Mike Zimmerman - The 14-Day Anti-Inflammatory Diet

This book proposes a program of diet and exercise recommendations for the reader to follow. However, you should consult a qualified medical professional (and, if you are pregnant, your ob-gyn) before starting this or any other diet or fitness program. Please seek your doctors advice before making any decisions that affect your health or extreme changes in your diet, particularly if you suffer from any medical condition or have any symptom that may require treatment. As with any diet or exercise program, if at any time you experience discomfort, stop immediately and consult your physician.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Copyright 2018 by Galvanized Brands, LLC

All rights reserved.

Distributed by Simon & Schuster

ISBN 9781940358291

Ebook ISBN 9781940358376

Design by Andy Turnbull

Learn how chronic inflammation is taking a deadly toll on your bodyeven right this secondand how you can turn the tide and reclaim your health.

How can a natural and beneficial body process suddenly be so devastating to your health?

How the food you eat can calm the fire and protect your body for life.

The science behind junk food and inflammation (and why you need to avoid these foods like the plague they are).

Theyre low-calorie, nutrient-dense, and packed with fiber. All you have to do is eat them.

The right mindset will make the 14-Day Anti-Inflammatory Diet even easier.

What to eat for the next two weeks to lose weight and feel great.

Drink your way healthy and lean.

Healthy ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and some serious snackin.

Smart ways to use food to de-stress, calm inflammation, and lose more weight.

Aside from food, its one of your biggest anti-inflammatory weapons.

Take inflammation down a notch by taking your fitness game up a notch.

Its no wonder that chronic stress is linked to chronic inflammation. Learn how to find strength and calm

T HE DRAMATIC STUFF always gets the headlines.

Start at the top: Cancer. So many varieties. So many worthy platforms raising awareness. Even if youve never had it, you know someone who has. How about heart disease? Type 2 diabetes? Stroke? Obesity... high blood pressure... high cholesterol...high blood sugar. Yes, its like the medical communitys Most Unwanted List. Theyre so popularmeaning unpopular, and hated and fearedbecause theyre so common in our society. Theyve earned their notoriety.

But theres another silent killer among us (no, not hypertension; something just as dangerous). You dont really know about it because it doesnt get the headlines all those other health issues get. You dont feel it because it just kind of does its nasty thing inside your body at all hours of the day. You go about your business, live your life, and as time goes by, maybe you put on some weight like a lot of people, or a lot of weight like a lot of people, maybe your diet isnt as good as it could be like a lot of peoples, maybe you spend more time on the sofa as you get older like a lot of people. And through it all, the silent killer does its work. Patient. Persistent. Pernicious.

I first read about chronic inflammation more than 10 years ago when I was a senior editor at Mens Health magazine. We did a special report on C-reactive protein, an inflammation marker in the body that could signal an elevated risk for heart disease. At the time, no one had heard about it before. Of all the health issues we coveredand we covered the nastiestinflammation freaked me out the most. And for all the reasons I just mentioned: Its just in there taking its toll on you and you never know it even if your health markers are otherwise normal. Why is chronic inflammation so scary? Ill get into much more detail in Chapter 1, but the bottled version: It has a hand in virtually every negative health problem you could experience, particularly the Big Ones I just mentioned. This book has the word diet in the title, so you may not be surprised to learn that a significant contributor to chronic inflammation comes from what we eat. You may be surprised, however, to find out just which foods trigger it and how many of them are part of your regular menu. Over time, this incessant inflammatory response can lead to weight gain, drowsiness, skin problems, digestive issues, and a host of diseases, from diabetes to obesity to cancer.

To be fair, inflammation has become a bigger part of the overall health and wellness conversation. But its still in the minor leagues when you talk about media coverage or, in particular, healthcare circles. Example: Your doctor will routinely have conversations about your weight, or blood pressure, or fasting blood sugar/A1C readings. Those are big red flags with easily understood number ranges. But has your doctor ever once mentioned chronic inflammation as a risk factor for your health? I bet not.

Why is that a problem? Well, if youre overweight with blood pressure/blood sugar issues, chronic inflammation has already done a number on you and will continue to do so. But there are a lot of people out there who havent hit that level yet. You may be, say, moderately overweight with health scores that most doctors would consider okay, as in no critical red flags at the moment. But your body could be harboring chronic inflammation behind the scenes, helping, encouraging, pushing your body toward eventual health issues like type 2 diabetes, inflammation-based diseases, and yes, heart disease and cancer.

Thats why, when my friends at Eat This, Not That! asked if Id be interested in helping to create a diet-based book that takes on inflammation, I jumped in. Ive been writing and editing health/fitness/weight-loss magazines for millions of people for nearly 20 years. Ive co-authored more than a dozen books designed to help people live healthier, more active lives. My mission has always been bringing that positive message to as many people as possible: You can be healthier .

Another reason: I see myself in the mirror. Im not as gray-free as I used to be. Im a little heavier than I should be. And I dont always eat the way I should. I live in eastern Pennsylvania, which has become ground zero for some of the most amazing craft-brewed East Coast-style IPAs you could ask for. I have a cheese problem. And Pop Tarts and I share a love that dare not speak its name. In short, Im just as much a candidate for chronic inflammation as anyone. I wanted to learn as much as I could about it so I could do something about it.

Theres more. In the last 2 years, I learned more about my family medical history than anyone would want. My father died in 1989 from stomach cancer. Now, stomach or gastric cancer isnt one of the Big Ones that get the headlines. About 26,000 people were diagnosed in 2018 in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society, and while gastric cancer is more common in places like Japan, 26K doesnt exactly make the disease a hot-button issue. But heres the catch, for me: Stomach cancer is generally an older-persons cancer, with the six out of 10 diagnoses happening after age 65. My father was diagnosed at age 59and his case was advanced because hed ignored the symptoms. Still, in my eyes at the time, it wasnt an issue. It was just the thing that killed him. But years later, my fathers niece got her stomach cancer diagnosis. She passed away at 53. Then, two years ago, my older sister got her diagnosis. She died in early 2018 at age 55.