A: The World Health Organization says that chronic disease is the greatest threat to human health -- and chronic inflammation causes or promotes many chronic diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, heart, liver and kidney disease, osteoarthritis, dementia, a lousy sex life and depression.
What is chronic inflammation? It's a welcome immune system response when it's KO'ing an infection or helping repair an injury. But sometimes the body can't turn it off, because of internal provocateurs like obesity and persistently high glucose levels, because the immune system goofs and thinks healthy tissue is a foreign invader, or when there's an immune response to an environmental toxin.
One way to protect yourself from chronic inflammation is to shed excess weight -- the leading cause of arthritis -- and choose your foods wisely. The Arthritis Foundation says that regularly eating sugar; saturated fat; trans fats; omega-6s (in sunflower, safflower, soy, sesame, and corn oils); refined carbs; MSG; gluten (in wheat, barley and rye); casein (in dairy products); aspartame; and alcohol fuels chronic inflammation.
On the other hand, Harvard Health says that eating 1.5 to 2 cups a day of fruit cools chronic inflammation and reduces your risk for chronic disease.
-- Berries contain fiber, vitamin C, and phytochemicals like anthocyanins and ellagic acid that may help lower the risks of heart disease, Alzheimer's, and diabetes.
-- Apples -- along with pears -- lower the risk of diabetes, heart and cerebrovascular disease and diabetes according to observational studies.
-- Stone fruits -- including cherries, peaches, and plums -- deliver vitamin C, potassium, and phytochemicals associated with their colors. They tamp down inflammatory, gene-damaging free radicals.
So, paint your plate with a variety of colorful fruits (and veggies). And check out the iHerb.com blog, "7 Anti-Inflammatory Foods and Supplements You Should Know."
Q: I always eat when I am upset or stressed. That's often these days between work and family issues. I feel terrible about it. How can I stop (when I enjoy it so much)? -- Shelley P., Indianapolis
A: Emotional eating is a common response to stress, anxiety and feeling blue. And because it has nothing to do with being hungry, it adds extra calories to your day -- increasing the risk for obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. The American Psychological Association reports that more than a third of adults say that they've overeaten unhealthy foods because of stress in the last month. We think it's more common than that -- a year ago, 37% of Americans rated their mental health as only fair or poor -- and many folks say they expect to be more stressed this year.
How can you know if you are engaging in emotional eating? Ask yourself: How often do I eat between meals? How often do I keep eating even if I am not hungry? Do I fixate on the pleasure I get from specific foods? Are there certain times -- or people -- that trigger emotional eating? Do I feel shame or guilt after I enjoy an extra treat?
If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, you may benefit from talking about your feelings to a close friend (having a posse always improves your health); taking a stress-management class; talking with a therapist; and engaging in exercise and meditation. It's also important to not judge yourself harshly for emotional eating.
Cleveland Clinic's psychologist, Dr. David Creel says, "When we're able to show ourselves a bit of grace and self-compassion, we can say, 'Hey, although I'm not happy I did this, I [can] look at some of the factors that maybe led to it, and I can change [them] in the future.'
Your self-awareness is a major first step, Shelley. And, by the way, the relatively new GLP-1 and GIP weight-loss drugs may help, too.
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).
King Features Syndicate