What I'm reading this November:
Anti-Inflammatory Diet Solution by Professor Stig Bengmark (2022) and Food Pharmacy by Lina Nertby Aurell and Mia Clase (2016)
Inflammation literally means on fire. It is a topic that is hotly debated and written about today as a cause of many of our biggest health concerns; cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimers disease and even cancer.
I read the book Food Pharmacy a few years ago (it came out in 2016) and when I saw that Professor Stig Bengmark had published his own book I quickly picked it up.
About the books
Lina Nertby Aurell and Mia Clase started the Food Pharmacy blog after the loss of several loved ones from cancer and the birth of their children. A meeting with Professor Stig Bengmark opened their eyes to how gut bacteria and gut health impacts our overall health. In 2016 they published the Food Pharmacy book which tells the story of how their interest in this topic developed into their successful blog, along with information about the science of gut bacteria and how we can eat to fight off inflammation.
The Food Pharmacy blog and book may have made Professor Bengmark a household name in Sweden but he is a well-known and respected medical doctor, surgeon and scientist. His book the Anti-Inflammatory Diet Solution is based on his many years of research into how intestinal bacteria affect our health.
What are the books about?
During the 1990s Professor Bengmark worked as an abdominal surgeon at Lund University Hospital. Due to a mistake patients in his clinic were not administered antibiotics pre-and post surgery according to hospital protocol. Incredibly all the infection was in the patients who had been give antibiotics. This finding led Bengmark to focus his research on the connection between intestinal flora and inflammation. Much of Bengmark's research has been into prebiotics; fiber that feed the intestinal flora and probiotics; live bacteria that are healthful for the colon. Synbiotics is the combination of the two; it is a blend of live bacteria and dietary fiber. For almost 20 years Professor Bengmark has been involved in research into using synbiotics in the treatment of very ill patients (cancer, transplant and IBS patients). He is now turning his attention and research to the use of synbiotics to reduce chronic illnesses. Inflammation is commonly thought of as "the mother of disease", writes Bengmark and people with chronic illnesses have lost a large part of their beneficial intestinal bacteria which instead has been replaced by harmful bacteria. Reversing this imbalance may, according to Bengmark, hold the key to reversing those lifestyle illnesses that many of us suffer from today.
Professor Bengmark presents three pillars for better health: diet, exercise and stress reduction.
Together with these three pillars Professor Bengmark has developed twelve commandments for optimal health. These commandments cover many suggestions for improving your diet such as minimizing sugar, not cooking your food at high heat, eliminating dairy, eating lots of plant foods and fasting intermittently.
Why you should check these books out
Stig Bengmark's Anti-Inflammatory Diet book is a comprehensive look at one of the most written about topics in health and wellness right now; inflammation and gut health. His research into synbiotics is relatively new and very interesting. The book offers a new and much needed scientifically-backed perspective into this complex area. Although the book is full of facts and information it is easy to read and follow. Most of the book is actually very hands on with practical suggestions for adopting an anti-inflammatory lifestyle.
I also very much enjoy Lina Nertby Aurell 'sand Mia Clase's book and it works very well as companion to Stig Bengmark's book. It is written in an easy to read and funny way that makes it approachable to all. Full of easy recipes and tips it is a great introduction to the anti-inflammatory lifestyle.
For me, some of the suggestions in the books are hard to adopt fully, especially at once, and the authors know that not everyone can follow such a strict lifestyle. What I enjoy about the books is that they give me lots of great ideas for getting started. Think about it as adding new habits for your health, rather than taking away things you enjoy. As Professor Bengmark says
Every step following the commandments is a step in the right direction. The most important thing here is to not forget to concentrate on raw plant foods, daily exercise, and guarding against mental stress.
Since the publication of the Food Pharmacy book Linda Nertby Aurell and Mia Clase have published two more books that I have yet to read; the Food Pharmacy Cookbook (2017) and Nutrient Hunter (2019). If you want to learn more check out the Food Pharmacy Blog and Stig Bengmark's website.
Nertby Aurell, Lina & Clase, Mia (2016). Food Pharmacy: A Guide to Gut Bacteria, Anti-Inflammatory Foods, and Eating for Health. Skyhorse Publishing.
Bengmark, Stig (2022). Anti-Inflammatory Diet Solution. Heal Your Immune System. Boost Your Brain. Strengthen Your Heart. Skyhorse Publishing.
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