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Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation Wellness Series in Wyckoff, NJ

Tom Willemann |

As part of the Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation Wellness Series we are having Christine M. Okezie, Natural Foods Chef & Holistic Health Counselor will be presenting a work shop at our clinic in Wyckoff, NJ this coming May.   Look for future posts for time and date! The following an article on the Anti-Inflammatory Diet plus a recipe follows.   You can also follow her thoughts and future talks on her web site at https://www.yourdeliciousbalance.com/.

Embarking on an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Anti-Inflammatory Foods 

By Christine M. Okezie, CHHC, Natural Foods Chef

We all know inflammation on the surface of the body as local redness, warmth, swelling and pain. It is the body’s normal response to injury and infection and a major component of healing.  But when inflammation persists beyond its normal limits or is misdirected, it damages the body and causes illness.  Chronic inflammation is the root cause of many degenerative diseases including coronary heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, dementia, arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, and many cancers.
Learning how specific foods influence the inflammatory process is the best strategy for containing chronic inflammation and reducing long-term disease risks.  Unfortunately though, most Americans are making food and lifestyle choices that promote inflammation as a result of their consumption of poor quality fats, refined sugars, appetite for processed convenience foods and failure to eat protective foods, such as high fiber anti-oxidant foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
 Some Simple Changes to Cool Inflammation
Get an Oil Change – Avoid hydrogenated oils, corn oil, cottonseed oil and soybean oil, which are found in many processed junk foods. These are chemical fats that increase our risk for heart disease and cancer.  Avoid all margarines, vegetable shortening and artificial butter spreads.  Instead, use coconut oil, olive oil and grape seed oil as your main cooking oils. Enjoy cold-water oily fish like wild salmon, sardines and mackerel, which are also rich in anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fats.
Cut Your Sugar – Refined sugars are not only devoid of vitamins, anti-oxidants and nutrients but regular ingestion of sugar causes the body to become resistant to insulin’s sugar clearing effects. Since insulin promotes the storage of fats, weight gain follows.  Maintaining a healthy weight reduces inflammation.
Eat Your Fruits and Veggies: Choose green and brightly colored vegetables such as kale, spinach, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash. They are super rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and disease-fighting phytochemicals.  Whole fruits, especially strawberries and blueberries protect our cells against oxidative stress. Try to include at least one of these anti-inflammatory foods into every meal.
Try Superfoods:  Spirulina Powder, a blue green algae is a potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory supplement. Raw Cacao Powder, unprocessed dark chocolate is proven to have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.  Both can easily be added to smoothies to keep inflammation in check.
Go Nuts – Add nuts and seeds into your snacks and meals, especially walnuts, cashews, almonds, and nut butters made from these nuts. These fats boost your immune system and promote heart, brain and digestive health.
Get Less Refined – Swap out white rice, bread, bagels and pasta for high fiber grains like brown rice, quinoa, barley and millet.  These high fiber foods keep blood sugar levels stable and decrease your risk for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.
Spice It Up – Incorporate anti-inflammatory spices like turmeric, ginger, garlic and pepper.
So try incorporating some of these anti-inflammatory foods daily and cut out those toxic fats, sugars and refined grains altogether.  Your body will thank you with multiple benefits including: increased energy, natural weight loss, less chronic aches and pains, improved digestion and stronger immunity.
Anti-Inflammatory Recipe:
Delicious Green Smoothie

Yield: Make 1-2 servings

Ingredients:
4 ice cubes (eliminate if using frozen fruit)
2-3 medium strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1-2 tablespoons walnuts (can also use cashews or almonds)
3 Kale leaves (remove stalk)
2 cups baby spinach
1 medium banana
½ cup unsweetened white grape juice
½ cup water
Procedure:

  1. In a blender, add all ingredients and process until liquefied.
  2. Feel free to adjust the proportion of the ingredients to suit your taste.

**For Added Nutritional Boost add any of the following:
1 teaspoons ground flax seeds or 1 tablespoon Flax Seed Oil
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon Spirulina Powder
Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation located in the Gabriel Realty Building at One East Ridgewood Avenue in Wyckoff, NJ provides orthopedic and sports physical therapy services for the greater Ridgewood, Wyckoff, Oradell, River Edge, Westwood, Ho-ho-kus and Bergen County region.  This blog is intended for informational purposes only and should not be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. The views expressed here are the author’s views and should be taken as suggestions. Always consult your physician or healthcare practitioner before engaging in a orthopedic, cardiovascular or sports physical therapy rehabilitation program.

Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann is a premier physical therapist based out of Bergen County, New Jersey. He holds an MS in physical therapy from the University of Miami, is credentialed in the world-renowned McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), and holds an OCS (Orthopedic Clinical Specialist) certification. As of 2018, there are approximately 14,000 ABPTS certified specialists in the nation and less than 400 of them are located in the state of New Jersey. Tom is the owner and director of Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation in Paramus. He opened the clinic, which specializes in spine and sports injury prevention, in 2004 after many years of experience in the field. Tom’s caring interest in others and his strong belief in continuity of care, combined with his clinic’s ability to find solutions for the most difficult orthopedic problems, have earned Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation its excellent reputation with patients and medical professionals in northeastern New Jersey and beyond. A true “family man,” Tom takes pride in his clinic’s warm and welcoming environment.
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