2 Inflammatory Foods to Avoid, According to a Naturopath

While there are no “bad” foods, certain foods can definitely cause sensitivities or issues with digestion. And, some foods can even contribute to inflammation. “Chronic, systemic inflammation is a serious health concern that can be made worse—or better—with diet,” states John Hopkins Medicine.

But which foods are the most inflammatory? Yohan Mannone, a France-based naturopath specializing in micronutrition has some ideas. So many, in fact, that he recently wrote a book called My Anti-Inflammatory Diet in which he details the healthy lifestyle changes and anti-inflammatory foods he ate that enabled him to overcome a chronic illness.

In the book, he also discloses a list of inflammatory foods he recommends avoiding, two of which recur systematically: “There are as many good ways of eating as there are human beings, so it’s impossible for me to prescribe a single plate valid for everyone,” he says. “On the other hand, we now know that certain types of food are inflammatory, especially if they are not of high quality. It is therefore preferable to avoid them.” Below, a few excerpts from his book in which he explains more.

Two foods that increase inflammation

“Gluten is a substance found in cereals such as wheat, barley, rye, spelt and kamut, and therefore in all their derivatives: pasta, bread, cookies, cakes, semolina and pastries. Gluten is a mixture of two types of plant protein: prolamine and glutenin, combined with starch to form the protein reserve in the grain of certain cereals, notably wheat (80%). Its elastic structure makes it a very interesting sticky substance for bread-making. It is these properties that enable gluten to improve flour baking and make bread puffy.

“Why is this a problem? The meteoric rise in cases of gluten allergy and intolerance over the last 30 years is hardly surprising, given that today’s wheat is nothing like that of our ancestors. Comprising 42 pairs of chromosomes instead of the original 14, the DNA of modern wheat has been artificially modified. In particular, the agricultural industry has crossed several forms of wheat to increase yields. Genetic modification of wheat has made it more efficient for industry, but less digestible for humans. As a result, the food concerned cannot be sufficiently digested (broken down by our enzymes), causing a great deal of intestinal damage: bad bacteria are fed, resulting in dysbiosis (imbalance of the microbiota). What s more, exposure to gluten, and therefore to its famous ‘alpha-gliadin’ molecule, increases the production of zonulin, a protein that promotes the stretching of the intestine s tight junctions at the intestinal level.This creates the phenomenon of intestinal hyperpermeability, transforming the intestine into a veritable sieve.

“However, with the exception of people with celiac disease who have a radical intolerance to gluten, eliminating it completely and permanently does not necessarily seem desirable (and is often a source of anxiety). However, given the presence of numerous substances harmful to the intestinal sphere, I recommend limiting gluten as much as possible, especially modern wheat. Instead, opt for more easily digestible gluten sources: choose breads made with einkorn, an ancient wheat, and preferably natural sourdough. Sourdough fermentation acts as a pre-digestion of gluten, making it more easily assimilated.”

“Lactose is the carbohydrate (milk sugar) composed of glucose and galactose. Normally digested by the body with an enzyme called ‘lactase’, this sugar breaks down into lactic acid to feed the healthy bacteria in our intestinal microbiota. However, in adulthood, many people no longer have the capacity to produce this enzyme. Naturally present in infants to enable them to digest their mother’s milk, lactase production diminishes over the years until it becomes scarce/disappears. As a result, the body can only tolerate a certain quantity of lactose, which differs from one individual to another. This is known as lactose intolerance. Consumed in excess and not broken down by enzymatic activity, lactose will ferment and cause digestive problems, inflammation and numerous symptoms (skin disorders, rhinitis, sinusitis, migraines, concentration problems, joint pain...).

“However, lactose intolerance does not mean you have to do without dairy products altogether. Some hard cheeses (Emmental, Gouda, Parmesan, Gruyère, etc.) contain very little lactose, as do ‘lactose-free’ dairy products, making them potentially more easily digestible and therefore less harmful to those with lactose intolerance.

“Casein is the protein most commonly found in dairy products. It is considered an allergenic protein which, when not recognized by the body, triggers an immune reaction, intestinal porosity and histamine secretion. Considered in naturopathy as a ‘glue’ that settles on the intestinal mucosa and limits the assimilation of micronutrients, casein appears, in numerous studies, to be associated with numerous health disorders: gastrointestinal and joint inflammation, Type 1 diabetes, chronic digestive disorders, neurological disorders... But not all caseins are created equal! Casein is the major group of milk proteins, and exists in two forms. Beta Al casein comes from the milk of cow breeds that have undergone genetic cross-breeding to increase their productivity. This Al casein, largely present in mass-market dairy products, is toxic to the body, unlike A2 casein, which comes from the milk of goats, ewes and non-hybridized cows.

“While the breed of cow plays an important role in determining whether or not a future dairy product is harmful, it is the environment in which the animals live that largely determines its quality. The problem today lies in farming conditions, which have deteriorated considerably over the years. Before the industrialization of the dairy industry, cows were fed naturally, with fresh grass as a source of omega-3, an anti-inflammatory fatty acid found in their milk.

“Today, their feed is industrialized and consists of flour, corn and soy, themselves genetically modified and very rich in pro-inflammatory omega-6. Intensive livestock farming also has serious consequences for cows’ health (diseases, infections, etc.), leading to massive prescription of antibiotics and antidepressants to cope with the stress of their abusive living conditions (transport, branding, limited living space, separation from their calves at birth, unsuitable feed, metabolic exhaustion due to constant milking, etc.), which can be found in their milk. In addition to pesticides from their diet, industrial cow’s milk also contains significant traces of hormones (administered to boost their daily milk production from 14 to 40 liters per day). Like endocrine disruptors, these hormones interfere with the human hormonal system, and can be dangerous to health, causing the growth of existing cancer cells, aging, diabetes and brittle bones.

“Finally, the different ways in which milk is processed have a major impact on its composition. Pasteurization and UHT (which stands for ‘ultra-high temperature’) processing not only lead to the loss of vitamins and minerals, but also to the denaturation of proteins, which can be destructive to the intestine.

• Organic dairy products from grass-fed goats, sheep or Jersey cows, to limit the impact of pesticides, antibiotics, and other inflammatory substances.
• Dairy products made from raw or micro-filtered milk to preserve their micronutritional richness.
• Fermented dairy products such as yoghurts and cheeses to take advantage of the good bacteria they contain and reseed your intestinal microbiota.
• Consuming raw butter or ghee (casein- and lactose-free clarified butter).”