Utne Reader Nov-Dec 2010 & Science News May 2010  – commentary by Anne

Air Quality, Brain Inflammation and What You Can Do About It

Two recent articles were published this year in mainstream magazines (above) to say that there is evidence in children, no less, that high density air pollution can lead to brain inflammation that impairs memory, problem solving and judgment.

All the more reason to embrace alternative fuels, cleaner mass transit and innovative cultural changes that reduce air pollution; but there’s that word again: inflammation. It seems to be at the core of so many health issues like cancer and heart disease, it’s not just about arthritic joints.

We can tackle inflammation before it grows into something diagnosable by using food as medicine and high quality supplements.

Food as Medicine Preventing Inflammation

Besides eating organic products and fresh fruits and vegetables, getting rid of chemically-laden and processed “food” such as refined or de-natured flours and sugars is a must. Do your best to find products that have simple, easy to understand ingredients. I’ve stopped eating ice cream but if I did I’d probably go for Haagen-Dazs because it has only 5 ingredients.

Nuts and beans; tofu and fermented foods, like Miso. Coconut oil, Olive oil and Sesame. Fresh herbs and seasonings like Turmeric also reduce inflammation.

Juicing. Period. Invest in an extraction juicer and you won’t be sorry. It’s one of the best ways to get immediate enzymes and alkalize your body. It takes a long time to cook a yam and then you’ve destroyed the enzymes, but it only takes a few minutes to chop it up, add an apple and juice it. The cleanup is very easy too. Juicing vegetables is sometimes my only way of getting them in my diet. And I notice results almost immediately.

Culprits

Eating out. Even healthy restaurants often offer junk food in attractive packaging or displays so be careful — just because the marketing says it’s all natural doesn’t mean they don’t use refined flour and sugar or worse, high fructose corn syrup. Be aware that many “healthy” restaurants and hundreds of packaged foods use flavor enhancers. It’s still MSG, just under a different name. If it tastes unbelievably good and you are eating WAY too much, you are probably high or there is an MSG product in the food.

Supplements

Our Quint-Essence product, a multivitamin, mineral, enzyme, pro-biotic, mixed greens and Fulvic Trace Minerals is an optimum daily supplement to help your body stop inflammation in its tracks. Tracite Fulvic Minerals and Polyelectrolyes is, bar none, a living life source of components to recharge and oxygenate your cells. And kids can take a few drops in juice daily!

See UniversalFormulas.com for more healthy supplements