This week Bobbi Conner talks with Janet Carter about foods to help fight chronic inflammation in the body. Janet is a clinical lipid specialist and she’s the program manager and lead dietician at the MUSC Children’s Health Wellness Works Program.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Many major diseases are linked to chronic inflammation in the body. Janet Carter is here to talk about foods that can help fight inflammation. Janet is a clinical lipid specialist, and she's the Program Manager and Lead Dietitian at the MUSC Children's Health Wellness Works program. Janet, first tell us about inflammation and why this can be problematic to our health.
Janet Carter: The type of inflammation that can cause health consequences is chronic inflammation. This is different than acute or short term inflammation that can happen when the body is healing from a cut or an injury. Chronic inflammation can happen for many different reasons, but what we will be addressing in this conversation is lifestyle factors that can contribute to a chronic inflammatory state or help protect against it.
Conner: What chronic health conditions are linked to inflammation?
Janet Carter: There are actually quite a few. The World Health Organization considers chronic inflammatory diseases as the greatest threat to human health. So, some of the diseases that are affected by chronic inflammation are diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and joint disease, neurocognitive diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD.
Conner: Well, what foods are good at fighting inflammation?
Janet Carter: To be honest, any and all minimally altered vegetables and fruits, whole grain products, sources of unsaturated fat like avocado, olives, olive oil, canola oil, lean protein sources like chicken or fish, or even better, minimally processed plant based proteins like beans or legumes, nuts, seeds. In summary, basically whole foods which are less processed. We also can't underemphasize the importance of exercise and healthy sleep habits in preventing chronic inflammation.
Conner: What other foods might actually increase inflammation? And what's the best plan to limit these foods?
Janet Carter: The foods that we know can increase chronic inflammation are highly processed or refined grain products like white bread, white pasta, and then also refined sugars. So added sugars like what is in sugary drinks, candy, sugary cereals. Also, foods that are high in saturated fat, like high fat dairy products and high fat animal proteins like bacon, sausage, high fat ground beef. Those are the types of foods that can increase chronic inflammation in our body. A good plan for limiting these types of foods is to, first of all, be mindful. Be mindful about what you're putting in your body. We do not have to be perfect to be healthy. So following maybe a 90/10 rule can help. So that means 90% of the time if we're eating these healthy foods, 10% of the time we can be a little bit lax and that will be okay.
Conner: Having explained all of this, what's a healthy anti-inflammation eating plan look like?
Janet Carter: A healthy anti-inflammatory eating pattern is good for everyone and includes at least five servings of vegetables and fruit. Only enough protein to meet your needs, preferably in the form of low fat animal foods and plant sources of protein and fish. Occasionally whole grains, healthy fats, and minimally processed or refined foods. If you would like more structured guidance, there's a lot of helpful information about the Mediterranean eating plan or the dietary approaches to stop hypertension. Or you can also speak with a dietitian.
Conner: Janet, thanks for this information about foods that help fight inflammation.
Janet Carter: You're welcome.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
