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Are you struggling with chronic stomach pain, bloatedness, eczema, allergies or extra weight that just doesn’t want to budge or auto-immune flare ups that no one can give you any answers for? I am sure you are desperate and will do almost anything just for relief. The big reason why an anti-inflammatory diet are so good for you is because it speaks to the root of the problem and do not just fix the surface inconvenience, that so many prescription drugs do. This diet will give you relief wherever you are on your health journey.
My beloved sons, Prince Lion heart and Prince Christoff
I dedicate this post to you two with very good reason. Lord willing you two will some day be breadwinners for your own families. That is a huge responsibility and with that responsibility comes a lot of stress.
Also in general, men can be very picky eaters, this does not include your father, the King, thank the Lord! Being picky eaters makes it very difficult for women to try and cook healthy meals. This is a wife and mother’s responsibility and men can make it very hard for their wives.
All this to say, do set aside your picky-ness and if your wife makes and effort to cook healthy food for you, BE GRATEFUL! You can also encourage her to make more healthy food by complementing her when she does cook for you.
Take time to identify the stressors in your life. If might be your job, family matters, etc. Make set plans to work through and with those stressors to either eliminate them or pray about them and let it go. It is very important not to hold on the stress as it is proven to weigh down your body physically, mentally and emotionally.
I love you my sons, and pray for you for good health and caring wives one day, Lord willing.
What is leaky gut and why do I need to know about it?
Leaky gut is a very common condition where the intenstines become permeable because of eating habits, stress and lifestyle choices. This is a problem because this allows toxins to enter the body. The body then reacts in extreme ways to try and eliminate these toxins.
Leaky gut symptoms are:
- Chronic stomach pain
- Bloatedness
- Eczema
- Painful joints
- Allergies
- Extra weight
- Auto-immune flare ups
- Irregular bowl movements
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
Leaky gut cause the body to become inflamed and you can heal this inflammation with an anti-inflammatory diet.
Foods that cause or make inflammation worse
Milk
Sugar
Refined flour
Grains
Any food flavorings and colorings
Spicy food
Coffee
Traditional cooking oils
Stress
Stress deserves its own category because it is such an important topic. Studies shows that stress is causing just as much and even more illnesses than a poor and unhealthy diet. Take note of your stress levels and make an effort to destress.
Anti-inflammatory foods
- Bone broth
- Meat
- Neutral vegetables
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Lemons
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Fermented food
Anti-inflammatory habits
- Getting 20 minutes sunshine every day
- Breathing deeply 20 times morning and evening.
- Exercising for 20 minutes every day.
- Drinking about 2l of water per day.
- Getting 8 hours of sleep during the night.
Following an anti-inflammatory diet – basic rules
This diet is very restrictive and with a very specific goal in mind. The goal is to give your body time to heal from ‘injuries’ and when it is healed that you can reintroduce all the food groups and continue with a maintenance diet.
1) Start a food diary
- Sit down and write down all the symptoms you are experiencing, everything. Even if you believe it is not related to what you are eating.
- Write down why you are doing this diet and also your goals, what you would like to achieve at the end of this diets.
- Read through your list every 2 weeks and make notes of any changes that you are experiencing.
- Write down the date and what you are eating for the week.
- Note how you feel after waking up in the mornings, after meals and before bed in the evening,
- Note your energy level and mood.
2) Drinking 2-4 cups of broth per day.
Bone broth is very high in over all nutrients and has a healing effect on the intestines. This is crucial to incorporate in your every day diet.
3) Neutral cooked vegetables
Raw vegetables can also upset the intestines when inflamed so stay with cooked neutral vegetables like sweet potato (can eat every day and will help to satiate), pumpkin, carrots, mushrooms.
4) Eat three meals per day 4 hours apart and only eat for 30minutes
Your meals consist of broth alone or with fatty / skin on meat (the fat is also anti-inflammatory and will help to keep you satisfied with good steady energy the whole day,) wit your choice of vegetables (all cooked during the early stage of the diet)
5) Seasonings
Only with good quality sea salt, ginger, turmeric and fresh herbs.
6) Cooking oils
Cook with olive oil or bacon grease.
7) Herbal tea
Ginger tea is especially good to calm and heal an upset gut.
Chamomile is another soothing drink and a great way to end your day.
8) Drink enough room temperature water
Room temperature water might sound disgusting to some people, but, studies have shown that consuming cold food or drinks can put the stomach and digestion under a lot of stress as it has to warm the water down to body temperature before it is able to absorb and use it. So much more when your intestines are already inflamed. So if at all possible, drink only room temperature water and liquids or warmer.
| Your weight in kilograms | Milliliters of water to drink | How many glasses of 250ml to drink |
| 82kg | 2700ml | 10 glasses |
| 86kg | 2800ml | 11 glasses |
| 90kg | 3000ml | 12 glasses |
| 95kg | 3100ml | 12.5 glasses |
If you are doing intense exercise and sweat a lot, or breastfeeding you can add another 500ml of water.
When and how to re-introduce foods
Start the diet by cutting basically all foods except for broth (preferable bone broth cooked for 24 hours or longer), meat with fat from grass fed or free range animals, and neutral vegetables like squash, carrots, sweet potato (can also help to keep you satisfied) and mushrooms, for two weeks. Do not limit on bone broth, drink when ever you feel hungry or craving something sweet or starchy.
Protein, fats, carbohydrates
So this diet are focused on high protein, moderate fat and low carbohydrates. No calorie counting is necessary, except if your goal is to loose weight then it might be good to calorie count for a few days just to get used to the portion sizes.
You can expect to have bad withdrawal symptoms in the first week as coffee, sugar and starch are all things that your body will crave when deprived from it. Be sure to include sweet potato on the days when you have bad cravings.
When you can feel that your inflammatory symptoms has become less and preferably vanished, usually after two weeks, you can consider to re-introduce these next possible trigger foods one by one every two weeks.
Be very tuned in with your body for any signs of inflammation coming back. If that is the case, cut one or two of the foods introduced and wait another 2 weeks. Do not get discouraged, your body will heal in time, and then you will be able to tolerate foods from all categories.
1) Eggs
Make sure eggs are unpasteurized, fresh and coming from a trusted source with free range chicken. Be every attentive on how your body reacts when consuming eggs.
2) Fermented food
Plain yogurt with live enzymes, no sugar or flavorings.
Saurkraut
3) Nuts and seeds
Again, the skin on the nuts might be a trigger for your gut. Just listen to your body weather you can tolerate them already or not.
4) Whole grains
- Oats
- Rice
- Barley
5) Raw milk
Raw milk can be extremely healthy for your gut, but when in a inflamed state it can also be a trigger and cause you a lot of discomfort.
Important supplements when doing an anti-inflammatory diet
- Electrolytes
- Bone broth
- Collagen
- Magnesium
- Mushrooms
Conclusion, what you can expect from this diet and maintenance
With this diet you can expect to improve your quality of life exponentially.
Your symptoms should at the very least decrease or completely vanish when you follow this diet very strictly. In some cases it is possible that it can take up to 6 months to re-introduce all the foods with no inflammation indicators.
Maintenance
Follow the general guidelines of this diet
- 3 meals, 4 hours apart and only for 30minutes
- Your appropriate amount of water
- Sunlight and movement every day
- Try and eat mostly FOOD: Meat, grains, veggies, fruits, nuts and dairy.
- Keep processed foods to the minimum: bread, deep fried, stuff in a box, etc.
Be sure to stay in tuned with your body. Whenever you eat something and have a reaction, do not ignore it!
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