MAY 2023
If you or a loved one suffer from an “-itis”, here are my top nutritional tips to support your healing. An “-itis,” also called inflammation, is caused by an imbalance of your immune system. In normal daily living your body experiences tissue wear-and-tear (also called “oxidation”) and repair (called “inflammation” or “anti-oxidation”). When the wear-and-tear overpowers the repair, you suffer an “–itis”, such as aches and pains after exercise and sore muscles.
EASING YOUR “-ITIS” BY HEALTHY NUTRITION
The good news is there are foods you can eat and supplements you can take to get your body back into inflammation balance. The diet I teach and eat is based on my favorite inflammation-balancer, Dr. Mom: “Put more color on your plate.” I’m going to upgrade that to: “Put more color in your mouth.”
During my fifty years (and still counting) in medical practice of helping persons with “itises” heal, I came up with a simple, delicious and nutritious diet I call Dr. Bill’s 6-S “–itis”-easing diet:
- Seafood: primarily wild pacific salmon
- Smoothies: a medley of dark-colored fruits, berries, kiwi, organic yogurt and kefir, kale, avocado, Hawaiian spirulina, pumpkin seeds, and more. (See references for my smoothie recipe.)
- Salads: go as deeply colorful as you can: kale, spinach, tomatoes, red peppers, and black beans.
- Spices: turmeric, black pepper and ginger
- Satisfying snacks: graze to your immune system’s content to our “rule of two’s”: eat twice as often, eat half as much, and chew twice as long.
- Supplements based on science:
- Omega-3 supplements containing DHA and EPA
- Astaxanthin, the natural inflammatory-balancing nutrient that makes salmon pink. In my medical practice I recommend Hawaiian astaxanthin.
- Hawaiian spirulina, a blue-green algae. In counseling our patients with “-itis” issues, we doctors teach: “Eat more algae and plant food. Spirulina enjoys both qualities. It’s a microalgae. That’s why I think of spirulina more as a food rather than a supplement. Like Hawaiian astaxanthin, spirulina is naturally high in balancing antioxidants.
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To help keep your inflammation in balance, eat at least ten fistfuls of colorful fruits and vegetables daily. This advice is true for all ages, from baby fists to big-guy fists. |
Consult your healthcare provider before starting a new diet, exercise or health program.
*These Statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
References:
Park, J.S., et al. (2010). Astaxanthin decreased oxidative stress and inflammation and enhanced immune response in humans. Nutrition and Metabolism. March 5; 7:18.
Natural Astaxanthin, Hawaii’s Supernutrient, by William Sears, M.D., 2015.
