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

1. Gluten

“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.”

2. Poor-quality dairy products

“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…).