I find that one of the main reasons people are having difficulty losing weight despite “trying to eat healthy,” is because they have accumulated inflammation inside that isn’t being properly addressed. This inflammation is usually a result of a combination of things, including: eating processed foods and/or sugar regularly, exposure to toxins like heavy metals, taking medications for prolonged periods, consuming alcohol regularly, eating foods that they aren’t properly digesting, dealing with excess stress, and so on.
Inflammation is a natural immune response to illness or injury; it’s protective, drawing immune cells to the inflamed location to help with healing. However, chronic long-term inflammation (what SO many people are facing today) is extremely harmful to our health. Not only does it lead to weight gain, but also contributes to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, and other health conditions.
Thankfully, there is a lot we can do to reduce inflammation in the body just through our daily diet.
Some anti-inflammatory foods that I recommend to eat regularly include:
leafy greens (lettuces, arugula, kale, spinach, etc).
fermented foods like raw sauerkraut, kimchi and unsweetened organic yogurt or kefir.
colorful vegetables (orange veggies like organge bell pepper, sweet potato and butternut squash, yellow veggies like yellow squash, yellow peppers and onions, purple vegges like purple cabbage, eggplants and purple potatoes/carrots/cauliflower, white veggies like cauliflower and radish, red veggies like beets, and of course ALL green veggies, including brocoli, green beans, zucchini, all green herbs, ETC).
colorful fruits - in small amounts at a time (blue/purple including blueberries, blackberries, plums; red including starwberries, raspberries, cherries and red apples; orange including oranges, nectarines, some varities of peaches; green including green apples and pears, etc.)
omega-3 rich proteins like wild-caught fish and seafood, organic grass-fed meats and poultry, as well as organic eggs.
nuts and seeds - including walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, etc., as well as nut and seed butters.
other healthy fats including avocados and extra-virgin olive oil.
fiber-rich legumes including: lentils, chickpeas, peas and all beans, as well as small amoutns of whole grains such as quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, millet, amaranth, teff, buckwheat, etc. (*only if your tolerate these; reguardless I recommend sticking to small portions and cooking properly, always soaking before cooking).
herbs and spices (ideally organic)
Also, it’s equally important to minimize inflammatory foods in your diet, including:
sugar (in all of its forms)
simple carbs including wheat, white bread/pasta, baked goods, processed snacks, etc.
gluten
dairy *this is inflammatory for most people, not necessarily everyone
excess alcohol and excess caffeine
fried foods
Plus, it’s key to keep portion sizes adequate for your body/activity level/hunger level, where you feel satisfied after your meal but NOT SUPER FULL, and to eat slowly, properly chewing your food. Ideally you want to eat in a relaxed state, sitting down (it can help to take a few deep breaths before your meal) and of course to enjoy your colorful, anti-inflammatory meal!
Keeping that in mind, here is a typical day of ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MEALS to help support your weight loss and overall short- medium- and long-term health.
Breakfast:
Matcha Latte or Golden Milk Latte (or green tea with lemon, or organic coffee) preferably dairy free
Yogurt- Chia- Nut butter- Berry bowl
Lunch:
A big macro bowl (heavy on veggies - with some protein and healthy fats, light on grains)
OR
OR
Green Protein Smoothie or Smoothie Bowl
Dinner:
Kale salad + quinoa salad + oven baked salmon
OR
Veggie curry with chickpeas (with a side of cauliflower rice)
Optional dessert or sweet snack:
Energy Ball (or here is another energy ball recipe!)
OR
a piece of 80%+ organic dark chocolate. I like these (85-88% dark): Theo or this one, Alter Eco, ChocoLove, Green & Blacks and Pascha. For fully sugar-free options, I like Lilys or Evolved
Reminder: Your focus should be on eating nutrient-dense whole foods in your day-to-day, cooking at home as much as possible, and always filling your plate with tons of antioxidant-rich veggies (greens and colorful veggies) with some protein and healthy fats, while limiting the typical inflammatory foods.
On top of this, it helps to take high-quality supplements that are tailored for you/your health goals, sleep 7-9 hours (uninterrupted) daily, exercise (aim for 8-10k steps/day if possible!), drink filtered water throughout your day, and manage your stress (incorporating stress-reducing activities such as meditation and breathwork).
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