Do you want to kick back a plate of Denny’s sausage, chuckling as the grease lashes your tongue, musing to yourself, “I beat you, inflammation!”
Well, Amy Myers, MD, wrote a diet book on inflammation. Her diet plan looks intriguing—until you spot her menu’s morning sausage. Sausage? Sausage gave me inflammation. Well, sausage, cola, anxiety, and Dave’s Killer Bread. (No offence to Dave. Dave’s Killer Bread is one of the healthiest, grainiest loaves on the market if you ask me.)
Let’s look at these inflammatory culprits one-by-one:
First, as for cola, the fizz left me victim to moans—more like bears’ roars—within my belly. At the movies, a suspenseful scene would silence the theater. And then I’d let a wild cola growl. Cola ate my belly wall, unleashed unstoppable zoo sounds, left me sickly and inflamed, and ensured I made no friends standing in the popcorn line.
Second, as for anxiety, Myers says stress can trigger autoimmune diseases. As background, I got stricken with severe workplace anxiety. It took me half a decade to find the cure. And then I came down with crippling inflammation. I cured that, too. Now I seek a return to full-time work. But this time, I’m battling workplace stress with fitness, superfoods, positive self-talk, and dreams of a Jane Fonda over-fifty fast.
Third, as for bread, Amy Myers says stay away from gluten. She claims gluten (like cola) is linked to leaky gut syndrome. And leaky gut syndrome (like cola) triggers inflammation. A curvy friend of mine shied away from gluten. Instead, she opted for a keto diet. “Three weeks, and I weigh the same,” she complained. I advised her to try the Mediterranean Diet. Her face scrunched. “The Mediterranean Diet makes you eat bread.” So, I said, “I don’t eat bread. Just bran and sweet potatoes. Modify the Mediterranean. But make sure you get all your nutrition.” After all, if the dog in hot dog doesn’t bite, the gluten might.
And maybe Amy’s diet might nip, too, spurring us to quit gluten, curb inflammation, and dine at Denny’s guilt-free:
Amy Myers, MD, shows how to foil inflammation in her book The Autoimmune Solution: Prevent and Reverse the Full Spectrum of Inflammatory Symptoms and Diseases:
- First, how might Amy Myer help us beat inflammation? The “pillars of the Myers Way: (1) Heal your gut, (2) Get rid of gluten, grains, legumes, and other foods that cause chronic inflammation, (3) Tame the toxins …. (4) Heal your infections and relieve your stress” (p. 151).
- Here are the specifics of “the Myers Way …. Eat immune friendly foods; take high quality supplements; heal your gut; drink lots of filtered water; get the right kind of exercise … sleep seven and a half to nine hours each night, or more if needed; support your detox path ways; detoxify your personal environment as much as possible; and reduce and/or manage your stress” (p. 155).
- Myers okays sausage, but lists “inflammatory foods to toss: corn and anything made from corn … dairy … eggs … gluten … gluten-free grains and pseudo-grains … legumes … eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes … nuts … peanuts … seeds … soy … sweetened fruit juices” (p. 183).
- Myers wans against gluten—and celiac disease: “Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition—and it is the most serious condition … associated with gluten. You could be eating up a storm—maybe even focusing on healthy foods—and you still end up malnourished because your small intestine simply isn’t absorbing nutrients and passing them into your blood stream” (p. 97).
- Myers says stress too triggers autoimmune conditions: “Studies has shown that for many autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, stress is what triggered the disease in the first place, and stress is what makes it flare up” (p. 161).
- Control your stress while you can: “Stress relieving strategies: Acupuncture … Dance … Exercise … Martial arts … Massage … Meditation or prayer … Passion … Yoga …” (p. 170).
- Lastly, here’s why the Myers Way is the right way: “Within a week, you might notice: improved concentration, mental focus, clarity … improved digestion … improved mood … improved sleep … increased energy … less fluid retention … less joint and muscle pain … regular bowel movements … resolution of skin issues … weight loss” (p. 188).
To combat stress, massaging my buff boyfriend relaxes me. I also relax doing yoga on non-workout days. I could also relax reading Amy’s diet plan while dining on Denny’s sausage, speaking carbonated-French over Coke Zeros. That is, until din-din flares into zoo din.
