Low Inflammation Diet

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TooManyHats
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Low Inflammation Diet

Post by TooManyHats »

This disease is very confusing. One of the foods lots of folks seem to use in their diets is white rice. Rice, rice cakes, rice chips, rice milk...the list goes on and on. Yet, white rice seems to be a very high inflammation producing food. When I read about a low inflammation diet it recommends foods that would be very hard to digest for me right now. Does anyone have any suggestions on low inflammation foods that are MC friendly, other than turkey, which I plan to try. And what is the consensus on white rice as an inflammation-producing food?
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Post by Joefnh »

Hi Arlene, I have never looked into low inflammation foods, but I'm sure others here are up to date on that and will address this question soon

I can say I eat white rice everyday and am so thankful for it. When I was at my worst, making a well cooked 'sticky' white rice was so soothing (use a little extra water and don't drain or rinse it). It has been an ingredient in my lunch and dinner everyday now for 10 months.

Overall I am now eating:

White rice, chicken, lamb, turkey, pork (limited),beef (limited), salmon, bananas, eggs, white & sweet potatoes, carrots, peas and pancakes made from scratch.

I am sticking to a GF/SF and mostly DF diet and am not sure if any of these foods are low or high in causing inflammation.

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Post by takef586 »

When I looked up on the internet, these "low inflammatory foods" were mainly "healthy whole grains" and similar nonsense. The only thing which rngs true, is to avoid fats other than olive oil (and perhaps oconut oil). The point about MC diet, is that before you can have a meaningful choice, you have to stop the inflammation, and to stop the inflammation, above all you have to avoid anything that contains fiber and that is an irritant (coffee, alcohol, chocolate, spices). Once the inflammation is out, you can afford to add some more irritating, but supposedly " anti inflammatory" foods.
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tex
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Post by tex »

Marek wrote:When I looked up on the internet, these "low inflammatory foods" were mainly "healthy whole grains" and similar nonsense.
Marek has a good point there. I haven't researched "inflammatory foods", but I'm wondering who decides which foods are "inflammatory". If it's the same people who decide which foods are "healthy", and support the infamous government "food pyramid", for example, I would view that information with a suspicious eye. Everyone seems to have an agenda, these days, and their goals don't always coincide with ours. As I mentioned, though, I haven't researched "inflammatory foods", and I don't have time to do it now.

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Post by Zizzle »

My husband tried the Gene Smart Diet which talks a lot about anti-inflammatory foods. It was big on "whole grains," dark chocolate, tea drinking, etc for the polyphenols. It was anti- anything refined or high-glycemic such as simple sugars, white flour, potatoes, and white rice. Refined grains and simple sugars do contribute to the generalized inflammation caused by the western diet, but I think it's full-body inflammation, not local to the gut.
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Post by TooManyHats »

The sites I read on recommended avoiding all grains, simple carbohydrates, dairy, and fatty meats. Rice ranks high on the list of inflammation producing foods.
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Post by harma »

I just took a look at dr Weil's food pyramid (what is called the anti inflammatory diet), to me it looks like any normal healthy food guideline, with normal and healthy I mean concerning mainstream medical guidelines, maybe with some different accents. Since this diet does not contain anything new or revolutionary, I would say, just another doctor who combined some general knowledge about food and diseases, also providing some advice on vitamins (sure for supplements he sells himself) maybe wrote a book about it and makes him an extra earning, next to his daily practice.

If you really want to learn more about health and food, I would advise you to read, the Paleo Diet of Loren Cordain. His is real researcher with research team, till now it's the only book I've read, what really made sense.
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tex
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Post by tex »

Arlene wrote:Rice ranks high on the list of inflammation producing foods.
Yes, but with rare exceptions, outside of China, virtually no one is sensitive to orzenin, (the primary protein in rice). In fact, various members here have suspected rice to be a problem, in the past, but has anyone actually found that they are sensitive to it? To the contrary, it seems to be soothing and healing.

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Post by mbeezie »

Low inflammatory diets are the current gimmick because it is impossible to know who will and will not have an inflammatory response to a particular food. Think about it - we all experience inflammation from foods with MC, but our individual triggers vary.

Inflammation means that pro-inflammatory cytokines are released into response to a trigger. Mediator Release Testing measures exactly that. I actually laughed out loud when I got my results as I reacted to almonds, blueberries and turkey - all things that are touted as low inflammatory.

If generalized low inflammation diets worked, then they would benefit people with inflammatory bowel disease, and that's quite far from the truth. But the authors of these books are raking in lots of money.

As a dietitian I am always wary of new diet trends. As Michael Pollan says, "the more we focus on nutrition, the less healthy we seem to become". We seem to have lost our ability to be intuitive eaters. Read Polly's recent posts on how great she feels on her personalized LEAP plan. She is learning to tune in to how foods are affecting her and returning to a place of intuitive eating.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbx now. Sorry for the rant.

Mary Beth
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Post by starfire »

I like your rants, Mary Beth......... Keep 'em coming.

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Pat
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Post by Pat »

Tex,

I am very sensitive to rice. My MRT test confirmed that I should avoid it. I get watery D if I eat rice. It took me forever to figure that out and then had the MRT test and it definitely confirmed my suspicions. I don't know if it is the protein in it or what, I just know it is not good for me.

Pat
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tex
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Post by tex »

Pat,

Yes, it's probably the storage protein, (orzenin), and as noted in your list of food intolerances beneath your avatar, I would assume that being sensitive to rice means that you are very likely sensitive to all grains. That's pretty rare, but obviously, sensitivity to just about anything seems to be possible, with this disease, unfortunately.

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Post by Pat »

Yes, I guess I am sensitive to all grains. Mary Beth has me eating Quinoa on the Leap diet right now. I think it is a grain and maybe it will have to go too but I am letting her guide me.

Pat
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Post by tex »

Pat,

Quinoa is not really a grain, at least it's not a cereal grain, because it's not a member of the grass family. (All the conventional grains are grasses). It's a "pseudocereal", rather than a true cereal, or grain. It's closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds, so you may be able to tolerate it.

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Post by Gloria »

Pat,

I think whole grains are hard on the gut because of the fiber. I don't know if you are eating quinoa whole, but I always grind the seeds before I cook them. It cooks faster (in about 8 minutes) and seems to be easier on my gut. I use a hand grinder which I bought for about $50 or $60.

I wouldn't eat any whole grains or seeds until I was in complete remission and my gut had time to heal.

I sometimes wonder if some think that they are intolerant to corn because they eat whole corn kernels and they come out the same as they went in. Perhaps if they ate corn flour or corn meal, they would be able to tolerate it. I'm not referring to you; I know you tested intolerant to corn and rice on the MRT test.

Gloria
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