Why the Anti-inflammatory Diet Didn't Work for Me

I tried the anti-inflammatory diet and I really wanted it to work, but it didn't. I was so excited about it that my friend tried it too. We were both overweight and feeling unhealthy. She lost weight and feels better than she has in years. I gained weight and got sicker.

It has been almost a year, since I posted in this blog or any of my other blogs. My health hasn't been great, but I learned from trying the anti-inflammatory diet that I need certain foods to feel ok, and I've finally started losing the weight.

The problem that I had on the anti-inflammatory diet was not eating enough grains and carbs. Without grains and carbs, I had digestive problems and was hungry all the time. I became obsessed with food.

The diet that has been bringing improvements to my life is a plant-based whole food diet. I haven't completely given up animal products yet, but the fewer animal products I eat, the better I feel.

I've also been counting calories and making sure I get enough exercise every day. Eating plant-based whole foods, I rarely go over the number of calories recommended for my age and body type, which means I am not as hungry anymore. I'm getting more exercise because I feel better.

I'm glad that eating chicken and fish instead of homemade bread helps some people, like it did my friend. I say it just didn't work for me because different people really do have different nutritional needs. My dad can't eat the kinds of fruit and berries that I do. Another friend of mine can't eat wheat.

I simply can't get by with out those delicious whole grains.

Fat and Inflammation

“Obesity in animals, including humans, is not dependent on the amount of body weight, but on the amount of body fat - specifically adipose tissue.” 

Adipose, or fatty tissue has an important role to play in the body in terms of cushioning and support, as well as storing nutrients, but excess deposits of fat are vulnerable to attack by immune cells. Inflammation is a process created by these immune cells to protect the body from infections and keep us healthy. Chronic low-grade inflammation can occur, when our immune systems are chronically attacking excess fat deposits. As we already know, chronic inflammation makes us vulnerable to a list of other ailments.

Diet and exercise can help us control the amount of excess fat we carry on our bodies. Exercise can also be used to reduce pain, encourage healing, and prevent diseases.

I use yoga to maintain core strength. Increased core strength, my doctors have told me, will naturally reduce the pain in my lower back by building up muscles that support the spine. As my arthritis has grown worse, I have also begun to see how much of an impact that gentle exercise has on the pain in my feet and knees.

Now I wonder if I should be exercising harder to reduce excess fat on my body. If I do, I might start out with something like this, or I might just join a soccer team, in addition to continuing to practice yoga for the continued benefits I get from doing it.

Any other suggestions?