The connection between inflammation and heart disease, arthritis, and other chronic ailments has become increasingly clear. Many food allergies and poor dietary choices over stimulate the immune system and cause inflammatory responses that erode the body’s wellness and pave the path for ill health. Based on her naturopathic practice, Jessica Black has devised a complete program for how to eat and cook to minimize and even prevent inflammation and its consequences. The first part of the book explains the benefits of the anti-inflammatory diet with an accessible discussion of the science behind it. The second half contains 108 recipes. The author offers many substitution suggestions and includes a healthy ingredient tip with each recipe. Most of the dishes can be prepared quickly and easily by even novice cooks. A week of sample menus for summer months and another for winter are included, as well as a substitutions chart, allowing readers to modify their favorite recipes to in...
Customer Reviews:
1 of 1 found this review helpful:
Wonderful book!, 2008-06-11
I got this book from the library, but loved it so much I bought it! I have an intolerance to wheat, and the recipes (especially the breads) look so easy and delicious. I have begun to incorporate more flax and fish after reading the book, and I feel great. I am hopeful it will make a big difference in my health and the health of my family.
3 of 3 found this review helpful:
Pain Relief from a diet? It's working for me!!, 2008-06-03
None of my doctors thought a "diet" would control the chronic pain in my hips due to inflammation of the bone marrow. For 2 1/2 years I have been suffering with chronic pain, mostly in my right hip and sometimes my lower back.
I have read other Anti-Inflammatory books before. Other books are good at convincing you that inflammation exists and shows medical backing on it's link to most diseases including cancer, diabetes, and obesity. This book cuts to the chase as if you have done most of your homework and provides a simple way to eat complete with recipes and a chart. This book to some people might seem scary because it is the strictest as far as food allowances but the payoff is immeasurable...and it is working for me! Many of the foods I was eating were what we considered healthy but they were toxic for my inflammatory condition.
I would recommend this book if you are serious about fighting inflammation. It has the recipes using their suggested best ingredients....nlike other books which allow sugar and flours, peanut products and alcohol. It is easy to rule these out and be strict for some time knowing you might solve your inflammation problem once and for all! After you give this diet a fair shot you can modify your diet based on how you feel.
I am full of gratitude for the simplicity of your research and this book. And more happy that I will NOT be facing the surgeon's knife or any synthetic drugs of any kind. Along with this diet and a juice recommended to me for inflammation...I am thankful for my health and my husband thinks I'm just about a different person!!
3 of 3 found this review helpful:
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! , 2008-05-09
The association between chronic inflammation and disease has been revealed and is continually supported by research studies. Naturopathic practitioner, Jessica Black, has identified foods to eat and foods to avoid that will keep us from unnecessarily over stimulating our immune systems and causing unhealthy, disease-provoking inflammatory responses.
The book begins by explaining why an anti-inflammatory diet is beneficial, providing scientific support. The book continues with what foods to eat and what foods to avoid, as well as 108 recipes. There is also a week of sample menus for summer months and one for winter months. The recipes use anti-inflammatory foods while excluding common allergens and inflammation-promoters.
An anti-inflammatory diet should emphasize pineapple, most fruits (though limiting citrus), vegetables, garlic, ginger, turmeric, flaxseed oil, nuts (not peanuts), seeds (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower), flaxseed oil, olive oil, and filtered water. Additional good food choices include: flaxseeds, avocados, fish (salmon, cod, haddock, halibut, mackerel, sardines, tuna, trout), whole grains (amaranth, spelt, barley, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal, quinoa, basmati, brown rice, rye), legumes, beans (black, pinto, navy, mung), split peas, curry, and tofu (or better choice fermented tempeh or miso.) Inflammation-promoters include wheat products, dairy products, corn, peanuts and peanut butter, sugar, fried foods, foods containing hydrogenated oils, processed foods, alcohol, juice, coffee, caffeinated teas and sodas, potatoes, tomatoes, pork, nonorganic eggs, shellfish, and citrus fruits (except lemon).
Dr. Black also has many healthy hints such as:
For cooking use Coconut oil rather that Canola oil, which is toxic.
Choose yams and sweet potatoes rather than potatoes and tomatoes.
Avoid wheat.
Choose fermented soy products such as tempeh and miso rather than tofu.
Avoid shellfish such as shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, and mussels.
Limit citrus except lemon.
Limit dried fruit
Use quinoa to thicken soup rather than oats.
Use split peas, barley, or navy beans rather than lentils.
This book is full of information in this important area of inflammation and disease. Highly recommended! A great companion book which has similar foods to emphasize and avoid and that is exceptional for weight loss is THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams.
0 of 0 found this review helpful:
Wonderful!, 2008-04-18
This book is wonderful. It was a quick read. Although very strict if followed to the letter, I have been alternating recipes in one per day, and have been very pleased with the recipes so far.
Each recipe has nutrition information, quick, easy directions, substitutions (lots of them!), and healthy tidbits about the ingredients. It is very informative, and a wonderful book to start your healthy-cooking recipe collection.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone suffering from food allergies.
5 of 5 found this review helpful:
wheat free diet, 2008-03-21
This book is about 1/3 diet advice and 2/3 recipes. Since the author advocates eliminating wheat from your diet, there are a number of wheat free recipes that might benefit those who are truly unable to tolerate this grain. Recipes all focus on healthy eating. The author takes the approach that since some people might be allergic to wheat, dairy, corn, peanuts, tomatoes, potatoes and a few other things, these foods should all be eliminated from the diet. This seems rather radical but if you are in poor health and suspect your diet might be the cause, the possibility of food allergy or intolerance is worth considering. It wouldn't be harmful to eliminate these potential problem foods for a few weeks to see if your health improves. But there is no reason to maintain such a rigid path of food avoidance if you aren't allergic to any of these foods -- many of which can be quite healthful. The author also jumps on the canola-conspiracy-theory bandwagon. If you like conspiracy theories, you'll be pleased with this book. Look up "canola oil" on any Urban Legend web site and see what this is about. If you want some good recipes and you can pick through the nutritional advice to find what suits you, you would do OK with this book.
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