The emergence of Spring inspires us all to get moving! When immersing into your spring cleaning routines, don’t overlook the opportunity to clear out those items in your pantry that contribute to a pro-inflammatory body state. Stock your pantry with those items that assist you in a DII^® Life!

Consider adding staples to accompany your fresh foods items. Some of these include oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, barley flour, rye flour, brown rice, quinoa, wheat bran, Barley, air popped popcorn and spelt.

These items provide a great base to any dish whether it is morning, midday, snack time or the end of the day meal!

#NationalNutritionMonth #DIIGuy #I’MAGINE HEALTHY! #DIILife

Impact of a 12-month Inflammation Management Intervention on the Dietary Inflammatory Index, inflammation, and lipids https://t.co/2k6EjGG6i9 #NationalNutritionMonth #NutritionMonth #DIIGuy pic.twitter.com/t40evrBEFR

— ConnectHealthInnov (@ConHealthInnov) March 11, 2021

Try incorporating some anti-inflammatory foods into your favorite recipes! Not sure what foods are considered anti-inflammatory?  Here are a few anti-inflammatory foods that can be super versatile in the kitchen: 

• Spinach
• Asparagus
• Green Peppers
• Peaches
• Berries
• Quinoa
• Thyme
• Paprika
• Cilantro
• Green Tea

Of course, it is much better to actually prevent cancer than to be diagnosed with the disease, even at an early stage. So, we have even better news in terms of prostate cancer prevention. We have now published 7 studies showing that the inflammatory potential of the diet can determine whether or not a man actually gets prostate cancer in the first place. These studies, conducted in Argentina,4 Canada,5 France,6 Iran,7 Italy,8 Jamaica,9 and Mexico10 all indicate that lowering your Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) score will reduce the probability of getting prostate cancer. Furthermore, we found in an Italian cohort that men already diagnosed with prostate cancer had a better chance of surviving if they ate a diet which is anti-inflammatory (had a low DII® score).11 This is strongly consistent with work that we conducted a number of years ago showing that we could reverse metastatic prostate cancer with a vegetarian diet characterized by low inflammatory potential.12

Now, if you’ve been following our newsletter or blogs you will know that a strongly anti-inflammatory diet will have a low DII® score. The foods that contribute to a low score tend to be:

• Aromatic
• Flavorful / Tasty
• Naturally Colorful (i.e., not artificially colored)
• Nutrient-dense (i.e., have a lot of nutrients per unit weight or volume)
• Low-calorie (i.e., have few calories per unit weight or volume)

There is an abundant of foods that have these properties. The list below is a great place to start.

• Greens
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Berries
• Peaches
• Onions
• Avocado
• Watermelon
• Eggplant
• Asparagus
• Salmon
• Mango
• Kiwi

Spices also are uniformly anti-inflammatory and can be used in imaginative ways to enhance the flavor of mixed dishes – everything from masala chai to casseroles, curries and stir fries.

If you are interested in where your diet falls on the DII® ,take DII-on-Demand to get your DII® Score today!

Leafy green vegetables—spinach, collards, mustard greens, romaine
Other vegetables—Brussel sprouts, avocado, broccoli, green peas
Fruits—citrus, papaya, banana, cantaloupe
Dried beans, peas, and nuts—black-eyed peas, kidney beans
Seafood, eggs, poultry (smaller amounts)

To help you start including more folate into your diet, check out this yummy recipe!

Hot and Spicy Greens

DII® Food Grade:

Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 lb collard greens, coarsely chopped
1 Serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1-2 tsp grated ginger root
Olive oil

Instructions

1. Coat a Dutch oven with a light coating of olive oil.
2. Add and cook remaining ingredients in the Dutch oven, stirring frequently, until greens and onion are tender; drain.
3. Serve immediately.

Scientific evidence links inflammatory diets to many conditions that cause disability and death in the United States, including:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Many cancers (especially colorectal cancer)
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Arthritis & joint pain
• Combined, these conditions affect well over 50% of the population in the United States alone.
• Treating these conditions costs our healthcare system an estimated $600 billion per year.
• The DII-based inflammatory reduction counseling system known is designed to help people adjust their diet and adopt more anti-inflammatory foods.
• If 25% of the population affected with inflammation-related disease enroll in IMAGINE, healthcare costs would be reduced by $75 billion a year.

Check out this infographic for more details!

As day length shortens and nights become longer and cooler, yields from home gardens increase and nature’s bounty is experienced in many other places around us including farmers’ markets, roadside stands, food cooperatives, and grocery stores that stock local produce.

