Episode 6: Anti-Inflammatory Diet - How To Reverse Chronic Symptoms In Children

My guest this week is Jenny Carr, a leading inflammation expert and international best selling author of ‘Piece of Cake: The Secret To An Anti-Inflammatory Diet’. After surviving a near-death experience due to an autoimmune condition, Jenny is on a mission to aid others in healing through teaching how to implement and maintain an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. Jenny specializes in helping children and parents reverse symptoms from chronic illnesses like autoimmune diseases, behavioral disorders, and physical and mental disorders. All without feeling deprived and overwhelmed.

In this episode, Jenny and I discuss how incredibly impactful an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle can be for families. Jenny provides parents with practical tips on how to help their children identify, address, and engage in treating inflammation. Children on the spectrum, with ADHD, ADD, anxiety and behavioral challenges have seen life-changing effects by the safe elimination of toxic ingredients such as processed sugars while following an anti-inflammatory diet. Learn more about Jenny here.

 

What is Inflammation?

• Acute inflammation - when our body reacts with inflammation to support the healing process
• • occurs when we break an ankle, sprain a wrist, have a cold or flu
• Chronic inflammation - inflammation that represents ‘toxins’ and shows itself uniquely for each individual whether it be physically or behaviorally
• • Appears uniquely for everyone because it targets areas each individual is susceptible to
  • Can be linked to symptoms such as chronic stomach pains, digestive issues, bloating, headaches, skin conditions
  • • Can come from genetic predisposition or overused weakened areas

 

Chronic Inflammation in Children

• Inflammation is linked to many different behavioral symptoms
• • Sensory conditions
  • ADHD, ADD
  • Chronic anxiety
  • Depression

 

Helping Children Find and Understand Inflammation

• Find ways to help the child understand and identify what is happening with their body. By doing so, the child will feel more invested in making changes to better themselves
• • Ex: Draw a stick figure and have the child point or draw an ‘X’ where they feel something hurts or something is wrong
  • If of writing age, encourage them to write notes of how they are feeling

 

What Causes Inflammation?

• Our diet
• • Stray from food-like products and replace with actual whole foods
• Lack of water consumption
• • We tend to replace water with other beverages like juice, soda, and coffee
  • Water is key to the methylation process in our liver that allows our body to process toxins and inflammations
• Stress
• • Stress lies at the root of inflammation
  • Societal pressures continue to rise for both adults and children
• Lack of rest
• • Not getting enough sleep does not allow your body to heal and regenerate the cells needed to help rid the body of toxins
• Our thoughts or mindfulness
• • Emotional wellbeing links directly to stress levels in both children and adults
• Environmental toxins
• • Parasites, household cleaning products, personal care products

 

Top 6 Inflammatory Foods

• Processed sugar - there are over 50 names of processed sugar!
• Alcohol
• Wheat - most wheat is highly genetically modified and processed containing many pesticides
• Cow Dairy - has large protein molecules that are harder for the body to break down
• GMO (Genetically modified foods ) - found in wheat, corn, soy, cane sugar
• Inflammatory Oils - vegetable oil, canola oil, corn oil, and even seed oils
• • Seed oils that have been heated change on a molecular basis and can cause inflammatory responses

 

Where to Begin: The First Step to an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

• Instead of trying to cut all inflammatory foods at once and start with the most harmful of them all - processed sugars
• Cut processed sugars from your diet and swap them with non-inflammatory sugars such as:
• • Pure maple syrup, raw honey, whole, and dried fruits

 

Sugar Detox

• Addiction to processed sugars and cravings are very intense when removing them from any diet
• Have clean sweet treats on hand for you and your child that are made with non-inflammatory ingredients to aid with the transition

 

The Clean Eating Kid Challenge

• Visit thecleaneatingkidchallenge.com  to get a FREE copy of Jenny’s advanced reader book where she outlines countless helpful tips for parents and children such as:
• • Helping you improve chronic symptoms in your children
  • Teaching you how to adapt to the anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle
  • Walking you through the grocery store aisle and giving you the tools to know what to buy and what to avoid
  • Steps on how to stop cravings in their tracks, and so much more!

 

Where to learn more about Jenny Carr

• Jenny's Website
• Instagram: @jennycarrhealth
• Twitter: @jennycarrhealth
• Jenny’s Facebook Page
• Jenny Carr's Books on Amazon