Anti-Inflammatory Diet Part #3

Okay so I'm in the car, half spaced out on what the radio is saying but can still hear it none-the-less and I'm listening to our local Christian Station, KSBJ. They are in Nashville for the Gospel Music Awards and are interviewing different Christian artists. Big Daddy Weave had just come on and they started asking him about how his diet has been going, apparently knowing he had made a commitment to lose weight this year. They ask him how it is going and what he is doing to meet his goal.

He says that he made a goal to lose 90 pounds in '09 and it all came about from one of his songs about "what if I had given everything, instead of just going through the motions." I'm sure you may have heard this song playing on the radio it is a HUGE hit right now. Anyways his weight had always been an issue and he has struggled back and forth with it so he decided he was going to finally just do it and no more going through the motions.

So to my point...they ask him if the diet has a name that he is on and he says "Well it all about removing inflammation for your body" I cocked me head, jaw dropped and my hand immediately turned up the volume to listen INTENTLY now! He went on to tell a few things e wasn't allowed to have while on the diet and it was very similar to mine. He had even gone a step further however and was excluding most dairy products and also was trying to eat everything raw - or the closest to how God created it, in his exact words.

It was so cool and apparently he has this on his website where you can sign up to be a part of making a goal for this year to be a healthier you! Participants will have healthy recipes, wellness information and even exercise tips made available to them! There is TONS of people that have posted comments on the challenge page and I only read a few and was like WOW! You gotta check it out! And if you struggle with weight - maybe consider joining the adventure, you will never regret taking better care of your body! PROMISE!! Just click here to see Big Daddy Weave's 90 in '09 Challenge! (or click on the title)

Now to add a short blib on this post ABOUT the diet since it's been awhile I've decided to give the roughest overview possible of what the don'ts are in this way of eating! (I admit the reason it's been awhile since my last post on it is because I lent the book to one of my youth and I haven't gotten it back yet - so I feel a little lost!)

THE ANTI-INFLAMMATION DIET In a Nutshell:
- No sugar
- No starches
- No fried foods
- No breads, pastas or rice
- No potatoes, mangoes, bananas or peas
- Drink at LEAST six 8 oz. glasses f water a day! Calm down that's like 3 water bottles worth!

You may eat meats but eat mostly fish, shellfish, chicken, turkey, tofu and yes you can have a little red meat (just don't overdue it!)

Wild Atlantic Salmon is one of the BEST things you can eat for your skin!

Rules for Mealtime:
1. Eat Protein FIRST!
2. Follow with deep colored veggies or fruit
3. Make sure you have a fatty acid somewhere in your meal (avocados, nuts, flax seed, salmon, etc...)

EASY WAY TO FIGURE IF IT'S SAFE: Look it up on the Glycemic Index!! If it is under 50 it is safe. Above 50 will cause inflammation. If it causes a sugar-insulin response (hope I said that right!) then it will cause inflammation. Click Here for a GREAT site to check if something is inflammatory or not!!

Acne & Aging

If you currently struggle, or have ever struggled with, acne or signs of aging then you will WANT to read this!

When I was a Senior in High School I had already gone through a number of acne treatments and was running out of options! I had tried over-the-counter products, tried several topical treatments prescribed by my dermatologist and even gone through the UV-ray treatments driving an hour one way two times a week for them! I was exhausted and about to give up hope. My mom remembers praying to find a solution and when she was in a bookstore saw this book called the Anti-Acne Diet by Dr. Perricone.

Long story short she asked if I was willing to try a three-tiered program that included diet, supplements, and topical treatments. Now before you go whoa that's a lot of stuff - you can do it with the diet alone!! JUST by changing what you eat can drastically change the effects of acne AND aging. If you want overall better health and want to make sure it stays away the supplements (simply vitamins and minerals) and his specially formulated topical treatments which ensure it follows the guidelines of his study.

So what are the guidelines? NOTHING that is pro-inflammatory! Through his research he found that acne is actually a Systemic Inflammatory Disease. Now I will keep it in layman's terms that it simply means there are certain foods, creams, cosmetics, etc. that will cause inflammation at the cellular level. This is what actually starts the chain reaction that leads to that zit on your face. It's NOT oily skin although yes that will contribute to acne...it's NOT chocolate, lol...although yes the sugar IN chocolate is! Now yes stress, hormones, oily skin and all these things contribute to acne and aging but are not the root cause which means even when those other things still exist if you are on an Anti-Inflammatory Diet and using cosmetics that don't have pro-inflammatory components than you can keep your acne flare-ups away! Good news huh?

I wrote all that to say I went on the entire three-tiered system my senior year and by Senior Picture time was acne free and had more energy than I had ever had in my life! I felt the best I've ever felt and ever since going off of that diet have wished I could somehow get back on it! Well I was blessed that during pregnancy my hormones blessed me with acne free skin. Now with my daughter turning two a couple months ago suddenly here comes my acne again after almost four years of not dealing with it! As soon as I got a few really bad cases I asked my mom to mail me the book.

I have officially been on the Anti-Acne diet since Thursday, March 19th and my face is already almost completely clear - and may I add I am ONLY doing the diet and taking TWO of the seven supplements! I'm regaining energy that I had been depleted of lately and am starting to think more clearly and be more efficient in my work! I'm not kidding! I HAD to tell my readers about this because it is for aging too - and all the bad things that come with it (cancer, Alzheimer's, arthritis, WRINKLES, etc...)

I will be doing a series on this Anti-Inflammatory Diet and have also linked the title to Dr. Perricone's website if you would like more information right away!