Do you have aches and pains? Do you struggle to get the kinks out when you first get up in the morning? Maybe for you it is more severe than that and your quality of life is suffering? Your body could be fighting inflammation and your food choices can be a potent weapon to aid you in that battle. Following an anti-inflammatory diet can help to reduce the body’s inflammatory response and minimize or relieve the pain and discomfort associated with it.

Introducing an award-winning dietitian, affectionately known as “Nutrigirl” who is an expert in anti-inflammatory foods. She gives sound, researched advice that is tested daily and she is living proof of the positive effects of these focused nutrition practices!

Meet Lisa Andrews, an Italian, food-loving, Dietitian and owner of Sound Bites Nutrition. She works with adults with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes & prediabetes, cancer prevention & management, gastrointestinal issues, women’s health, cardiovascular health and autoimmune conditions. A history of inflammation from Rheumatoid Arthritis, for more than half of her life, has given her a personal interest in helping people understand the connection between diet and health and wellness. She believes in educating people to look for balance not restriction in their lives.

Grocery Tour

A grocery tour with a dietitian like Lisa can be beneficial to people who want to watch their cholesterol, lose weight, lower salt intake, or add antioxidant or anti-inflammatory foods. She walks the aisles of a supermarket with clients to answer their questions and point out good and not so good choices.

Myths

- Only shop from the perimeter of the store - False: While fresh things are located there, the bakery is too. There are many good-for-you items in the aisles.

- If I can’t pronounce an ingredient it must be bad for me - False: Some common, healthy ingredients have lengthy, unreadable names, i.e., Cyanocobalamin is another name for Vitamin B 12, which occurs naturally in some foods.

-Only Green leafy vegetables are healthy - False: While they are very good for you there are other vegetables that are just as good for you and should be added to your diet such as cauliflower, onions and garlic.

Inflammation: The body responds to injury by producing heat, redness and swelling. Some foods, such as red or processed meat, cause the body to undergo stress, which it sees as being injured, so it increases markers of inflammation. Saturated fat content in red meat, cheeses, butter or whole fat dairy adds to this stress. Trans-fat found in processed food has a more damaging effect but just because an item says “no trans-fat” does not mean it actually has none. It may have up to ½ gram per serving and it is still a highly processed food. All of this stress on your body raises your risk of cancer and heart disease. There are diseases which mistakenly cause the body to attack its own tissues causing chronic inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory diet: Limit saturated fat and add healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds or corn oil. Spices like ginger, turmeric and curry have anti-inflammatory properties as well.

More Plants Less Cow: Eat fruits and vegetables, especially but not limited to dark, red fruits and green leafy vegetables. Limit your intake of processed or red meats.

Balance is key. Assess your body. What affects you will be completely different from the next person. Log food, exercise, sleep, weight or other factors alongside of symptoms to determine correlations. It may not be a one to one factor that causes you problems. It may take a combination of factors before your symptoms appear.

Apps for logging:

GI Buddy

Lose It

My Fitness Pal

The best approach for constant low-grade inflammation is to first check with your physician. If no underlying issues are found look at weight. Being overweight keeps your body in a constant state of stress. Lowering your weight at least 5 to 7% will help improve the resulting symptoms of inflammation. Then check your diet for what is missing or should be removed. It also could be just wear and tear and using an occasional anti -inflammatory medication can get it under control as long as it is used in moderation. Exercise, stretching, massage, yoga and meditation are examples of methods to reduce stress and manage pain from inflammation

Food Insecurity- Defined by the USDA as a condition where consistent access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources.

Lettuce Beet Hunger is Sound Bites Nutrition’s giving program aimed at helping bring attention to the serious problem of food insecurity. Selling T-shirts with fun, healthy food puns aimed at starting a conversation around food to “take a bite” out of food insecurity. A portion of each purchase supports those with food insecurity by providing counseling, programs and nutrition education in the Cincinnati area.”

Journaling Questions:

1.Do you have any frustrations with daily aches and pains? If so, write out your symptoms and see if you have pain that is not being addressed.

2. Is there anything that pain holds you back from accomplishing?

Homework:

1: Try practicing “Meatless Monday”.

2: Have a big pile of leafy greens and veggies every day for a week.

3: Have grace, be nice to yourself.

Links:

Lindsey House:

www.healthaccountabilitycoach.com

www.facebook.com/houselifestyles

Direction Not Perfection, Accountability and Coaching from your Wine-loving Dietitian

https://braughlerbooks.com/store/books/direction-not-perfection

Lisa Andrews:

[email protected]

facebook.com/peoplespantrycincy/

https://soundbitesnutrition.com/shop-2

https://www.facebook.com/soundbitesnutritionllc/