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

This Indian-inspired chai combines black tea, spices, and honey. Highly anti-inflamatory, Dr. Hebert himself enjoys at least one fresh cup a day. The savory notes from black pepper, anise, and cardamom in this version give it a wonderful aromatic complexity.

Note: You need two large tea “balls” (a wire mesh contraption about 7 cm or 3 inches in diameter) and a large teapot [≥1.5 liter (L)/quart])

All of these measures are approximate. It is hard to make a mistake. Please feel free to experiment!

Ingredients:
Teaball1:

• About 50 g to 75g (2-3oz – 3-5 tablespoons) of fresh ginger –lots more if you like ginger

Teaball2:

• 2 teaspoons of loose tea leaves/ flakes
• ¾  teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon of ground cardamom
• ¾ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon of ground coriander
• ¾ teaspoon of ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon whole (or ground) cloves

Additional ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2-3/4 L soy or almond milk

Instructions:

1. Boil about 1 L water (1 liter is about equal to 1 quart).
2. Grate fresh ginger and put the ginger into one of the 3” diameter tea balls
3. Add all other ingredients to the second tea ball. You can also add:

• Anise
• Pepper
• Vanilla
• Anything else that strikes your fancy

4. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of honey to the hot water in the teapot.  Stir.
5. Add both tea “balls” to the hot water & honey.
6. Add about ½ to ¾ L soy or almond milk.
7. Let steep for 10 to 15 minutes.

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.

• Your goals are not achievable. People really want to change in the new year. They set huge goals that they want to accomplish and try to make too many changes at once. The smart thing to do is break up the larger goals into smaller ones and make one change at a time. Once you achieve one goal, move to the next and so on.
• Lack of confidence in achieving your goal. As mentioned, many people have failed in their past New Year’s resolutions. This definitely plays a role in confidence. With lack of confidence comes failure to act because there is a fear that you won’t succeed. We want you to think about why you didn’t achieve your past goals. Write these reasons down, and then come up with solutions of how to fix the reasons you failed previously. Coming up with solutions to your past mistakes will help you gain the confidence you need to achieve your goals for 2020.
• You have no social support. It’s common for people to keep their goals secret because they may feel self-conscious about their goals or they are afraid to fail in front of others. It’s so important to not be alone during time of change. You need someone to help keep you motivated and provide you with some kind of accountability, even if it’s strangers in a Facebook group.
• You lack happiness. Not having fun trying to achieve your New Year’s resolution leads to failure. Think about it… if you are unhappy doing something, why would you be motivated to continue? When you set your new goals, make sure you think about fun ways to achieve them. If you can’t think of any, maybe consider tweaking your goals.
• You don’t have a plan. One the biggest mistakes people make when trying to make change, is jumping in without any plans. Without a plan, when you run into a road block you won’t know how to get around it. In this case, you will most likely run into setback after setback. Before you begin your journey, write down exactly how you want to achieve your goals. If you still have a setback, it’s okay just take a look at your plan and get back on board.

Are any of these reasons why you have not achieved your past New Year’s resolutions? Let us know in the comments!

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!

1. Focus on your fiber intake. Soluble fiber can help lower your cholesterol level and improve blood glucose control if eaten in large amounts. A diet high in whole grains, beans, legumes, vegetables, and fruit will ensure that you are meeting your daily needs, plus you get the benefit of all the vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that these powerhouses contain!
2. Drinking water, unsweetened tea, and other unsweetened beverages will help prevent excess calorie intake which will help maintain a stable weight and prevent inflammation.
3. Choose lean meat and plant proteins over other sources that are higher in saturated fat.
4. Season and flavor your food with herbs, spices, and aromatics versus the usual salt, sugar, and fat.These pack a large punch of anti-inflammatory properties versus the others which are inflammation triggers.
5. Get physical activity every day. If you are able to walk 10 minutes after each meal you will reach the minimum activity recommendations of 30 minutes per day to control chronic inflammation and improve heart health.

There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes is when the body does not produce insulin and it is usually diagnosed earlier in life. Type 2 is when your body does not use insulin properly and it’s the more common form of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common inflammation related chronic conditions. Chronic inflammation is long term inflammation that occurs when there is a continuous stimulus that causes too many immune cells to be sent, leading to too much inflammation, and damaging healthy cells. It is a common cause for many chronic illnesses and can lead to diabetes due to its effects on insulin resistance.

The best way to reduce inflammation is through an improved lifestyle. This includes improving your diet, increasing physical activity and practicing stress management. Check out the tips below to help you live a lifestyle that protects you from diabetes.

1. Add herbs, spices and aromatics to your diet. For each meal include one to two of these to not only increase flavor, but to increase the anti-inflammatory power of your foods.
2. Eat lots of vegetables. Make sure to include vegetables in every meal and snack. Choose a variety of types and colors to get the most benefit.
3. Park further away. When looking for a parking spot look for a spot that is far away from the entrance. This will make you walk more, which will increase your physical activity in the long run.
4. Take physical activity breaks. If you sit for a long period of time, make sure to take a break every 30 minutes to stretch or do another form of physical activity.
5. Make time for yourself. Schedule time for yourself to do something that relaxes you. It doesn’t have to be a long period of time, just 15-20 minutes.
6. Know your stress triggers. Figure out what stresses you the most and learn how to address this stress.