Bonding with loved ones over meals is endearing – but if you’re on an anti-inflammatory diet, you may feel left out of eating some dishes. Or you might indulge anyways, but your body ends up paying the price! Functional medicine from our Toronto clinic can support your health goals, such as battling inflammation, with a combination of nutrition advice and holistic treatments –tailored for your unique needs. 

For some individuals, eating out can be a challenge for their health status, especially since the Western diet is chock-full of preservatives, sugars, artificial flavors and unhealthy fats. Particular foods may trigger symptoms of inflammation, such as redness, pain, or digestive issues, which is why order from a menu can be perplexing for anti-inflammatory dieters. 

In this article, the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre (TFMC) explains what it means going on an anti-inflammatory diet, key tips while eating out on this regime, and how our functional clinicians can assist you.  

What is an anti-inflammatory diet?

Chronic inflammation can be triggered by environmental factors, stress-related conditions, and sometimes certain food. Some people have found that anti-inflammatory foods, such as herbs, spices, fresh produce, and fish, can help with controlling their inflammatory states. 

An anti-inflammatory diet is a type of eating “style”, not a strict regimen. It embraces vitamin- and antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, as antioxidants can help battle free radicals that cause inflammation. The diet may also adopt the consumption of omega-3-containing foods, such as fish. This is because omega-3 fatty acids have shown to “…help protect against chronic or uncontrolled inflammation,” confirms a Frontiers for Young Minds article. “Specifically, maintaining a proper balance of omega-3s and omega-6s in the diet is critical for maintaining healthy omega-3 levels in the cell membranes.”

The Mediterranean Diet is one example of how you can eat to help reduce inflammation; studies have shown that this regime can contribute to cutting down both inflammation and the risks for heart and metabolic disorders. In fact, Harvard Health Publishing has even pointed out that this diet has been linked to elongating the lifespan! We recommend consulting with our holistic nutritionist to learn more about enhancing your nutrition. (Click here to request a session with our TFMC holistic nutritionist.). In the meantime, following these tips below can potentially help manage inflammation and if you’re not on a restricted diet, they can help you eat healthy anyways!

11 Tips for visiting a restaurant on an anti-inflammatory diet

1. 1. Plan ahead – visit their website and read their menu before your dinner event. Reviewing them ahead of time can give you confidence when you order.
   2. Interested in substituting certain things on the menu? If they don’t mention substitutions, call the restaurant to find out. Hint: ditch the fries and order a salad instead. 
   3. Request sauces or salad dressings on the side. Think of this as a “tool” to prevent you from overeating sugars and fats. 
   4. Avoid processed meats (i.e. hot dogs) and red meat, as well as fried options and sugary beverages. These items can potentially exacerbate inflammation. 
   5. Say ‘no’ to pop, juices or alcoholic beverages, as they can disturb the microbiome. Instead, order hydrating drinks such as water or herbal beverages.
   6. Forget about foods that are listed as creamy, fried, or breaded. These options an expose you to unnecessary trans fats and calories. Instead, eat ones that are steamed, roasted, grilled, plant-based, baked or broiled. 
   7. Ask if you can replace any refined breads with whole grains (i.e. quinoa). “Whole grain foods are rich in nutrients, dietary fibre, a range of antioxidants, and phytochemicals, and may have potential to act in an anti-inflammatory manner, which could help impact chronic disease risk,” confirms a Nutrients article. 
   8. Consider ordering omega-3 rich foods on the menu, such as salmon, sardines , and brussel sprouts. Omega-3s are naturally anti-inflammatory, which may help reduce the chronic symptoms of inflammation.
   9. Ready for dessert? Order items that contain polyphenols, which are plant chemicals loaded with antioxidants. Consider dark chocolate, berries, citrus fruits, herbal tea, and even black coffee!
   10. Pay attention to how you feel while eating. Listen to your hunger cues so that you don’t overeat. 
   11. You may feel some pressure from friends or family who are not on a restricted diet. Let them know beforehand that you’re on an anti-inflammatory diet, and try to reframe your dining experience to focus on companionship and connection rather than the items you’re eating.  

