Anti Inflammatory Diet

Body: 

Hi,

I just had a repair after my hysterectomy (I have rectocele and my insides literally came out during projectile vomiting). The hysterectomy was 3 years ago. I was reading about healing and there was a statement about anti inflammatory diet helping healing. I have been unable to find the diet on the site and would like to know if there is one that is recommended? Thank you.

Hi Wanting2Know,
Lots of great threads on anti inflammatory diet here on the forum, and you can also google it for basic information.
Some things not to eat that are highly inflammatory are sugar and processed foods. Just getting these things out of your diet can help get a long way into healing.

Hi Wanting2Know,

An anti-inflammatory diet is often similar to how our ancestors ate before the industrial revolution. Ethnicity has huge bearing on what foods appeal to us as well as how they are assimilated.

Generally speaking though, an anti-inflammatory diet has mostly to do with the type of oils we consume. Omega 6 fatty acid found in corn, sunflower, safflower and sesame oils can be inflammatory if not balanced with Omega 3 fatty acids found in flax, cod liver oil, walnuts, green leafy vegetables, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc. Olive and coconut oils contain mostly Omega 9 fatty acid and can be used in moderation. Olive oil also contains something like 11% Omega 6 fatty acid, so if you’re consuming a lot of it you may be tipping your immune system in the direction of the inflammation cascade.

Many colorful and flavorful spices have anti-inflammatory properties, including turmeric, clove, red chile, and ginger.

Sugar is extremely inflammatory. The gut bacteria seem to hate sugar, although they love honey and whole grains.

I never really think in terms of feeding myself anymore, but rather giving my gut bacteria what they love most, which are things like brown rice, barley, sourdough bread, sauerkraut, whole potatoes, fruit, cultured milk, and butter.

In my humble opinion humans should not eat meat, which is an age-old argument that will never be settled. The type of bacteria that break down meat reduce sulfur to hydrogen sulfide, which is a known cause of inflammatory bowel disease.

Again, diet is highly individualized and I’m hoping others will join in with their own thoughts and ideas.

Wishing you well,

Christine