As you know, I already eat pretty healthily. The 80/20 rule has applied with how I eat as in just about all of life (as you can see if you read my What I Eat page, which I update almost daily). So through all the conversations with cardio people in the hospital (both times) and all the handouts I read about my shiny new diagnosis it all keeps coming back to one thing: inflammation.
Of course, their idea of what kind of diet is “heart healthy” and mine have some big differences. In fact, Were I to follow all of their suggestions I would be sick. I’ve eaten that way in the past, and I was sick, and I’m not going back to those days of misery, thankyouverymuch.
However, I’ve been doing research to build upon what I already know (through past research, as well as personal experience) and, as before, while I read and consider anecdotal evidence and 2nd-hand facts, I prefer to seek out respected medical professional sources. Going into more detail about all that is not the goal of this post however; sharing what I have learned, and my personal plan, is this:
As you can see, this already closely aligns with what I’ve done for many years (most of the time) on my low carb lifestyle since 2004. However, I can work on these changes. I will definitely stay away from, for example, american “cheese” slices and similar (which I rarely buy anyway) and stick to some of those that are considered healthier by a number of health-related websites such as Healthline and Livestrong among others.
Anything that is packaged or processed will be history from my diet; I don’t like using them anyway and in the past have given in to the temptation of convenience. No more.
As for fried foods, I don’t often eat deep-fried, or even shallow-fried; most often I put a thin layer of olive oil or butter or a mix of the two in the bottom of the pan – enough for flavor and crispy texture mainly. But I will also stop ordering fried foods in restaurants; that’s a big one, since they tend to use inflammatory oils for their frying…including, of course, deep frying.
Speaking of frying, I don’t use any inflammatory cooking oils at home as it is.
And I already avoid any foods to which I know I am sensitive.
As for foods that fight inflammation? Easy peasy! I like all of this stuff and already eat most of it. Except the fruit. Most fruit is too sweet, and I’m not a huge fan of sweet. I can try to include some low-glycemic berries and melon however, once in a while, I guess…
Will I be able to do this flawlessly and perfectly? I doubt it. However if I can get to 95/5 – or even 90/10 – I will be tickled pink! Given that I’m already doing much of this, I don’t really have that many changes to make, or that much to give up – and just a couple of things to add!
OH! And where did I find this chart that is so easy to read and follow?
Accompanying a very informative article from the highly respected Cleveland Clinic.
I can do this!
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