“Everything Hurts… All the Time!!!”

When patients consistently come in with pain, in spite of getting great adjustments and treatment in the office, I begin to ask questions about their dietary habits. That is because one of the major causes of chronic, low-grade inflammation is poor nutrition. With all the fad diets out there, people get confused about which foods are good, and which foods are bad, or which foods will promote weight-loss, and which foods cause weight-gain. A simpler way to make healthy dietary choices, is to consider which foods cause inflammation, and which foods help prevent inflammation. Looking at it from this perspective allows one to make healthier food choices, not based purely on caloric content or counting macros, but based on the content of inflammatory or anti-inflammatory components. This process has been termed “DeFlaming,” also referred to as “The DeFlame Diet.” These concepts were introduced by my nutrition professor in chiropractic school, nutrition guru, Dr. David Seaman. If you’re a science nerd, like me, you may want a copy of his book, “The DeFlame Diet".  Below, I will hit on some of the key points outlined in his book, which can help you “deflame,” and live a healthy and pain-free life.

#1) Out with the Bad! In with the Good! - Almost two-thirds of the calories in the typical American diet come from sugar, flour, and refined omega-6 seed oils (vegetable, canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, peanut, etc.). These calories are inflammatory, and should be avoided. They should instead be substituted with calories from anti-inflammatory foods. When we compare foods that are inflammatory to those that are anti-inflammatory, we see that we actually have more options when “deflaming.” Inflammatory foods include: refined sugars, refined grains, grain flour products, trans fats, and the aforementioned omega-6 seed oils. Anti-inflammatory foods include: vegetables, leafy greens, fruits, grass-fed meats and wild game, wild-caught fish and shellfish, free-range chicken and eggs, roots and tubers (potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes), nuts, omega-3 seeds (hemp, chia, flax), dark chocolate (>60% cacao), spices, olive oil, coconut oil, butter and ghee (preferably from grass-fed cows), avocado, bacon (preferably uncured), red wine and stout beer, and coffee & (green) tea.

#2) What about Meat? - Research does not support the idea that consumption of meat is associated with chronic disease. However, if one is to eat meat, he or she should choose from the meats mentioned above. The level of inflammation from feedlot and grain-fed animal products is practically negligible, when balanced by consumption of larger amounts of vegetation, and we avoid the refined sugars, flours, and oils.

 #3) DeFlaming for Life - The goal is to not treat this diet like a fad; instead, treat it like a lifestyle. American culture is engulfed by advertisements and subliminal suggestions to consume inflammatory foods. The refined sugars, flours, and omega-6 oils create a response in the pleasure center of our brains, and we can literally become addicted to the “dietary crack,” as Dr. Seaman calls it. The best way to hold yourself accountable is to actually measure the markers of inflammation. Some of these markers can only be measured through blood analysis, which we now offer at our Durham Chapel Hill Chiropractic Partners office in the form of BrainSpan.

#4) Don’t Beat Yourself Up - A good follow-up to the last point, is to make sure you do not beat yourself up if you fall off the “DeFlame wagon.” With our high-paced lifestyles and the abundant availability of “dietary crack,” it is nearly impossible to completely avoid inflammatory foods. So the best thing to do, is if you find yourself on the last slice of a large pizza or at the bottom of a pint of ice cream, just shake it off, and try to get back on track with deflaming ASAP. None of us are perfect, but we can all strive to be better.

#5) Support - Other than actually measuring the markers of inflammation, another way to keep yourself accountable is to surround yourself with people who support you, and your dietary choices. If you are wondering about the nutrition content of a particular food item, the SELF Nutrition Data website has all that information on almost any food you can think of!  For more information or a consultation to discuss this nutritional plan, make an appointment with me HERE!

By: Dustin Houser, DC

Chiropractic Partners office of Dr. Michael Krasnov

3319 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd

Resources:  The Deflame Diet, Dr. David Seaman

Durham, NC