Anti-Inflammatory Diet Menu

Inflammation is a body process, in which various chemicals and WBC (white blood cells), protect the body against infections by harmful viruses and bacteria. So, inflammation can be beneficial, but it becomes a cause for worry, when in certain diseases the immune system of the body unsuitably triggers inflammation, even when there are no foreign substances present in the body. In order to prevent the occurrence of such a condition, many people around the world have started following anti-inflammatory diet.

Benefits
There is a misconception, that anti-inflammatory diet, is aimed at weight loss. A side effect or rather a bonus of this diet plan is weight loss. There are many chronic diseases caused due to inflammation, for example, asthma, Crohn's disease, arthritis and heart diseases. It is widely acknowledged that a change in the diet plan helps in the prevention of such diseases. An anti-inflammation diet, which is similar to the GERD diet, helps reduce inflammation and provides the body with steady energy and lots of nutrients, thus restoring the body to its optimum health.

Dieting Tips
Listed below, are the important anti-inflammatory foods you should include in your diet plans and certain foodstuffs you should avoid.

• Try to eat only organically grown foodstuffs. At least for the first two weeks, stick to organic foods for maximum results.
• Avoid dairy products, fried foods, processed foods, alcohol, citrus fruits and red meat, when following an anti-inflammatory diet.
• Eat a lot of raw foods like fresh fruits to provide the body with essential fibers.
• If you want to use oil for cooking, stick to extra virgin olive oil.
• Eat 1 - 2 cups of cooked whole grains daily. Some of the whole grains allowed in this diet are brown rice, barley and millet.
• Try to eat a lot of steamed vegetables as eating steamed vegetables will help reduce the irritating matter present in the gut.
• Try to eat a variety of deep sea fish, like salmon, cod and tuna. To cook the fish either broil, steam, bake or poach it.
• Eat white meat, mainly chicken and avoid eating the skin. You can either broil, steam or bake the chicken.
• Eat a lot of nuts, but avoid peanuts, and eat as much variety of legumes, as you can. Legumes include kidney beans, soybeans, mung beans, split peas, lentils, aduki and azuki beans.
• No sugar or sweeteners are allowed, only small quantities of rice or maple syrup can be consumed.
• Drink plenty of water (around 3 liters), on a daily basis. Herbal tea is a good source of antioxidants, so drink 2 cups of herbal tea everyday.
• Try to eat dark chocolate, which contains around 70% of cocoa.

Diet Menu
There are certain food items which help in the prevention of inflammation, and certain foods which cause inflammation. An anti-inflammatory diet is a healthy diet that ensures prevention of serious conditions. Here is a sample diet menu. Feel free to modify the menu. You can add your favorite dishes to the menu or remove the ones you don't like. However, keep in mind that the foods which you include in your menu are among anti-inflammatory foods.

Breakfast	Lunch
Oatmeal with dry fruits and green tea	Salad and chicken with steamed vegetables
Banana smoothie mixed with protein powder	Apple with spinach (whole grain) sandwich
Bowl of mixed fruits, with whole grain toast	Carrot salad with tuna (whole grain) sandwich
Baked beans on a whole grain toast	Salad, broiled halibut and two kiwis
Porridge topped with fresh fruits and green tea	Turkey Curry with brown rice
Whole grain toast with almond butter spread and grape juice	Mix vegetable (whole grain) sandwich
Snack	Dinner
A small bowl of peaches	Rice with steamed beans
Cashews and green tea	A small salad and baked salmon fish
Pink grapefruit	Soybean and grilled shrimp
Mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts) with chamomile tea	Brown rice with stir fried vegetables and tofu
Fresh mango juice	Baked sweet potatoes, mix-veg soup and rice
Small bowl of papaya	Grilled chicken with brown rice

To get the maximum benefits of this diet, indulge in some sort of physical activity for at least 45 minutes daily, and get enough sleep.