Review of The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan (Paperback)

Considering the inflammatory nature of the average American diet, the dietary recommendations in this book are a huge step in the right direction. Many of the health problems that are prevalent in our society are at least partially caused by inflammation (e.g. heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, arthritis). The author explains that many factors determine whether a particular food works in your body to fight or promote inflammation. Some of these factors include glycemic load, fat composition, antioxidant and vitamin content. She has created a formula that she uses to rate individual foods as to how inflammatory or anti-inflammatory they are.

About one third of the book is devoted to charts that rate individual foods. Another third is devoted to recipes and meal planning. The other third explains the factors that cause inflammation and how the diet plan works. Your goal in the diet is to make sure that all the foods you consume during a single day have an overall anti-inflammatory effect (by adding up the individual ratings of each food), and that you don't consume more than 65 grams of fat (55 grams for weight loss). It is a simple concept, but the calculations could be quite time-consuming.The information is useful even if you choose not to do the calculations.

There are some areas where I feel the author has fallen short. She doesn't mention the inflammatory xeno-estrogens in pesticides that also accumulate in animal fat. When she lists beef as an anti-inflammatory meat she doesn't mention whether she has taken into account all the hormones that are fed to cattle and end up being stored in beef fat. Surprisingly, blueberries are rated as slightly inflammatory. This seems odd since a cup of blueberries has a glycemic load of 5, which is extremely low, and blueberries contain more antioxidants than almost any other fruit or vegetable. Several other fruits and vegetables with low glycemic loads and lots of antioxidants (such as black beans) were also rated as slightly inflammatory.

Overall, there is a lot of useful information here that can be used to improve your diet and your health.Whether you have inflammation-related disease or not, this book can help you make healthy choices.

Product Description

A revolutionary diet to help you lose weight and control disease-causing inflammation

The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan will help you achieve your ideal weight--without fad dieting--while also reducing pain and allergies, slowing the aging process, and dramatically reducing your risk for dozens of medical problems. This flexible, easy-to-follow program is the ideal nutritional solution for every member of the family.

At the heart of the program is the revolutionary IF Rating system that, for the first time, tells you the inflammatory or anti-inflammatory effects of all of the foods you eat. The IF Rating integrates more than twenty different nutritional factors, including essential fatty acids, glycemic index, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds into a single rating which guides your food choices for the day.

You no longer have to worry about choosing the right types of carbs or fats, or even counting calories--the IF Rating combines all those factors into a simple, holistic system for healthy eating! And unlike other programs that focus only on carbohydrates or fats, the IF Rating system also shows you which proteins are healthy and which provoke inflammation.

It all adds up to a uniquely healthful, easy to follow diet plan that fights illness and promotes weight loss! The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan gives you:

• IF Ratings for more than 1,500 common foods, listed both alphabetically and by categories, such as "Breakfast Cereals" and "Meats"
• Self-assessments for measuring your level of systemic inflammation
• A choice of three customizable eating plans: Preventative/Maintenance, Therapeutic, and Accelerated Weight-Loss
• Three weeks worth of daily meal plans and dozens of delicious anti-inflammatory recipes

With The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan, you'll learn how to stop the silent enemy in its tracks and get started on the road to a longer, healthier, more vibrant life--today.

From the Back Cover

Praise for The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan

"Cellular inflammation is the basis for all the most common degenerative diseases that plague the majority of our population. The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan shows you exactly how to prevent--and even reverse--this deadly process."
--Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Mother-Daughter Wisdom, The Wisdom of Menopause, and Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

"Inflammation contributes to more pain, disease, and disability than any other condition. Unfortunately, many people unwittingly eat foods that greatly contribute to inflammation. This useful book explains how to eat to remain inflammation-free and healthy."
--Susan M. Lark, M.D., author of Fibroid Tumors & Endometriosis Self-Help Book and The Lark Letter newsletter

"Just what the doctor ordered! When it comes to making the latest research practical and delicious, Monica Reinagel's The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan is a healing prescription you can't beat!"
--Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., author of The Fat Flush Plan and Before the Change

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