Managing chronic health issues while you’re out on the town may be perplexing. But when you understand how some aspects of health are affected by food, you can begin to navigate restaurants while considering your health goals. Our functional medicine education to patients can help you sustain your dietary needs, while addressing inflammatory chronic conditions, cognition, hormone imbalances, and more. Please contact our clinic to experience a personalized approach to health. You may also want to check out blogs for related topics on diet such as our functional medicine tips on 10 foods to help reset your gut.

How a functional medicine practitioner can help you

Achieving health improvements is one thing. But continuing these habits is another. At the TFMC, our approach to wellness is designed to guide and educate you on how tailored health strategies work. This new knowledge can inspire you to make (and sustain) healthy lifestyle modifications outside a clinical setting.

Our health team consists of practitioners that adhere to integrative and functional medicine principles. By offering several treatment modalities, such as naturopathic medicine, holistic nutrition, Traditional Chinese Medicine, IV therapy, and more, we can introduce you to different techniques and natural therapies. This is presented as a comprehensive treatment plan, which is adapted for your current health issues and disease prevention. 

Our clinic also has functional lab tests available to patients, and some of these tests cannot be accessed by conventional medicine clinics. We may use our lab services to scrutinize what exactly is happening to your biology, especially for quantifying hormones, oxidative stress, nutrient levels, and more. These results are used to tailor your health strategies, especially for dosing intravenous therapy drips. IV therapy is available in our Toronto IV Lounge, and these treatments may support optimal function when combined with various treatment options, a healthy diet, and regular exercise. 

Need help sustaining a healthy lifestyle? A personalized medicine approach may reveal ways to boost energy levels, weight loss, and more. It’s not too late to become a new patient – click here to request your first session at the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre. 

Disclaimer: The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. You should always consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider because of information you have read from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre website or other affiliate media. 

 

References

“Anti-inflammatory diet: What to know” from Medical News Today, medically reviewed by Katherine Marengo LDN, R.D., Nutrition, written by Jenna Fletcher, updated on September 6, 2023, viewed on June 18, 2024. 

Calder PC. Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes. Nutrients. 2010 Mar;2(3):355-374. doi: 10.3390/nu2030355. Epub 2010 Mar 18. PMID: 22254027; PMCID: PMC3257651.

Hussain, T., Tan, B., Yin, Y., Blachier, F., B. Tossou, M. C., & Rahu, N. (2016). Oxidative Stress and Inflammation: What Polyphenols Can Do for Us? Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/7432797

Margină D, Ungurianu A, Purdel C, Tsoukalas D, Sarandi E, Thanasoula M, Tekos F, Mesnage R, Kouretas D, Tsatsakis A. Chronic Inflammation in the Context of Everyday Life: Dietary Changes as Mitigating Factors. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jun 10;17(11):4135. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17114135. PMID: 32531935; PMCID: PMC7312944.

Milesi, G., Rangan, A., & Grafenauer, S. (2022). Whole Grain Consumption and Inflammatory Markers: A Systematic Literature Review of Randomized Control Trials. Nutrients, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14020374

Paiva C, Beserra B, Reis C, Dorea JG, Da Costa T, Amato AA. Consumption of coffee or caffeine and serum concentration of inflammatory markers: A systematic review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(4):652-663. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2017.1386159. Epub 2017 Nov 3. PMID: 28967799.

Phan, C., Touvier, M., Kesse-Guyot, E., Adjibade, M., Hercberg, S., Wolkenstein, P., Chosidow, O., Ezzedine, K., & Sbidian, E. (2018). Association Between Mediterranean Anti-inflammatory Dietary Profile and Severity of Psoriasis: Results From the NutriNet-Santé Cohort. JAMA Dermatology, 154(9), 1017-1024. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.2127

“The best anti-inflammatory diets” from Harvard Health Publishing, posted on October 21, 2020, viewed on June 18, 2024. 

Tsigalou C, Konstantinidis T, Paraschaki A, Stavropoulou E, Voidarou C, Bezirtzoglou E. Mediterranean Diet as a Tool to Combat Inflammation and Chronic Diseases. An Overview. Biomedicines. 2020 Jul 8;8(7):201. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines8070201. PMID: 32650619; PMCID: PMC7400632.

Wierenga, K. A., & Pestka, J. J. (2021). Omega-3 Fatty Acids And Inflammation – You Are What You Eat! Frontiers for Young Minds, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2021.601068