Hello and happy Autumn to you,
It's been a while since I wrote but thought you might find this one useful as we move into the darker months.
Every couple of months my professional association, the Federation of Holistic Therapists, holds a local support meeting - it’s a fantastic group of Hampshire-based therapists with all manner of disciplines and life experience to add to the pot. So I thought I'd share details from our most recent meeting.
Last week, my good friend Eva Chong (let’s call her Clever Eva for the sake of pronunciation), travelled down from London to talk to us about Nutrition for Inflammation. Eva is a Naturopathic Nutrition Advisor as well as a lawyer. She became interested in nutrition following her mother’s and then her own lockdown cancer diagnosis.
What a knowledgeable and impassioned speaker! I call her clever Eva because she is well-researched, diligent, science-driven and questions everything.
What did she teach us? She spoke of inflammation in the body: firstly, the acute kind of inflammation response that is an immediate, necessary and life-saving response set off by our immune system. An army of first responders: white blood cells, antibodies, cortisol, adrenalin, thickened blood, racing heart - all there to save us from potential physical or emotional attack. All good so far…
…but went on to explain that inflammation can become a problem when it is long term and chronic, stating that scientists now believe that chronic inflammation is leading to what is referred to as “the epidemic of modern lifestyle diseases”: diabetes, heart disease, neuro degeneration, some cancers, obesity and so on.
A little disconcerting but less so when Eva shares an eye-opening piece of research: that scientists used to think disease was 70% genetic and 30% lifestyle but have now flipped that right on its head to say they now believe that disease is 70% lifestyle and only 30% genetic. Empowering, right?
So, what did she say the drivers of Chronic Inflammation are and how can we minimise those drivers?
Eva explains that research has found links between modern lifestyle and the inflammation response, the body perceiving the following factors as a threat:
Ultra-processed food
Alcohol
Smoking
Lack of sleep
Sedentary work
Lack of exercise
Stress
For example, she cited a study where bloods were taken just after eating a burger revealing inflammatory spikes. A burger eaten after a bowl of salad revealed a less severe spike. Interesting.
As a naturopathic nutrition advisor, Eva looks at the inflammation problem holistically, considering how she can educate people to make the right choices and it really isn’t as complicated as you might think. Her basic advice on nutrition is simply to eat healthily, moderate alcohol (or don’t drink at all) and to quit smoking. I like this refreshingly simple, non- faddy, realistic advice.
In a nutshell (quite literally), this would mean eating a rainbow of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, pulses, nuts and seed as well as protein. According to Eva, this should be a balanced plate consisting of 40-50% non-starchy vegetables; 25-30% fats and proteins and 25-30% starches (potatoes, whole grains, pasta, bread). Long gone are the days of the food pyramid diagram where the biggest portion was the bread and pasta.
To have an immediate effect on inflammation, she says the simplest choice would be to eliminate ultra processed food and ready-made meals such as salami, white carbs, jars of cooking sauce and all manner of foodstuffs which have either had nutrients taken away (eg; white carbs) or which are loaded with things you would never find in nature.
There was a lightbulb moment when Eva asks you to think of any food in nature which has both sugar and fat in it. Nope, that’s man-made, delicious and, unfortunately, pro inflammatory. Yup, cakes, biscuits, tiramisu. Sorry – just the messenger.
What I really like about Eva’s talk is her dismissal of “SUPERFOODS” in that what sense does it make to go shopping for just one type of nut or one type of berry when they all have their value - although we did discuss the anti-inflammatory merits of:
Omega 3 (oily fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds)
Garlic
Turmeric in its natural form (incl. powder)
Ginger in its natural form (incl. powder)
Green tea
Eva also shared a great mnemonic recommended for inclusion in our daily eating:
G-BOMBS taken from Dr Joel Fuhrman’s book – “Eat to Live.”
Green veg
Beans (lentils, kidney, butter...)
Onions (garlic, chives, leeks..)
Mushrooms (fresh and dried)
Berries
Seeds (flax, pumpkin, chia, nuts)
It can be mind blowing thinking how to incorporate all these things, but it can be as simple as:
using nuts and seeds as a sprinkle on cereals, soups, salads and stir fries
keeping frozen berries for topping porridge or yoghurt
And I'm sure you already use garlic and onions as your base when cooking from scratch.
This write-up is intended as a snap shot. If you are interested in reading or listening to podcasts on this subject, Eva recommends:
Feel Better, Live More: a podcast by Dr Ranjan Chatterjee
How Not to Die: a book by Michael Greger, MD
Metabolical: a book by Dr Robert Lustig
If you are interested in following Eva or arranging an in-person or online seminar, she can be found on instagram @nutreva_london
Before I go, I will leave you with a simple porridge recipe eaten by both me and Eva:
2 or more tbsp of porridge oats
1 tbsp of chia seeds
1/2 tbsp ground flax
any milk of your choice
1 tsp of your favourite spice/s
a fruit-based topping
toasted seeds or nuts topping
I simply mix the oats, seeds and spices in a cereal bowl, add my liquid of choice and zap in the microwave for 2 minutes, adjusting milk levels if necessary and then topping with whatever takes my fancy. This month it's stewed apples from the apple tree and a sprinkle of home-made nettle seed salt (for the sake of litigation, don't go foraging unless you know what you're picking).
I hope you found this a helpful read and I wish you a happy, healthy and nutritious Autumn.
Claire
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