A few weeks back, I was feeling less than excellent so I scheduled a day off –a day just for me – so I could tune into my body. While tuning in, I became aware of a few challenges:
There was more tightness in my neck and shoulders than usual.
An intense, red hot sciatic nerve pain had been shooting through my right buttock and lower back.
My belly, even though I’d been working out regularly, seemed larger and felt quite bloated.
I felt slightly itchy in random areas of my body, not a lot – but enough to catch my attention.
Spring allergies were doing their best to take hold of my sinuses and eyes.
The longer I work as an assistant at TBM, the more I observe that the root cause of so many minor and major challenges are due to high levels of inflammation. As I continued checking in with my own body, I began to feel that yes, all my complaints were associated with excess fire — I was in fact, in flame, or inflamed.
The Dispel Allergy formula that I use from our clinic absolutely helps my symptoms – symptoms that (knock on wood) have been reduced this year thanks to the Minor Bubleurum Combination, a formula that I have taken as a preventative.
And, as grateful as I am that I can find relief from herbal medicine for most of the conditions that I find myself challenged by, I know quite well that when I’m careful with my diet that the herbal formulas are far more effective and that my miniscule issues subside as opposed to becoming monster problems.
Feeling inspired that I could have better results with my TBM formulas by eating a diet high in anti-inflammatory foods, I did hours of research and came up with a list and here, I present to you, my list of The Top Anti-Inflammatory Foods:
Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, kale, collards, red peppers, celery, cucumbers, lettuce, bok choy, endive, escarole, Brussels sprouts, bean and alfalfa sprouts, artichokes, avocadoes.
Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, mulberries, Goji berries, Acerola berry powder.
Apples, pears, pomegranates, cherries, lemons, limes, pineapples and papayas.
Quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, oat groats, legumes, beans, and their sprouts.
Wild Alaskan Salmon, Sardines, Anchovies, Halibut, Herring, Trout, and Mussels.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Flax Oil, Flax Seeds, Hemp Oil, Hemp Seeds, Avocado Oil.
Green Tea, Spring Water, Goat Milk Kefir (optional).
Macadamia Nuts, Almonds, Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Chia Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds and Sunflower Seeds.
Turmeric, Ginger, Cinnamon, Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Cayenne, Cloves, Licorice, Parsley, Mint.
Very lightly sweetened Chocolate products with at least 60% Cacao – 70% to 80% is better.
Shitake Mushrooms as well as Maitake, Pearl Oyster, Reishi, Chaga, Agaricus, and Cordyceps.
Seaweeds such as Kelp, Wakame, Nori, Dulse, and Hijiki.
After doing my homework, I realized that why I was feeling other than the best was because I had been eating high sugar fruits, more grains than my body required, and perhaps not enough vegetables. Also, it is not my style to eat very much fish so I went ahead and added Wild Salmon to my diet. I do use quite a bit of hemp seed, hemp protein powder, and chia seed to get high quality Omega 3 Fats and good protein into my diet when I don’t feel like eating fish.
The results that I get whenever I return to eating a diet that reduces inflammation are astounding. For me, I get the best results when I stock the refrigerator full of vegetables and make a firm decision to reduce all sweets, including sweet fruits, and to eliminate all pasta, breads, popcorn, and sweeteners — with the exception of stevia — to sweeten tea.
Most people who get in the habit of eating this way experience a renewed sense of well-being right away – I know I did – and I wish the same for you.