Anyone who has ever gardened, or even experienced home-grown foods knows that the taste of these home-grown and locally available vegetables and fruits is almost qualitatively different than the typical fare found in supermarkets (especially in the off-season). It is no accident that those foods that are the most colorful and flavorful also tend to be the most strongly anti-inflammatory. Those pigments that impart color are micronutrients that also control many biological processes. We know that many of them are strongly associated with decreased risk of cancer, heart disease, and type II diabetes mellitus. Likewise, we note that those compounds that are strongly aromatic also are associated with decreased risk of these chronic diseases. Not only that, they also reduce the aches and pains associated with daily life. So, besides the wonderful colors and superb aroma, it is a great comfort to know that virtually anything that we grow in our home garden is anti-inflammatory!

In developing the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) we began to notice that those foods that are the most anti-inflammatory tend to be colorful, flavorful and aromatic. For those of us who love food, the first thing that we perceive about what we are going to consider putting in our mouth is the aroma. I vividly recall, from many decades ago, going into the market in South India or Uganda. I could smell the spices and the fragrance of crops such as cilantro, lemon grass, guava and basil long before I could actually see the produce. This was a very comforting feeling; one that is reminiscent of working in the garden as a young child or, as a much older adult, gardening at my home in Columbia, South Carolina. Why do I remember these sensations so vividly? And why do fragrances and odors leave such a strong impression? The simple answer is that the chemical senses of taste, flavor, and smell are not processed in the same way as other senses. Actually, our brain dangles neurons down into our nasal passages to collect this information! So, there’s very little neurological “gating” that occurs. This is primitive stuff that tickles a very sensitive part of our nervous system and gets to us in a deeply emotional way.

Now, I could regale you with all of the scientific evidence associating eating a diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits, and therefore has a low DII® score. However, I think it’s best to just say the literature consists of many tens of thousands of peer-reviewed scientific articles. There is no doubt that eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits is a good strategy to prevent future disaster. In the here and now, they are almost guaranteed to make you feel better. Really, the more vegetables and fruits that you eat and the more varied these are in your diet, the better. While you are eating these healthy foods, you are displacing unhealthy pro-inflammatory foods, which tend to be white or colorless, lack flavor and aroma, and have few nutrients but lots of calories per unit weight or volume.

If you are interested in learning whether or not you are consuming an anti-inflammatory diet, then take our DII-on-Demand to find out your DII® Score!

 
The origins of masala chai, or just “chai” for short, can be traced back some 5,000 years. Masala Chai can be literally translated as “mixed-spice tea”—therefore, saying “chai tea” is somewhat redundant. In the United States many coffee houses feature a version known as chai latte to indicate that milk is mixed in with the beverage. Traditional masala chai is often brewed directly in the milk.
Indian-inspired chai combines black tea, spices, such as black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and other robust ingredients such as ginger. There are no set ingredients for masala chai, and many recipes are handed down from generation to generation. The savory ingredients not only give it a wonderful aromatic complexity but also make it the highly anti-inflammatory. Dr. Hébert himself enjoys at least one fresh cup a day.
What makes masala chai so good for you? Primarily, it is the benefit derived from the traditional ingredients, which, as mentioned, often include ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, and cardamom, among other things. Individually, each one of these is highly anti-inflammatory. Add them together, and you have the makings of an anti-inflammatory superfood!

One of the largest benefits to regularly drinking masala chai is that it can reduce or eliminate the need for many anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or naproxen. For anyone who suffers from arthritis or other types of joint pain, drinking masala chai on a regular basis can bring amazing results and comfort. It’s delicious, good for you, and a great way to help lower your overall DII!

Watermelon Tomato Feta Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups seedless watermelon, cubed or sliced
1 red onion, chopped
2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped or sliced
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp lime juice
Zest of one lime
1 tsp olive oil
¼ cup fat free feta cheese (crumbled)

Directions:
1. Dressing: Combine lime juice, olive oil, lime zest, salt and pepper in small bowl. Toss in onions, let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Combine watermelon and tomatoes in a large bowl. Pour dressing over watermelon and tomato mixture and stir.
3. Top with crumbled feta cheese and additional basil leaves if desired.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Servings: 8

We are highlighting the Mediterranean diet because it plays a big role in helping reduce inflammation that underlies several diseases. Research has shown that a Mediterranean diet can protect against the development of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, dementia, Alzheimer’s and some cancers. This diet is further shown to protect cognitive health and improve mood. Since the Mediterranean diet is full of flavor and health benefits, it’s a great way to sustain healthy, enjoyable eating habits long-term!