The science is clear: inflammation in the body increases your risk for cancer, cognitive issues, diabetes, and heart disease. The first line of defense against inflammation is a plant-forward, nutrient dense diet, but changing what you eat requires some dedication—and anyone who’s tried to diet knows how difficult it is to make lasting changes.
The integrative medicine physicians at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health support many patients in adopting anti-inflammatory diet habits. Below, Institute CEO and co-author of Tapestry of Health, Daniel A. Monti, MD, shares the best tips for making dietary changes stick for life.
- Understand the relationship between the typical American diet, inflammation, and illness
- Be gentle with yourself
- Try to double your vegetable intake
- Don’t just eat salad—try smoothies and new-to-you foods
- Make your own plan
- Sit down & eat mindfully
1. Understand the relationship between the typical American diet, inflammation, and illness
Increased inflammation is caused by stress, excess body fat, poor sleep, lack of exercise…and, importantly, diet. Unfortunately, many of the foods most typical of an American diet are inflammatory to our bodies:
- Refined carbohydrates
- Fried foods
- Junk food
- Processed meats
- Sugary drinks, including soda
Since these foods are so easily available (and addictive), in our busy day-to-day lives, it can be genuinely difficult to consume green leafy vegetables and other nutrient-dense foods that help us avoid disease, heal our bodies, and improve our emotional well-being. Still, it’s important to make the effort, since diet can reduce systemic inflammation, which is linked to longer-term diseases like depression, cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cognitive decline. Inflammation may also make it more difficult to fend off short-term ailments like colds, acid reflux, headaches, and allergies.
2. Be gentle with yourself
Did you know that making dietary changes is akin to overcoming addiction? Dieting is hard because unhealthy food activates our brains’ reward circuits in similar ways to other habit-forming substances. And if you are accustomed to a typical American diet, you likely are experiencing the addictive effects of junk food, fast food, and/or sweets.
Because of this, we have to be gentle with ourselves. A sudden and drastic overhaul of your diet is unlikely to work, as applying overly strict rules and then mentally berating yourself for any deviation is likely to create a feeling of failure that can send you right back to unhealthy dietary habits.
Instead, make improvements in baby steps, incorporating one dietary change at a time in a way that you honestly believe will work for you. Consider whether you can find ways to improve your diet by 10 or 20 percent to start, see how you feel about those changes, and go from there. In sum, improving your diet is not an all or nothing endeavor—even small changes are a definitive step toward improved wellness.
3. Try to double your vegetable intake
The most important thing to change about your diet is to add green vegetables. While a 100% plant-based, vegetarian diet is unrealistic for many, you can make significant health improvements by simply increasing your intake of green veggies, regardless of the other foods in your diet. For this reason, we often encourage patients to start by simply doubling their vegetable intake—whatever that looks like for you. This ambitious, yet straightforward, rule can help you to stay focused when more complex advice may be difficult to incorporate.
An anti-inflammatory diet can help to prevent and heal diseases and even improve your resilience when it comes to common illnesses like colds and flu.
4. Don’t just eat salad—try smoothies and new-to-you foods
While some people enjoy eating salad, many are not fans of consuming a plate or two of raw greens every day. Luckily, there are other ways to get the benefits of their many valuable micro- and macro-nutrients beyond a plate of salad greens. Incorporating a diversity of preparation methods can help you make the most of this family of ‘superfoods.’ Try:
- Making a smoothie with ingredients like spinach, healthy fruits, and even cooked lentils is a quick way to get much of your nutrition at any time of day. (Dr. Monti makes a daily breakfast smoothie to start the day with a dose of anti-inflammatory green vegetables.) You may also choose to include a moderate amount of dark, fleshy fruits like plums and blueberries, which are high in nutrients and antioxidants—but try to limit your intake of bananas due to their high sugar content. Here is a collection of anti-inflammatory smoothie recipes from Eating Well.
- Roast greens and vegetables you like, such as kale, broccoli, squash, brussel sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, and turnips. Simply toss your choices in a bit of olive oil and sea salt and roast until done; you may even find these become a healthy new addiction!
