The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan

Of the varied health books that cross my desk each month, this one falls solidly into the category of practical tools. The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan is just that a guide to help those readers who have already identified cellular inflammation as a causal factor in their degenerative health.

But first let's understand the meaning of a new media buzzword: "chronic inflammation." Not necessarily similar to joint swelling, which we can see and feel, chronic inflammation is a systemic condition that occurs when the body's immune response produces an excess of inflammatory chemicals, sometimes because of the foods we eat. Modern diets are imbalanced and overproduce inflammatory chemicals while at the same time blocking production of necessary anti-inflammatory chemicals. Conditions related to systemic inflammation include Alzheimer's, heart disease, diabetes, depression, weight gain, skin aging, arthritis, allergies, asthma, and others.

Foods affect inflammation in complex and unpredictable ways, making awareness and prevention a challenging task until now. To incorporate this new concept into existing lifestyles, author Monica Reinagel, a respected medical editor and professionally trained chef, introduces the inflammation factor (IF) rating system a tool that eliminates the guesswork by showing us exactly how different foods fuel or fight inflammation. Each food's IF rating takes into account the effects of more than 20 nutritional factors that determine its inflammatory or anti-inflammatory potential. By checking the positive or negative rating for each food, it is easy to create a customized healing, anti-inflammatory plan.

Surprising news about appropriate protein choices awaits the reader. Which is a better choice chicken or pork? Chicken, we learn, is high in arachidonic acid, which fuels inflammation. It is therefore necessary to balance this high inflammation-rated food choice with an anti-inflammatory food, such as wild salmon, steak, almonds, or cottage cheese.

Using the latest published research, Reinagel provides a complete listing of IF ratings for over 1,600 foods, complemented with inflammation-reducing recipes and meal plans. IF ratings are an all-encompassing and easy-to-use measurement that should be required data for inclusion on food labels. Until such time, however, The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan includes additional recipes and IF ratings through the author's website as a free supplement to this book.