isn’t more aspirin or a strong immune suppressant, but removing the tack.”¹ He also notes that the overuse of prescription antibiotics and a proclivity toward antibacterial everything in developed countries can remove the good bacteria that our bodies need to flourish.

Introduce some less-than-good-for-you foods into an already overtaxed, unhealthy gut, and before you know it you’ll have chronic inflammation and infections. Fortunately, an anti-inflammatory diet can help you remove that pesky tack and get you on the road to better health, all while incorporating delicious foods into your diet.

Let’s take a look at some of these foods, and then we can examine their benefits.

Anti-Inflammatory Food Suggestions

Vegetables: Beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, onions, peas, salad greens (washed), sea vegetables, spinach, squashes, and Swiss chard.

Fruits: Apples, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, nectarines, oranges, peaches, pears, pink grapefruit, plums, pomegranates, raspberries, and strawberries, which are all lower on the glycemic index.

Fungi: Enoki, honey brown, oyster, shiitake, and white button mushrooms.

Seafood: Oysters, mussels, clams, sardines, roe, halibut, or wild Alaskan salmon.

Protein: Fish, pastured eggs, grass fed beef or bison, pastured pork, chicken, or wild game.

Fat: Coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, ghee, avocados, grass-fed butter, tallow, or duck fat.

Limit or Eliminate Caffeine: Two to four cups of green, oolong, or white tea or 1 cup of organic, fair trade coffee per day.

Beans and Grains: Legumes and pseudo-grains like quinoa and buckwheat are up for debate. They’re definitely a no-no for anyone with an autoimmune disorder. If you’re dealing with one, nuts and seeds should be eliminated as well. Modern-day grains, legumes, and pseudo-grains have been modified so much that they bear little resemblance to their original form. If you do choose to consume them, make sure they’re whole, heirloom varieties and non-GMO. Sprouting, soaking, or slow cooking them will make them easier for your system to process.

Spices: Turmeric, curry powder, ginger, garlic, Celtic sea salt, basil, cinnamon, rosemary, and thyme are fantastic additions to almost any diet.

Fighting Cancer With Support of Husband…In a Pink Tutu

by MyArticlesWeb | August 8, 2016

December 29, 2003 found me waiting in my doctors’ office, dressed in a gown that added no warmth. I listened to papers crinkling at what felt like blistering volumes, as I restlessly squirmed on the examination table. After what seemed like hours, the doctor walked into the room and told me that I had cancer. Just like that. Cancer. I could barely grasp the meaning of her words.

It’s been almost 13 years since I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a recurrence a few years after my initial diagnosis, and I now live with metastatic disease. Some would call me a walking miracle. Why? Because, although I haven’t given them much credence, the statics aren’t in my favor. I have a fierce determination to live and I know that having a positive attitude, as well as laughing as much as I can, have been two critical components in helping me heal-as simple as that sounds.

Choosing to use traditional medicine; chemotherapy and radiation, I knew that it was necessary to add holistic therapy to my treatment. I was Reiki trained, and that was one of my first “tools” to implement.

I also continued my practice of meditation, journaling, and acupuncture. My oncologist’s belief was that western medicine was the key factor in my healing, but I knew these alternative practices helped my body, as well as my mind, heal.

Living with cancer has been a crazy ride. There are times I want to cry, crawl into my fears, and scream in anger. Over the years, I’ve realized that ignoring these emotions doesn’t work for me. I’ve learned to allow myself to feel all the good, as well as all the bad. I limit my time that I sit with these emotions, if not, it’d be easy to be pulled into the darkness.

Wait, did I mention laughter? My husband, Bob, is a very creative man, and he devised a way to self-heal, in the process helping me as I live with cancer. He’s a commercial and fine art photographer and began photographing himself in a pink tutu. Yes, you read that correctly-a pink tutu!

I’m frequently asked what my reaction was when he put the tutu on for the first time. What else could I do but…. laugh! I also applauded him for discovering a way to work through his fears and frustrations with not just my diagnosis, but also his demons.

This series of photographs led us to create The Tutu Project™, which went viral almost as soon as we created a Facebook page, and it’s now a global brand. To our amazement, these images have inspired not just the breast cancer community, but countless others as they face challenges in their lives.

Through the sale of “tutu” themed products, as well as individual and corporate donations, we were able to start The Carey Foundation, a 501(c) 3 that financially supports women and men diagnosed with this disease.

When I was first diagnosed, a woman told me that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to her. While I can’t say that I share her specific enthusiasm, I can certainly say that breast cancer, and subsequently The Tutu Project have brought many, many phenomenal people into my life, and along with them, tremendous strength in numbers. And for that, I’m eternally grateful.

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