Bodies on fire

Invisible inflammation lies behind many life-limiting diseases but a better diet can reduce the damage.

- RUTH NICHOL

When it comes to the battle of the dinners, the meal Shilpa Ravella ate the evening before we spoke ticked more anti-inflammatory boxes than the meal I ate.

Both our meals were meat-free, which is good – meat, and in particular red meat, has been shown to increase inflammation. But mine included an animal product (feta cheese), which is not quite so good. And while my meal had lots of different vegetables, including avocado and peas, which are both high in fibre, as well as olive oil and a few nuts, it had no whole grains or legumes.

Ravella’s meal, on the other hand, included both whole grains and legumes – quinoa and beans – as well as fresh coriander and a number of different spices. All these foods are known to prevent, and possibly even reverse, the hidden inflammation that is being linked to many modern chronic diseases. These include heart disease, cancer, diabetes and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

“I think we forget about spices and herbs,” says the author of A Silent Fire, which looks at the link between diet, inflammation and disease. “Spices and herbs are some of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods that we can be eating, and it’s very easy to just throw in some spices and try to get some fresh herbs. It’s a great gain for a minimal effort.”

Ravella is a gastroenterologist who divides her time between New York, where she works at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Centre, and Hawaii, where she works in rural health care.

She says hidden inflammation is also linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and mental illness such as depression.