All this stuff about inflammation

It's not new science but it hasn't been communicated appropriately by those in charge of public health.

It's not sufficient to say something is healthy or not healthy or to advise people to follow a 'healthy diet' if they don't know what that even looks like. A majority of people in the west have very unhealthy diets. You've only to walk around the average supermarket to see the amount of shelf space devoted to unhealthy processed foods and the relatively small space dedicated to healthy foods.

Ultra-processed foods have much bigger profit margins than healthy foods and healthy foods cost a lot more, especially for good quality. Most of the cheap vegetables available have little or no taste.

Not true. Inflammation can also be seen via MRI and ultrasound. That inflammation may or may not show up in ESR and CRP results.

Eating white bread on a daily basis (most of the population probably) is associated with a 40% increased risk of heart disease, as well as type 2 diabetes and obesity....

There isn't too much information about chronic inflammation - there's been an almost total lack of knowledge on this over the past few decades and that is now affecting hundreds of millions of people later in life.

Most white bread consumed contains lots of gluten - nearly five times as much gluten as 40 - 50 years ago. Gluten is added to make bread chewy, elastic and airy - anyone who tries gluten-free bread will immediately notice what's missing.

The problem is that humans cannot digest gluten and it causes chronic inflammation of the stomach, small intestine & liver and contributes to insulin resistance which is a major precursor to diabetes II.

Below is a good explanation of what bad bread and good bread is:

Inflammation can only be diagnosed through a blood test - ESR and CRP. I expect that 99% of this stuff online is a load of shite and the people being tested would have no “inflammation” in its true definition. Just another fad. Eat healthily and don’t go down rabbit holes of online misinformation, is my approach.

@ThirteenRoomsthat was my point. It’s not wholemeal, so part of the 20%. But fine.

Until you address that amount of Jack Daniels, the rest of it isn't really that important in the big picture.

Everything in moderation I think.

People are pushing high protein but that can have its issues too ...

No, it is not, but the key words are "frequent" and "big" I think? Are we actually disagreeing here?

It was disappointing especially given how anti-supplement she was initially. But some of the stuff she says is sensible. I am a bit overwhelmed by the earnestness that pervades all online food discussion at the moment though and feel your pain.

Frequent blood sugar spikes, like those from eating a meal high in refined carbs, lead to, you guessed it, inflammation. Refined carbs and other foods high on the glycemic index cause big and rapid spikes.

Plus, having too high a glucose level for too long can lead to insulin resistance. Then you're looking at things like metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes.

This is not new science.

If everything you ate was of that ilk, I think it would. Of course, you can have some: even a sugar-covered donut here and there is not going to wreck your pancreas in one sitting.

This is true!😂

It can be a part of a healthy diet op, but only if it is balanced out by better choices. But few people are perfect all the time.

It’s helpful for me, as I have RA, OA, and Hashimotos.

Something as innocuous as a slice of bread can flatten me, so knowing which foods cause me inflammation is useful. In my experience though, it’s different for different people.

Eating for my body is the difference between living and existing for me.

It's all so bloody boring - just eat normally and not loads of shit and most people would be absolutely fine.

Sick of hearing about this kind of thing - my friend is all over it at the moment, such a snooze fest!!

Even the Glucose Goddess says you can eat refined carbs provided you "dress" them with fibre, protein and healthy fats.

You can't just eat nothing but worthy foods topped with worthy foods. You'll go mad with deprivation and end up sitting in a pile of Mini Eggs.

But those values are only when you put it in your mouth and are only half the story.

Much of the carb that isn't listed as sugar turns very quickly to sugar after eating it. That's the difference between refined and unrefined carbs. Unrefined don't break down into glucose as quickly so don't cause spikes or act as much like pure sugar, causing the pancreas to produce loads of insulin, which in turn leads to resistance. They also have more nutrients and the fibre is also beneficial (and helps slow the digestion of them).

You have done a valiant job op. I like white carbs too, but they are not champions in the healthy eating hall of fame.

I have Hashimoto’s, and I’ve been told gluten can flare it. It is quite literally an inflammatory autoimmune condition, so for me anti inflammatory diet is important and I’m glad there’s more info out there about it. I only got diagnosed last year.