- Make a vegetable-packed soup. You may be surprised how a combination of vegetables and aromatics (onions, garlic, and herbs) cooked with a modest amount of sea salt can make a wonderful stew and help you avoid typical soup recipes that rely on high amounts of sodium and animal products.
- Prep a snack of cut raw veggies that you can take to-go. Eating vegetables in their raw form is ideal for getting the full effects of their nutrients and having something crunchy and satisfying ready-to-go when a craving strikes will help you avoid a visit to the vending machine.
- Add sprouts to any savory food; they are flavorful, nutrition-packed, and pair well with many different meals. Their flavors and textures vary widely—from mild and nutty to more spicy—so experiment and see what varieties you favor.
- Learn new cooking techniques and recipes. If you are trying to eat more spinach, for example, don’t assume that you simply don’t like it because your past experiences were negative. Food can taste completely different with alternative preparations: ask yourself, could you instead enjoy it in a smoothie, a soup, or a curry?
5. Make your own plan
There’s no hard and fast rule on how to get your veggies, since lifestyle and tastes are individual! It’s important to take a moment to ask what makes sense for you, and what will make you feel satiated and motivated to eat vegetables. For example, If you are accustomed to eating something warm and filling at dinner, choosing a salad of raw veggies will be too drastic of a change and be unlikely to satisfy you. Knowing that is the case, consider roasting or steaming veggies, or creating a pot of vegetable stew at the beginning of the week that you can return to each day.
Thus, a good first step in making a new diet plan is to think about the character of foods you like. Perhaps you prefer a refreshing breakfast, crave crunchy snacks, and always want a plate of hot food later in the day. Then list healthy options that match these ideas.
Once you know what you want to eat, ask yourself: how can you make it happen? Consider when each week is the best time to shop and prep. To be realistic, also consider how you can fill in with pre-prepared foods as needed—for example, getting takeout from a healthy restaurant once a week. Finally, reinforce your plan (and remind yourself of this important aspect of self-care) by making repeat events on your calendar.
6. Sit down & eat mindfully
A key component of mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) is eating meditation, or the practice of being fully present and focused when enjoying food. Research suggests that mindfulness may also reduce inflammation, particularly for those with high BMI or stress. To complement your commitment to an anti-inflammatory diet, consider practicing mindful eating by putting screens away and fully focusing on enjoying your meals (and smoothies!). Focus on the moment-to-moment experience through your five senses while eating—smell, taste, touch, sound, and sight of your food—without judgment or thoughts about calories, carbs, or how successful (or not) you are or will be. This article offers more insights and a step-by-step guide for practicing mindful eating.
Visit our integrative medicine clinic in Philadelphia, PA to work 1-on-1 with trusted experts
Changing your diet is no small feat, but with the help of our integrative medicine physicians and care team at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health, you can turn your health around by committing to a customized food plan. We support diet transformation with other cutting-edge diagnostic tests and treatment modalities. Patients who come to us are treated holistically—mind, body, and spirit—to prevent and treat illness in collaboration with your personal medical care team. The Marcus Institute is part of the first-ever department of Integrative Medicine at a medical school, and is located at the highly respected Thomas Jefferson University.
Schedule your appointment at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health today!
Tapestry of Health: Weaving Wellness into Your Life Through the New Science of Integrative Medicine by Daniel A. Monti, MD and Anthony J. Bazzan, MD
After years of experience with integrative medicine in clinical practice, Marcus Institute of Integrative Health physicians Dr. Daniel Monti and Dr. Anthony Bazzan co-wrote Tapestry of Health: Weaving Wellness into Your Life Through the New Science of Integrative Medicine to condense research and their clinical insights and present an evidence-based step-by-step plan for integrative well-being. This approach is a significant deviation from viewing medical care as something we seek when we are sick: instead, Tapestry of Health addresses wellness as something we mindfully take responsibility for by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Watch Tapestry of Health webinars for free here or find a copy of the book here.
