How can I reduce inflammation in the body?

I would politely disagree with all of you. Amazing how much misinformation there is out there, even among health professionals. First, the most acidic and inflammatory foods are animal products, ALL extracted oils (including olive, flax, walnut oil, etc.), soda pops, dairy, sugar, and other junk foods. The most anti-inflammatory foods are plants. A plant-based diet containing fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, rice, is the most alkaline and anti-inflammatory diet possible. And yes, one gets all of their protein needs met with a plant-based diet.

Furthermore, plants are not only anti-inflammatory, they do not cause and autoimmune reaction the way that animal foods do. It is well known that because many people have a condition known as "Leaky Gut" syndrome, many people get undigested animal proteins passing through their gut wall and into their blood stream. Your body attacks these proteins as foreign animal proteins (from cow, chicken, fish, etc.). The body then attacks these proteins because we are not that animal, then subsequently turns on itself and attacks similar molecules and tissues around the body. Rheumatoid arthritis is an example of this autoimmune response. The body attacks it's own joint. This is a relatively simple issue to deal with. When we, our team of physicians across the nation, switch people who are suffering from an autoimmune disease to a plant-based diet, not only does their inflammation decrease significantly, but the bodies autoimmune response (to undigested animal proteins) is turned off. This ranges from arthritis to M.S.

Furthermore, it is somewhat surprising how many people still believe that extracted oils like olive oil and flax seed oil are healthy. This couldn't be further from the truth. This deception originally arose out of the "Lyon Diet Study," which consequently was sponsored by the European Olive Growers Association. Hum...? Anyway, this study compared the Mediterranean diet to the standard American diet. In reality, this was really like comparing a "bad" diet to a "really bad" diet. Of course the "bad" diet showed a lowered incidence of cardiovascular events. And since we all love good news about our bad eating habits, we hailed the inclusion of olive oil and wine in this diet. However, following the study, 25% of the Mediterranean diet subjects suffered from a cardiovascular event. This conveniently was not reported by the media.

Lets take a closer look. First, olive oil is 100% fat. It is 14 grams and 130 calories of pure fat. No person needs that amount of pure fat, calorie dense, heart disease promoting stuff. That's right, olive oil is equally heart disease promoting as saturated fat. This was proven by the research of Lauren Rudder. He studied 3 sets of African Green Monkeys for five years. One group of monkeys consumed saturated fats. The second group consumed the tropical oils (i.e. olive oil) as part of their diet. And, the third group consumed butter. Though during the study the olive oil group had better a better HDL / LDL ratio, which on the surface seemed like a good thing, as most average dietitians will tell you. It wasn't until after the the study however, when all of the monkeys were dissected, that they discovered that each group of monkey's had the same amount of atherosclerotic build up in their arteries. Meaning, there was NO SIGNIFICANT difference between the groups. In fact, the butter group was slightly better than the olive oil group in terms of atherosclerotic build up.

Furthermore, not only is oil inflammatory, it is a strong vaso-constrictor, since it inhibits the production of Nitrous Oxide from the endothelium. This has been proven numerous times via the "Brachial Artery Tourniquet Test." Oil, including olive and flax seed oil, can cause vasoconstriction to up to 6 hours following it's ingestion.

To say that their are "healthy" fats is like saying there is a healthy cigarette. True, your body needs a certain amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fat, about a tablespoon a day. That's all. Beyond that, it becomes fattening and disease promoting. You can get the right amount of these essential fats in your diet each day by grinding up a table spoon of flax seed and putting it in your morning shake or cereal (hint: don't by the pre-ground stuff, as it can get rancid. Instead, buy the seeds and grind fresh each day in a coffee grinder).

So getting back to the original question, a plant-based, oil free diet is the most alkaline and anti-inflammatory diet that one can consume. If you have clients with joint inflammation, have them make the switch. Their inflammation will significantly reduce, they will feel better than ever, and you will be their hero. :)