Anti-inflammatory Diet for Better Recovery

If I didn't go to school to learn about physical therapy, I'm almost certain I would have gotten a degree in nutrition. Actually, rehab and nutrition are very closely related since what you eat can directly effect your recovery and progress. In an ideal world, all of my patients and clients would eat an anti-inflammatory diet and I have no doubt that they would have increased performance, faster healing times, and more energy. But since nobody likes to be told what to eat, all I can do is gently educate, provide them with resources, and wait for them to approach this lifestyle on their own. And of course, lead by example!

Some readers may identify this as a "paleolithic diet". Since labels can get messy, I prefer to just call it EATING REAL FOOD. A good rule of thumb is that if Mother Nature didn't create it, you probably shouldn't be eating it.

Eat:
MEAT.
Poultry, fowl, beef, seafood, pork, game meat, whole eggs, etc. All of these are accessible in nature. Less desirable options may include perservative-free deli meat, canned fish (tuna, salmon, sardines, crab, etc.), or nitrate-free bacon. Invest in the HIGHEST quality meat you can afford. Quality meat means GRASS-FED, PASTURE-RAISED, and LOCAL. If this isn't possible, at least opt for ANTIBIOTIC/HORMONE-FREE options. The lowest selection would be grain-fed, industrial animals. (And for you really stingy folks, no, slim jims and pork rinds do not qualify as "meat".)

NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES.
Broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, spinach, kale, lettuce, turnip greens, mustard greens, squash, zucchini, onions, cucumbers, radishes, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, swiss chard, mushrooms, etc.

STARCHY VEGETABLES.
beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter/summer squash, pumpkin, etc

FRUITS.
apples, grapes, pears, melon, berries, peaches, plums, nectarines, bananas, kiwi, citrus, tomatoes, etc.

FATS.
coconut (meat, oil, butter, milk, etc.), clean* lard, butter, ghee, olives (olive oil), avocado, omega-3 fish oils.


Avoid:
SOY.
Including tofu, edamame, soybean oil.

LEGUMES.
Beans (including black/white peas, chick peas, peanuts/peanut butter, etc.) Green beans and lima beans are acceptable.

GRAINS/GLUTEN.
Gluten is a wheat protein that is highly inflammatory. Grains include barley, wheat, rye, bulgar, quinoa, rice, corn. That also means no pasta, cookies, crackers, bread, flour.

INDUSTRIAL SEED OILS.
This includes soybean oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, sesame oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, etc.

SUGAR.
High fructose corn syrup, agave, syrup, honey, coconut sugar, raw sugar, etc.

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS.
aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin, sucralose.

 

Sample Menu (Female):

Breakfast: 1 cup coffee, 2TBS coconut milk
3-4 eggs, scrambled in 1TBS butter/coconut oil

 

Lunch: roasted pork chop (palm-sized)
3-5 cups fresh salad w/ 2TBS olive oil/balsamic vinegar

 

Snack: 1 small apple
10-20 almonds

 

Dinner: pan-seared steak (palm-sized)
2-3 cups broccoli topped with 1 TBS butter

 

Sample Menu (Male):

Breakfast: 1 cup coffee, 2 TBS coconut milk
4 scrambled eggs with pan-browned, ground beef (palm-sized)

 

Lunch: chicken breast (two palm-sized portions)
3-5 cups spinach and garlic sauted in 2 TBS butter

 

Snack: 20 almonds
2 hard-boiled eggs

 

Dinner: chuck roast slices, from crockpot (two palm-sized portions)
3-5 cups fresh salad w/ 2TBS olive oil/balsamic vinegar

 

 

Need More? Check my BLOG ROLL, or check out the following books:

The Paleo Solution - Robb Wolf

The Primal Blueprint - Mark Sisson

The Primal Blueprint Cookbook

It Starts With Food - Melissa & Dallas Hartwig

The Paleo Diet - Loren Cordain

The Paleo Diet Cookbook - Loren Cordain