JustCare

Tag: Inflammation

  • Live longer, eat less protein?

    Live longer, eat less protein?

    Protein is critical to our well-being. It’s a macronutrient promoting growth, tissue repair and strength, among other good things. As we get older, protein is all the more important. Emily Laurence reports for The Huffington Post that we should not reduce our consumption of food high in protein because it helps maintain muscle, but we also should not eat too much animal-based protein.

    Howard LeWine MD at Harvard Health explains that too much protein can cause kidney stones. Too much red meat can keep you from living a long healthy life. Protein from red meat can cause heart disease and colon cancer.

    In short, we should discriminate among the protein-rich foods we eat. Plant-based proteins are better for you than animal-based proteins. Try to eat vegetables, beans and fish rich in protein. Yogurt also provides good protein.

    If you eat too much protein from meat, it could actually speed up the aging process and hurt the health of your cells. Animal proteins contain a lot of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). AGEs can be bad for your health in combination with sugar in your bloodstream. They can build up in tissue and cause inflammation, which leads to cellular aging. They can cause diabetes and heart disease.

    TMAO fosters a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries. It hurts your heart and, like AGEs, causes inflammation.

    Foods with healthy proteins: Beans, soy, nuts, chickpeas, seeds and lentils. They have lots of antioxidants. They promote heart health and lower inflammation. Americans should also eat a lot more fish.

    One recent study found that eating a lot of fish lowers your odds of dying prematurely. Fish rich in protein has been found to promote brain health, fight inflammation, and foster a hormone balance.

    Keep in mind that, on average, depending upon your weight, you need around 50 grams a day of protein. Protein should represent about 10 percent of your caloric intake each day.

    The takeaway: Stick to a balanced diet with a variety of healthy foods, including vegetables fruits, fish and fiber; and, avoid red meat. Check out the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet.

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  • Over 65? Eat more salmon and less cheese!

    Over 65? Eat more salmon and less cheese!

    As you age, you want more high-quality fatty proteins in your diet, Leigh Weingus reports for The Huffington Post. These proteins reduce inflammation and promote brain health. Eating more salmon should help a lot.

    Of course, different foods deliver different health benefits. Some foods boost energy levels. Some prevent disease, often caused by inflammation. But eating too much saturated fat is linked to heart disease and high LDL cholesterol. It also reduces your fiber intake which can lead to constipation.

    The benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet: Experts advise to eat an anti-inflammatory diet, as we get older, in order to stay in good physical and mental health. Including a fatty fish in your diet, such as salmon, at least twice each week, will help your muscles and strength. It will also increase your omega-3 consumption, promote brain health, and reduce inflammation.

    Eat protein-rich foods and foods with antioxidants: If you don’t like salmon, chicken or duck without the skin, eggs and tofu are also rich in protein. And, kale and spinach are good antioxidants, as are pomegranates. They also provide folic acid, niacin and other B vitamins that help to promote healthy brains.

    As for dairy products: Experts are now thinking you need less cheese and other dairy products than previously advised and possibly none at all, reports Andrea Petersen for the Wall Street Journal. There’s a new-found link between dairy products and cardiovascular disease as well as some cancers, including prostate cancer. But, some experts disagree, claiming that dairy products reduce the risk of heart disease and colon cancer.

    And, the jury’s still out as to the value of drinking fat-free milk over whole milk or two percent milk. Whatever you do, the new thinking is that one serving of dairy products a day is all you need. Dairy is primarily good for calcium, and you can get your calcium from other foods, such as tofu, edamame, kale and bok choy.

    If possible, avoid ultra-processed foods and supplements. Food that is fresh and not ultra-processed offers nutrients that are far easier to absorb into your body.

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  • Stay healthy: Avoid foods that cause inflammation

    Stay healthy: Avoid foods that cause inflammation

    Inflammation in our bodies can heal infected areas through increased blood flow. But, constant inflammation can lead to digestive issues, stiff joints and muscle pain, among other serious health conditions. If you avoid four types of foods, you can minimize your risk of chronic inflammation, says Dr. Jacqueline Wolf, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, for CNBC.

    You want to ensure you have healthy bacteria in your gut that work to fight inflammation. The solution is to reduce your consumption of fatty meats, ultra-processed foods, drinks with added sugar and foods with coconut and palm oil. Put differently, eat more plant-based foods—fruits and vegetables—as well as fish and chicken, whole grains, extra virgin olive oil and flaxseed oil.

    Don’t eat:

    1. Fatty meats. Avoid beef, lamb and pork as much as possible. By so doing, you should improve your colon health.
    2. Ultra-processed foods. Avoid hot dogs, sausages, bacon, ham, deli meats, and pepperoni. Don’t eat snack foods like oreos and goldfish either. Their salt, extra sugar and lack of antioxidants are bad for your gut. Eating these foods can lead to colorectal cancer, diabetes, dementia, heart disease and other serious health conditions. Eating these foods can change your gut’s microbiome, causing chronic inflammation. In turn, your blood pressure can rise, along with your risk of death. (N.B. One large 2021 study performed in Britain concluded that for every additional 25 grams—about one ounce—of processed meat in a person’s daily diet, the risk of dementia increased by 44 percent, and that of Alzheimer’s disease increased by 52 percent.)
    3. Drinks with sugar. Avoid sodas, lemonade and sweetened iced tea. One study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who drank as few as two glasses (16 ounces) of soda a day, including diet soda, had a greater chance of dying from any cause than people who drank fewer than 12 glasses of soda a year. After 19 years of drinking sugar-sweetened sodas, including diluted syrups, both men and women had a greater risk of dying from digestive disorders than people who did not.
    4. Foods with coconut and palm oil. Avoid products with high levels of saturated fat. Coconut oil has been found to raise both LDL and HDL cholesterol levels relative to unsaturated fats.

    N.B. If you want to reduce your soft drink intake, consider doing so gradually rather than going cold turkey. You probably will have a greater likelihood of success. You might try substituting ice water for soft drinks. If you like carbonated drinks, you can substitute soda water for soft drinks. For extra flavor, you can add a small amount of juice to the soda water.

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