Is Your Diet Causing Chronic Inflammation?
Keith Giaquinto
In the twenty-first century, it has become common knowledge that chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and others, are linked to chronic inflammation. This information even made it onto the cover of Time magazine in February 2004. In 2014, the Bloomberg Company, a global business, financial information, and news leader, conducted a study ranking 48 countries for efficiency of health care. The United States ranked 44 for efficiency, spending $8,895 per person per year for health care. Health insurance premiums continue to rise as the country's efficiency in health care continues to decline. If chronic inflammation isa major contributing factor to chronic disease, then what could be causing our bodies to be so chronically inflamed?
Being in practice for 13 years and working with thousands of people to improve their health, I believe that the answer to that question starts with a poor diet and weak digestion. As a nation, we no longer eat whole food. We eat food-like substances, chemicals, and genetically modified (GMO) foods that human physiology does not recognize. In addition, the greatly depleted soil in which our food is grown offers significantly less nutrients than our body needs to express health. This is why the number of servings of fruits and vegetables that experts recommend eating keeps increasing (now nine to 13 daily).
The second component is weak digestion, which can be the result of eating a poor diet. Other factors that cause weak digestion are:
• Too much stress on the body
• Subluxations
• Food enzyme deficiencies
For the purpose of this article, I want to focus more on the diet, food enzyme deficiencies, and a process called digestive leukocytosis.
Rudolph Virchow, the father of cellular pathology, described digestive leukocytosis in 1897. Nobel Prizenominee Dr. Paul Kautchakoff researched and studied Virchow's observations on why eating certain foods can result in digestive leukocytosis.
áíThis is why the number of servings of fruits and vegetables that experts recommend eating keeps increasing (now nine to 13 daily).33
Leukocytosis is a $500-word that simply means that your white blood cells increase in response to what you have eaten. Leukocytosis, or inflammation, is the body's basic defense mechanism.
Why would eating certain foods create digestive leukocytosis? Dr. Kautchakoff found that eating certain foods caused anywhere from mild to severe inflammation. The worst were man-made foods (carbonated beverages, alcohol, white sugar, flour, and vinegar),
then pressure-cooked or canned food, and finally commonly cooked food. Raw or frozen food produced no increase in white blood cell production.
What is the major difference between processed foods, cooked or canned foods, man-made foods, and raw or frozen foods? Enzymes. Cooking and processing foods destroys the enzymes needed to aid your body in digesting them. The digestive and immune systems are heavily dependent upon enzymes to do their job properly. Consistently eating a diet from which the enzymes have been removed produces more stress on the body, and in time, you have the perfect storm of weak digestion, digestive leukocytosis, and chronic inflammation. If your cells, organs, and tissues do not receive the proper nutrition to grow and repair themselves from daily wear and tear, you should expect chronic disease in your future.
What can you do?
• Minimize or, if possible, eliminate processed and GMO foods.
• Eat a balanced, whole-food diet rich in organic fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and meats.
• Make sure you chew each bite thoroughly.
• Take digestive food enzymes to support normal digestion and a normal inflammatory response.
I really don't know how I would get the results I do with my patients without using food enzyme nutrition in my practice. Food enzymes are important for the body's overall health and wellness.
For more information on seminars and food enzyme nutrition, chiropractors may call the Food Enzyme Institute at 800-662-2630 to set up an account.
Sources:
http://www. bloomberg. com/visual-data/best-and-worst/mosteffident-health-care-2014-countries
Loomis, Dr. Howard R, Enzymes: The Key to Health. Madison, 21st Century Nutrition Publishing, 1999. Print.
Dr. Keith Giaquinto has more than 12 years of f clinical experience as a chiropractor and internai health specialist. He frequently lectures to companies and groups in his community on topics of health and wellness. He has created a new patient lecture system for growing your practice through lecturing. You can contact him at www.drkeithgiaquinto.com
