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Reducing Inflammation — Diet Is the Key
And it’s not becoming a vegan or vegetarian.
It’s hard to think about diet when you’re suffering from the effects of inflammation. Whether it presents as headaches, exhaustion, brain fog, pain, or something else, I found a solution that’s not what you’re likely reading about in nutrition headlines.
I advise cutting out most carbs (if you haven’t already), and a lot of dairy, and shifting your focus to lean meat, fish, and low-carb, low-oxalate veggies. Changing my diet made a huge difference for me.
A Little History
Fifteen years ago I began a vegan diet. I only lasted about six months to a year before I added in some fish, and then organic chicken, but the years on my near-vegan diet added far too many oxalates and I began suffering from aches, pains, and an itchy, miserable skin condition. I gained weight and felt tired all the time.
Fast forward through years of internet rabbit holes, support groups, medical professionals, and the serendipitous perusal of a chat group focused on autism and oxalates, and the answer was right in front of me — I needed to reduce the amount of carbohydrates and oxalates in my diet.
Carbohydrates fueled my inflammation while creating cravings that were nearly impossible to combat. I was on a blood sugar roller coaster and it wasn’t slowing down. Next stop — diabetes.
Oxalates are additive, and tracking and paying attention to how many oxalates were in this or that, combined with the impulsivity was too much for my ADHD. Being under the daily amount necessary for my health was challenging and before long I just cut out most foods that were more than low or very low oxalate.
The result resembles a near-ketogenic diet. Not completely, but close. I keep it simple by preparing most cuts of meat in my air fryer. It took a bit of experimentation to find the perfect timing for my favorites, but I’ve got it down now.
For veggies, I usually toss shredded cabbage or romaine with a vinaigrette and top with sunflower seeds, onion, bell peppers, radishes, and cucumbers. Steamed broccoli, or cauliflower, topped with a dollop of grass-fed butter is super easy.
