I posted a while back that husband dear grudgingly agreed is trying out an anti-inflammatory diet. He had been having severe muscle pain in one leg, as well as numbness and tingling in his fingertips.

After three weeks, he successfully gave up Coca-Cola (a love affair that lasted for years) and actually lost 5 pounds! (This is not a weight loss diet, so that was a happy side effect!) Also, his limp is gone.

Here are the bare bones of the plan:

Eat:
Low fat or no-fat dairy, esp. cultured dairy
soy products (tofu, edamame, tempeh)
fish (esp. sardines and salmon)
avocados
nuts
whole grains
green leafy veggies
sweet potatoes
root vegetables (parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, etc.)
fresh or frozen veggies (not canned)
berries
pumpkin seeds
flax seeds
canola oil
olive oil

Avoid:
corn oil
High Fructose Corn Syrup
fried foods
hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats
trans fats
canned food (except tomatoes)
peanuts
White, floury potatoes (small waxy potatoes are okay)
artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or saccharin
artificial colors
MSG
Lunchmeat, hotdogs containing nitrates and nitrites

Cut back on:
Red meat (unless very lean)
White flour
White sugar
White rice
Basically, refined grains and carbs.
Corn and peas

Drink:
water
green tea
unsweetened fruit juices

If no improvement after a month, eliminate fruits and veggies from the Nightshade family - eggplant, potatoes, and tomatoes.

Supplements we are using:
Vitamin C (1000 mg)
Vitamin E (400 IU, natural mixed tocopherols)
Selenium (200 mcg)(works with vitamin E)
Fish oil
Aspirin (81 mg.)
Ginger

Other supplements recommended:
Turmeric (aka curcurmin)
CoQ10 (60-100 mg with largest meal)
Alpha lipoleic acid 100-400 mcg.
Folic acid (400 mcg)
Vitamin D (no iron formula) 1000 IU

Recommended proportions for men:
40-50% carbs
30% fat
20-30% protein

I'm not so nifty as to plan out what percentage of carbs each meal has. We just try to follow the guidlines. I bought a bag of pre-frozen chicken breasts and make those for his lunch if we don't have leftovers.

Sample Day for husband dear #1:
Breakfast:
Simple Harvest hot cereal (so good!)

Lunch:
Grilled chicken breast (we've got a little George Foreman grill)
Topped with garlic and diced tomatoes
Brown rice
Leftover veggies like broccoli, spinach, etc.

Dinner:
Lentil enchiladas
Spanish rice (brown rice again)
Beans (Well, I serve them but he doesn't really eat them.)

Snacks:
Red pepper, green pepper sticks
Orange
Tangerine
Golden delicious apple
Mango
Cucumber/Onion summer salad
Zipfizz Energy drink (these are a powder I get at Sam's Club. It's better than Coke and actually full of vitamins thrown in with the caffeine.) (Then again, anything is probably better than Coke!)

Sample #2:
Breakfast
Orange (He doesn't eat breakfast. This is probably the hardest change for him.)
Blueberry Muffin (I figured out how to make a tasty, healthy one with less than half a gram of fat in each one. It does have sugar, though.)

Lunch:
Whole wheat pita, spread with Laughing Cow Garlic cheese
3 oz. turkey lunchmeat (all natural, no nitrates) (Holy Cow! That stuff is expensive!)
Baby spinach leaves, red onions.

Dinner:
Stir fry (tofu)
"Fried" rice with veggies (using a little sesame oil) (I've learned that brown rice doesn't really make a good fried rice, but he likes the mix ins and change from plain steamed brown rice.)

Snacks:
The same! Fruits and veggies. Yes, he'll eat 5-6 pieces of fruit per day. Also cheese sticks are popular. He loves cheese, and a cheese stick has great portion control.

We've started eating 3-4 non-meat meals a week, which is so hard for him as he's definitely a carnivore. He's trying hard!

Labels: cooking, health, therapeutic diet