Anti-inflammation Diet & Lupus

1. Eating Down Inflammation
What to eat, where to buy it, and how
to cook it…
A lupus workshop by
Amorette Reid
Chef and Nutrition
Specialist, Compass
Group USA

2. Inflammation
• Inflammation: translated in Latin, means
“to set on fire.”
• Inflammation is the body’s protective
response to protect itself and remove
harmful stimuli, to begin the healing
process.
• Inflammation can present itself in joints,
muscles, and various parts of the body.

3. Inflammation and Lupus
• The body's inflammation response can be
triggered by a number of causes, including
an infection, a foreign body, decreased or
compromised blood flow, extreme heat or
cold, or radiation.
• In lupus and other autoimmune diseases,
the reaction produced during
inflammation and repair can be
exaggerated and harmful to the body.

4. Inflammation and Lupus
• Lupus involves chronic inflammation and is
considered an autoimmune disease. Your
body’s tissues are attacked by its own
immune system.
• People with lupus produce abnormal
antibodies in their blood that target tissues
within their own body rather than foreign
infectious agents.

5. Inflammation and Lupus
• Because the antibodies and accompanying
cells of inflammation can involve tissues
anywhere in the body, lupus has the
potential to affect a variety of areas of the
body.

6. Where Lupus Affects You
• Since lupus has the
potential to affect
various areas of the
body, many of which
are in the digestive
system, managing
inflammation with diet
has the potential to
alleviate some
discomforts as well as
improve overall health.

7. Inflammation and Nutrition
• Consuming a
balanced diet
plentiful in fruits and
vegetables, whole and
varied nuts and
grains, and hydrated
with water can reduce
inflammation and
alleviate insult on the
body.

8. Anti-
Inflammatory
Food Pyramid

9. Examples of Anti-Inflammatory
Foods- Vegetables
• Bell Peppers
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Chard
• Collards
• Fennel Bulb
• Garlic
• Green Beans
• Green Onions/Spring Onions
• Kale
• Leeks
• Olives
• Spinach Veggies green or orange in color are
• Sweet potatoes usually considered anti-inflammatory.
• Turnip Greens

10. Examples of Anti-Inflammatory
Foods- Fruits
• Cherries
• Apples
• Avocados
• Black Currants
• Blueberries
• Fresh Pineapple
• Guavas
• Kiwifruit
• Lemons
• Limes
• Oranges
• Papaya
• Raspberries
• Rhubarb
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes Fruits with bright vibrant colors are
easy to spot as anti-inflammatory.

11. Examples of Anti-Inflammatory
Foods- Nuts
• Almonds
• Flaxseed/Linseed
• Hazelnuts
• Sunflower Seeds
• Walnuts
• Oils of these nuts are
also considered anti-
inflammatory.

12. Examples of Anti-Inflammatory
Foods- Fish
• Cod
• Halibut
• Herring
• Oysters
• Rainbow Trout
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Snapper Fish
• Striped Bass Any fish that swims in cold water is
• Tuna generally anti-inflammatory.
• Whitefish

13. Foods to Avoid
• Dairy (processed cow’s milk products)
• Refined sugar (white sugar)
• Chemical sweeteners (Splenda, Aspartame)
• Red meat
• Alcohol (exception: red wine)
• Processed foods
• Excessive salt

14. How to spot processed foods…
• It contains more than 5
ingredients.
• If your great-
grandmother wouldn’t
recognize it…..it might
be processed.
• It contains an
ingredient that you
can’t pronounce.
• It comes in a well
designed and colorful
box.

15. Tips on avoiding processed…
• When shopping for
wholesome anti-
inflammatory foods,
try shopping the
outside perimeter of
the grocery store.
• Processed foods are
generally in the inner
isles of the grocery
store.

16. Best places to shop…
• Farmer’s Markets
• CSA’s (Community
Supported
Agriculture)
• Trader Joe’s
• Healthy Home
Market
• Whole Foods
• Harris Teeter

17. Cooking!
Techniques to best utilize an anti-inflammatory
diet:
• Steaming
• Searing
• Raw eating
Such cooking techniques preserve the quality of
the foods and allow the maximum amount of
vitamins into your body.

18. Cooking!
• Eating fruits and • Searing in minimal oil
vegetables raw is by retains a high amount
far the best way to of healthy fats in fish,
prevent loss of making it easy for
nutrients and to your body to use.
retain anti- • Searing also is usually
inflammatory done for a short
vitamins. amount of time, so
• Steaming vegetables vitamins and minerals
retains a fair amount are preserved.
of nutrients.

19. Questions!

20. Resources
• Dr. Andrew Weil: http://www.drweil.com/
• Smart Nutrition: www.nutrition.gov
• LFA National Office www.lupus.org
• LFA Piedmont Chapter: www.lupuslinks.org
– 877-849-8271 ext. 1 or info@lupuslinks.org
• Books to check out
– Lupus Recovery Diet by Jill Harrington
– Power Nutrition for Your Chronic Illness: A Guide to
Shopping, Cooking and Eating to Get the Nutrition Edge