By popular demand - here is the highlights with the why and wherefores for an anti-inflammatory diet that Norwegian diet experts have put together for the Norwegian sarcoidosis association.
I hope I manage to find the correct English words. I'm not entirely fluent in English, so please let me know if some things are unclear!
Important factors:
Stay away from Omega-6: This fatty acid worsens inflammation. It can be found in shortening, some oils (eg. sunflower oil) and bread.
Do eat more Omega-3: This fatty acid is anti inflammatory. Most people take this in pill form, and you can take as much as 2-3 grams a day. It's naturally found in fat fish like mackerell.
Stay away from artifical trans-fat: It worsens inflammation and disturbs the natural way omega 3 and 6 are distributed in your body. Trans-fat can be found in cookies, baked goods that you buy at the store, deep fried products.
Eat little carbohydrates that are high in GI: This is just a fancy way to say; Stay away from sugar and starch (like white rice and pasta). This is because lots of carbohydrates will increase insulin in your body, and this in turn increases inflammation.
Eat enough protein: Protein balances you diet and will make sure you don't have huge blood-sugar-swings (because those gives you high production of insulin). Protein rich foods are meat, fish, shrimps and other shellfish and eggs.
Eat plenty of anti-oxidants: This ensures that fat and other food doesn't "turn harsh/old" in your body and it protects cells. Anti-oxidants are naturally found in spices, herbs, berries, vegetables, fruit, nuts and cocoa.
This diet also has a few other highlights:
- Make sure you have good bowel movements - this will help your immune system.
- Do eat plenty of extra virgin olive oil - it's rich in anti-inflammatory and painkilling ingridients. Make sure that it's cold pressed/extra virgin.
Ok - that was the nitty-gritty fact stuff. It's always hard to find out what that would mean for you and your diet. Setting up a diet plan is never easy! Here are in list-form foods that are good for you, food that is ok, and food you should eat little of.
Good foods:
All vegetables (salads, baked, wok, stew etc)
Berries (without sugar)
All kinds of fruit
Herbs, spices
70% cocoa
Fat fish
Lean fish
Extra virgin olive oil
Raw nuts, seeds and almonds
Chicken, hen, turkey
Beef, pork chops, roast beef, ham
Eggs
Cottage cheese
Shrimps and shell fish
Ok to eat:
Beans, peas, lentils
Whole seeds
Soy flakes
Sour milk (not milk that has gone bad! but the one that's good for you)
Youghurt that doesn't have sugar
Butter
Yellow cheeses
Some cream
Boiled potatoes
Brown rice, wild rice
Juice made from fruit and berries
Drinks without sugar
Fructose, some honey, splenda (artificial sweetner without aspartam)
Things to avoid/eat less of:
Sugar
Soda, iced tea, soft drinks, juice with sugar
Candy (all kinds)
Cookies and store bought cakes
Fries, mashed potatoes (from a bag), salty snacks
Deep fried food
Baguettes, chiabatta, fine bread
Pizza, pai, pita, pancakes
Sausages
All kinds of shortening, also in liquids
Regular soy oil, sun flower oil, corn oil
Kaviar, majo, salads with majo
Yoghurt to drink, sugared yoghurt
Chocolate milk and other sweetned milk
Pasta and regular rice
Brown cheese, jam, chocolate spread
Beer, non-alchol beer, light beer, sweet drinks, liquer and spirits
If this looks like a mouthful (it did to me, in combination with "every food I love is on that no-list!") here's a good start:
Take away from your regular diet as much sugar and white/fine flour as you are able to. Increase how much vegetables you eat. Throw away all the "bad oils" and buy som lovely cold pressed olive oils. Eat little fries, rice, pancakes, pizza, bread etc. Experiment with lentils, peas and beans. Canned foods are quite ok!
Eat eggs, fish, raw nuts and soured milk everyday in addition to other "good foods". Think about what you are giving yourself instead of what you are depriving yourself of.
Eat 4 meals every day. Introduce small meals in between if it's more than 4 hours between meals.
Drink plenty of water. About 2 litres every day (that is 8 cups for you Americans).
Homemade food is better for you than processed food.
Take a suplement if your bowel movements are not good.
If your blood test/urin test shows that you have too much vitamin D: Do not take suplements that include vitamin D or calcium, stay away from foods with vitamin D and keep intake of dairy at a minimum and avoid the sun.
Good luck to everyone -
I'm on my way to throw out my rice, and my pasta, and my oils and my shortening and out to the chemist to get an Omega-3-suplement!