All this stuff about inflammation

[ThirteenRooms]

To be getting a bit sick of it?
I eat very healthy, although not perfect. I don't buy ultra processed stuff and am physically fit and healthy to my knowledge.

I'm in a few recipe communities online and this week mentioned my quick and easy homemade organic flatbreads. I use organic white flour, extra virgin olive oil, water and a pinch of salt.
I've been told more than once that the white flour will give me chronic low grade inflammation. I eat them several times per week with hummus, salad, med veggies, fish and often with fermented sides (not all together!).

From what I am told, it isn't crazy influencers spreading this info, it's accepted science. I did a bit of googling and studies were mixed, but I do think this is going over the top a bit, and my gut can handle an occasional white bloody carb.

I mean, how would I even know if the flatbread gave me chronic inflammation? I feel fine??? I know that inflammation exists, and I am aware that diet can contribute to it, but isn't this going a bit far?

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

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

I would like to reduce that but 10 units max per week is not over the recommended limit, unless we are of the belief that no alcohol consumption is safe (which it likely isn't, but there we are).

Please don't suggest my consumption is outrageous when it is clearly not.

What about quinoa? (not with jack daniels)

I am tempted to try some as not really had interest before. I would love to try a grain medley with barley, lentils, quinoa etc.

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.

I wondered about that, and like many readings it might go up and down or alter over time, like the gut biome. We just don't know enough.

I imagine chronic inflammation is different and might reveal itself in certain diagnoses?

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:

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

Well it's looking decidedly bleak for my flatbreads :(

Theyre only a bit larger than my palm!

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.

Most of the cheap vegetables available have little or no taste.

I haven't been able to locate decent tomatoes in years. They look ok, but are underwhelming unless home grown (we have a friend who grows them but only occasionally).
I must admit though that we have recently been making roasts with artichoke, 3 colour carrots, peppers, fennel, courgette and mushrooms and they most definitely taste delicious! Most are from tesco but some from riverford.

I know that veg is phenomenal in the Med, which is a bit depressing. I dream of Italian tomatoes.

They are fine op if you have no gluten intolerances, are not diabetic etc.

But it's just about being realistic that they lie in the 20 percent "not ideal" portion of an 80/20 kind of diet.

Sorry to jump in … you mentioned freezing them. How do you defrost and reheat them? Do they reheat well?

I have fibromyalgia and carbs of any description apart from veggies make my pain much worse. I am far better just eating meat. I don’t- but on keto I’m pain free.

A lot of this is orthorexia dressed up with partial and dubious science. As PPs have pointed out inflammation is part of the body’s natural process. Unless its associated with an autoimmune condition or another health issue it’s very normal and not something you could or should use food to “control”.

The hysteria over refined grains is really off the scale too. Everyone knows that subsisting on a diet of white carbs isn’t healthy for many reasons but the idea that they are some sort of toxin which needs to be eliminated is just bad science.

Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and not too much refined food. The basics have not changed despite what the wellness cranks will tell you.

Interestingly my friend with RA was told by her Harley Street rheumatologist not to eat tomatoes. When I mentioned it to my NHS consultant she fell about laughing.

When I was a lot heavier I was constantly tested for diabetes. I don't have it because I eat a mostly vegetarian diet. As I don't eat sweet foods or drink alcohol I hope not to develop it.

I lost the majority of my weight in 22/23 and have kept it off.

I allow them to cool then place them in a freezer bag separated by baking sheet squares. I warm/defrost them either in the toaster, under the grill or in a pan for a few mins. Yes they reheat very well and quickly. I don't use the recommended 3 tbs of olive oil but do spritz some in the pan when making them. The taste is lovely, reminiscent of italian panini (but flat!).
As for warming back up in toaster, don't actually 'toast' them, just defrost. A few mins under grill or in over same effect.

I don't use the yoghurt method, it never worked well for me - just flour, oil, salt, water and baking powder (3/4 of a tsp).

...

As for inflammation, there's just too much conflicting (not to mention varied personal opinion) online to make sense of it. Much of this info is commodified and off-putting for that reason. I will stick with listening to my own body and consulting with my GP when needed.

I am sorry to hear so many MNers suffer auto immune issues and can't enjoy carbs. I do love them in moderation and they really assist in an active lifestyle. I eat fairly low sat fat (out of preference) and am really comfortable with my diet, so will just see how I get on with my flatbreads going into the future!

Thanks everyone:)

As I wrote above I am thankfully pain free and doing my best via diet etc.

However I have developed a histamine issue called Urticaria, which is basically itchy hives appearing all over my body, often at night.
An anti histamine does the trick but it is driving me mad.

Anyone ever deal with this?

Tomatoes are part of the nightshade family and some people do have to avoid them because they trigger difficulties with RA.

@notnorman I tried a month off the toms but no different, ditto potatoes.
My readings are too high to respond to anything other than the big guns!

A tiny minority of people may have an obsession with eating pure food but not the general population.

Chronic inflammation is considered a primary, underlying driver of most major modern diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and autoimmune disorders.

Sugar is one of the leading causes of chronic inflammation and our consumption of sugar has increased significantly over the past few decades (since the fifties in the US and since the seventies in the UK which is why the obesity crisis hit Americans one generation before us).

In the 1950s, 1% of Americans (<5 million people) had type 2 diabetes.
Last year, more than 40 million Americans had type 2 diabetes.

In the 1950s approximately 5% of Americans had fatty liver disease but now 1 in 3 adult Americans is affected and 1 in 10 children.

Chronic inflammation is killing us and knocking years off young people's life expectancy compared to the previous generation.

Sugar makes us age faster.

I remember listening to some dermatologists years ago on the radio whom said sugar was second to fags for aging skin.
I had a serious chocolate habit at the time.

:( sorry to hear that x

Makes you wonder how anyone ever survived 100 and 1 million years ago.

You can follow all the advise and still become unwell so... enjoy the cake.

Your second comment I agree with.

Your first comment I can answer: they used different varieties of grains prepared and processed in different ways. That's the point.