Every Monday, Série Limitée gives the floor to a well-being expert. This week, Catherine Malpas, nutritional strategy coach and naturopath, sheds light on the foods to favor to limit the phenomenon of inflammation of the digestive system.
The first instinct before starting an anti-inflammatory diet is to understand what inflammation is and the role it plays in weight gain. Our body has its first line of defense: physical defenses, such as the impermeability of the epidermis and mucous membranes, chemical defenses such as tears or sweat, and biological defenses with our intestinal microbiota. A second line of defense is operational to counter any intrusion into the body: this is the inflammatory reaction, after an injury, a bite, a sting (swelling, redness, etc.). Inflammation is a normal and even vital response of our body, to protect us against all attacks. The body defends itself with its symptoms (pain, redness, swelling, feelings of heat, etc.). When the danger is averted, the inflammation stops and everything returns to normal. Where things go wrong is when this safety mechanism starts to go off the rails. The inflammation then becomes chronic, the body can no longer put an end to it spontaneously. Unbalanced food, repeated stress, lack of physical activity, insomnia, fat gain, vitamin and mineral deficiency, ultra-processed foods and their share of toxic substances will damage the intestinal mucosa, moving us from acute inflammation to chronic inflammation.
The solution to counteracting inflammation is found in our diet. In 95% of cases, we gain weight because our body is malfunctioning. When the increase in fat mass is no longer controlled, there is a disturbance of the regulatory systems. Repeated insulin spikes then force us to eat more and more sugar, altering the gut microbiota and further weakening the immune system. It defends itself and triggers inflammation: our intestinal bacteria provide 80% of our immune defences. These bacteria are also responsible for transforming food, digesting it and improving metabolism, otherwise we will have more difficulty controlling our weight. A healthy and balanced intestinal flora promotes the elimination of fat. And our diet obviously influences the quality of our intestinal flora. Diet is a major cause of chronic inflammation and therefore also a point of possible improvement and reversal of the process. Neutralizing inflammation thus makes it possible to restore a healthy metabolism, favorable to health and essential for regaining and maintaining a fair weight.
Pro-inflammatory foods, to be banned or severely limited:
· French fries and all fried foods.
· Sodas and other sugary drinks.
· Refined carbohydrates (white bread and pastries). It is difficult to do without them even if we know how harmful they are to health. In the 1900s, the French consumed an average of 2.4 kg of sugar/year compared to 50 kg today! In addition to being addictive, sugar is a real poison and its effects are even more harmful in women. It attacks collagen fibers, which makes us age faster. It causes greater permeability of the intestine (less energy, more fatigue and depression because less serotonin). It makes us gain bad fat, so less muscle and more cellulite. The more fatty and sweet a food is, the more addictive and inflammatory it is.
· Saturated fats. Contained in fatty dairy products (butter, fresh cream, cheese, lard, etc.), they are also found in certain tropical vegetable oils (palm oil) and in food products such as pastries or cold cuts. Good fats (lipids) are essential for good health because they help the body function better. They contribute to the regulation of body temperature, to the structure and proper functioning of our cells, especially those of the brain. But not all fats are created equal! Fatty acids are classified into three families: unsaturated, saturated and trans. Unsaturated fatty acids are the guarantors of a balanced diet. For saturated and trans fatty acids, beware, danger: they promote cholesterol deposits in the arteries and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
· Processed and ultra-processed foods. All prepared meals, frozen or not, industrial breads and pastries, crisps, pizzas, biscuits, chocolate bars, appetizer biscuits, instant soups, sodas, packaged snacks, cereal bars, chicken nuggets, breaded fish…, the list is a long time when we know that these everyday foods represent 80% of the supply in supermarkets. Rich in highly inflammatory “trans” fats, these hydrogenated fats were created by the food industry because they are more stable and easier to use than natural fatty acids. They should represent less than 2% of the fat ingested.
· Meat, especially red meat. Inflammatory food par excellence, it is rich in iron, which is a powerful accelerator of this phenomenon and growth factor of undesirable bacteria in the colon. Red meat and cold cuts are directly associated with an increased risk of cancer.
Anti-inflammatory foods, to be absolutely preferred:
· Fruits, raw vegetables and seasonal organic vegetables harvested when ripe (without toxins and low in lectins).
· First cold-pressed olive and avocado oils.
· Oilseeds (walnuts, hazelnuts, skinless almonds, etc.).
· Organic fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, etc.).
Par Catherine Malpas