Q I want to try your anti-inflammatory diet, but I'm not sure how many servings of each type of food are desirable. Can you provide specific instructions?
A Your question is very timely because I have recently designed a food pyramid for the anti-inflammatory diet to do just that. It is now available on my Web site (www.drweil.com).
As you know, the anti-inflammatory diet can help prevent the chronic inflammation that contributes to the development of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, and other age-related disorders. It is also a cornerstone of treatment for such autoimmune diseases as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
In addition to reducing inflammation, the diet provides steady energy and ample vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and dietary fiber. If you need to lose weight, it can help with that, too, but the diet wasn't designed as a short-term plan for weight loss. Rather, it is a way of selecting and preparing foods based on scientific research that can help you achieve and maintain optimum health over your lifetime.
People are also reading…
When you look at the pyramid, you'll see that the diet steers you toward a wide variety of foods, ranging from lots of fresh vegetables and fruits (the foundation of all meals) to cooked Asian mushrooms, healthy herbs and spices, and dark chocolate as a sweet treat. It minimizes consumption of the processed and fast foods that are some of the major contributors to chronic inflammation.
If you adopt this diet, each day you'll also be eating three to five half-cup servings of whole and cracked grains, one to two half-cup servings of beans and legumes, five to seven servings of healthy fats (one serving is equal to 1 teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil or organic, expeller-pressed canola oil; two walnuts; 1 tablespoon of freshly ground flaxseed; or 1 ounce of avocado). For daily protein and omega-3 fatty acids: two to six 4-ounce servings of wild Alaskan salmon, herring, sardines and Alaskan black cod.
You'll be going easy on other sources of protein, limiting servings to one to two per week of omega-3-enriched eggs, natural cheese (1 ounce equals one serving), 8-ounce servings of dairy, and 3 ounces of poultry or skinless meat. The beverage category emphasizes tea — 2 to 4 cups of white, green or oolong teas per day — and if you drink alcohol, you can plan on a glass or two of organic red wine daily. In addition to dark chocolate, healthy treats include sorbet and unsweetened dried fruits. In the text accompanying the food pyramid, you'll find specific serving sizes for all the foods included.
I think you'll find the pyramid very easy to use. It may also introduce you to a variety of foods you haven't eaten before. Be adventurous. Try Anasazi beans, sea vegetables and bean-thread noodles, for example.
Treating a dangerous eye disease?
Q I've been diagnosed with uveitis and have been told that the only treatment is steroid eye drops. Is there anything natural I can take instead?
A Uveitis is an inflammation of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye between the retina and the outer sclera (or "white" of your eye). The uvea, or uveal tract, includes the iris and the dark, pigmented area known as the choroid, which contains the jellylike vitreous humor, as well as blood vessels that ferry blood and nutrients into and out of the eye. Uveitis can begin with redness and pain, or with painless blurring of vision. Other symptoms include light sensitivity and floaters (annoying spots or lines in your visual field). Unchecked inflammation of the uvea can lead to loss of vision and accounts for as much as 10 percent of cases of blindness in the United States.
The most common form of uveitis affects the iris, the colored part of the eye that controls the size of the pupil. Often called "iritis," this condition tends to occur along with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Uveitis also can affect the retina and the choroid. Here, in addition to autoimmunity, the cause may be an infection with the herpes virus or other germs, such as those to blame for syphilis, toxoplasmosis and tuberculosis. Sometimes, uveitis follows an injury to the eye, but in up to one-half of all cases the cause can't be determined and may be related to stress. Potential complications include glaucoma, cataracts, the growth of new, abnormal blood vessels in the affected tissue, and damage to the retina.
Antibiotics can help when uveitis is due to infections, but otherwise, conventional treatment relies on steroid eye drops to ease the inflammation, in conjunction with drops that dilate the pupils (to prevent scarring). In my opinion, steroid drops should be used for short-term therapy to reduce symptoms but not for long periods of time, as they are suppressive, not curative.
I recommend an anti-inflammatory diet consisting largely of vegetables, fruit, fish and whole grains, and suggest taking Zyflamend, a natural anti-inflammatory product from New Chapter Inc. that contains ginger, turmeric, green tea and other herbs that moderate inflammation associated with autoimmune diseases. An antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplement formulated for eye health would also be a good idea. The Weil Vision Support Formula and Ocuvite are two good choices. In addition, I urge you to try mind/body approaches such as hypnosis or guided imagery to modify abnormal immune function and promote healing. Chinese medicine may also be effective. If your symptoms include sensitivity to light, be sure to wear dark glasses.