Anti-Inflammatory Diet (AID) for Parkinson's

Anti-Inflammatory Diet (AID) for Parkinson's

Updated 2022-08-18

One thing we read a lot about is healing the gut to heal our health. Can we fix our microbiome? This led me to The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). This diet was designed to fix IBS by lowering inflammation.  You can read all about it here: http://pecanbread.com/p/index.html

I've been following the SCD (combined with the Wahl's Protocol and Gluten Free) for about a year.  Not full on following them, just trying to stick to the gluten free foods that are allowed on SCD or Wahl's.  This gives me a little more choice.

There is some evidence that the SCD can normalize your microbiome if you still have all the needed bacteria: The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD): The SCD has been shown to normalize the microbiome in people with Crohn's https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC7762109/ and UC. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5890963/

Today I stumbled upon another Anti-Inflammatory diet called the "Anti-Inflammatory Diet for IBD (IBD-AID)".  If I may steal from their web site:

The IBD-AID was derived (and updated) from the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), and is a nutritional regimen that is based on:

1.     Promoting the beneficial, anti-inflammatory intestinal bacteria with:
○   Vegetables & Fruit
○   Soluble Fiber (steel-cut oats, ground flax seed, lentils, beans)
○   Good protein & fats (beans, nuts, olive oil, avocado, ground flaxseed, fish, soy)
○   Probiotics (yogurt, kefir, miso, kimchi, sauerkraut, local honey)
○   Prebiotics (artichokes, leeks, asparagus)

2.   And decreasing the pro-inflammatory intestinal bacteria by eliminating certain carbohydrates, such as:
○   Refined sugars and certain starches
○   Grains (steel-cut and rolled oats are allowed)
○   Lactose (anything containing milk or cream)
These carbohydrates are thought to provide a food for pro-inflammatory bacteria.

3.     Together, the foods in this diet decrease bowel inflammation, aid in the repair of the gut, and help to restore balance to the immune system.

I like about this IBD-AID is that this is an update to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet intended to treat the same condition as the SCD was designed to treat (IBD). Pediatrician Sydney Haas, MD, created the Specific Carbohydrate Diet in the 1920s to treat celiac disease. Elaine Gottschall, a biochemist and the mother of one of Haas's patients, made the diet more widely known in 1987 when she treated her daughter's IBD using the SCD and then published Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health through Diet. There has been a lot of research done in the last 35 years. It is time for an update. This updated diet came from the UMASS Chan Medical School.  They are well respected.

One other thing I like about this IBD-AID is that it includes oats. Oats are gluten free and I like them.

So here is the UMass Chan Medical School Center for Applied Nutrition Anti-Inflammatory Diet for IBD (IBD-AID): https://www.umassmed.edu/nutrition/ibd/ibdaid/

And here is a link to the IBD-AID Allowable Food List: https://www.umassmed.edu/globalassets/nutrition/documents/foods-list-updated-september-2021-converted.pdf

I am going to try this diet.  I may start at phase 3 as I am already doing well on the Bristol Scale AND you need to be at phase 3 to have broccoli sprouts.  I have to have my sprouts.

I am making one tweak to this diet. Sour cream is not allowed. Aged cheeses and yogurt and kefir are allowed. Well... I found this study: Intake of Fermented Dairy Products Induces a Less
Pro-Inflammatory Postprandial Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Gene Expression Response than Non-Fermented Dairy Products: A Randomized Controlled Cross-Over Trial: https://sci-hub.se/10.1002/mnfr.202000319

According to this trial, fermented dairy products are less pro-inflammatory than non-fermented dairy products. They compared fermented products (cheese and sour cream) with non-fermented products (butter and whipped cream). "In this study, we have shown that intake of a high-fat meal composed of fermented dairy products, and especially cheese, has a less pro-inflammatory effect than intake of the non-fermented butter and whipped cream". It's not a slam dunk, but it is enough for me to cut out butter (which is allowed on the SCD) and keep my sour cream.

Dave