Food pharmacy: here are the foods that keep you healthy

Is it possible to keep diseases at bay by eating the right way? Yes, according to the Swedish blog Food Pharmacy, you can live a healthier life by following six smart dietary guidelines.

ras The importance of gut bacteria for our health is increasingly being discussed and more and more people are becoming aware of how diet affects the gut flora, which in turn affects mood and health. Two people who have helped bring gut flora into the spotlight are Lina Nertby Aurell and Mia Clase, who run the blog Food Pharmacy. Their book Food Pharmacy: A story about gut flora, friendly bacteria, research and anti-inflammatory food has attracted a lot of attention.

The food pharmacy duo Mia Clase and Lina Nertby Aurell are also on Instagram, follow theirras account @food_pharmacy which is packed with useful tips! Photo: Andreas Lind

The fact that the two childhood friends started their blog in the first place is linked to the fact that they both had a growing interest in health when they had children a few years ago.

- At the same time, three people close to us passed away from cancer far too early, within a year. Then we suffered from hypochondria and a friend of ours advised us to meet Professor Stig Bengmark, who has a deep knowledge of diet and health," says Lina Nertby Aurell.

They booked a lunch with Stig Bengmark, professor emeritus, who is a former chief surgeon and head of clinic at Lund University. He has spent the last 30 years researching stomach bacteria and how the food we eat affects the body and health. The meeting with the professor opened a new world for her and Mia Clase and the lunch lasted several hours.

- Professor Bengmark told us that chronic diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's are increasing rapidly in our part of the world and when he researched the origins of chronic diseases, he discovered that they had a common denominator: inflammation. "Mia and I had been worried about cancer when in fact it is inflammation that is the starting point for disease. We felt that we wanted to learn more and reach out with Stig Bengmark's knowledge.

To spread knowledge about how the right diet and a healthy life are connected, Lina Nertby Aurell and Mia Clase started the blog Food Pharmacy. The interest in anti-inflammatory diets turned out to be huge and now the duo has recently released a popular book with the same name as the blog.

An exhausted immune system leads to poor gut flora, which eventually causes inflammation.

Tell us about the link between inflammation and diet?

- Chronic inflammation, also known as low-grade inflammation, is something that is created in the body when the immune system is exhausted. It can become exhausted for a variety of reasons, but one reason is poor diet. An exhausted immune system leads to poor gut flora, which eventually causes inflammation. Inflammation is a common component of all chronic diseases, but researchers have not figured out why it starts as cancer in one person and Alzheimer's in another. But what research does know is that this can be influenced by food and exercise,' says Lina Nertby Aurell, and continues:

- 'That's where the anti-inflammatory diet comes in. Your stomach contains between one and two kilograms of bacteria, which can be divided into good and bad. Traditionally, we've had a surplus of good bacteria, but because we don't eat enough fiber and vegetables, we don't get enough nutrition, so the bad bacteria increase and our immune system is compromised. This means that when you eat foods that support good bacteria, you are fighting inflammation in the long term.

What should I eat if I want to have an anti-inflammatory diet?

- The most important thing is to eat bizarre amounts of vegetables. The Swedish Food Agency recommends half a kilo of vegetables a day, but not everyone achieves this. Stig and many of his colleagues advocate much more than that. Vegetables are rich in fiber and when they reach the large intestine, they provide food for the good bacteria to multiply.

Eat vegetables in all their forms: raw, cooked, mashed or blended into a delicious smoothie! Photo: Lina Nertby Aurell and Mia Clase

Do you live as you learn?

- Yes, we do. Nowadays, vegetables have gone from a supporting role on the plate to a leading one, and we've replaced nutrient-poor belly-filling pasta with grains that are more rich in antioxidants. I try my best, but I'm not a fundamentalist.

Have you noticed any difference in your health since changing your diet?

- Yes, in the two years that Mia and I have been eating an anti-inflammatory diet, we have not been sick at all.

Who is your book aimed at?

- Anyone who wants to influence their health through food or who wants to know more about it. Our blog readers are all kinds of people, from super-healthy people to those who just eat sugar and sweets every day and wonder how to start eating more healthily.

If I'm only going to eat one anti-inflammatory food, what should I eat?

- I recommend turmeric! It contains one of the strongest anti-inflammatory antioxidants available called curcumin.

READ MORE: The turmeric drink you must try

Turmeric is super beneficial, both in fresh and dried form! Just keep in mind that it can stain. Photo: Lina Nertby Aurell and Mia Clase

Food Pharmacy: 6 tips for eating anti-inflammatory foods

1. Skip sugar!

- Sugar has no nutritional value but disrupts the blood sugar balance, which can lead to inflammation. We have a category on the blog called Friday Sweets which is full of recipes for healthy sweets.

2. Replace the abdominal filling

- Replace the pasta and bread with nutritious alternatives. For example, make a big salad and eat it with your meat or fish.

3. More veg!

- Vegetables contain everything your body needs if you eat a varied diet.

4. Choose the right fats!

- Ditch the cheap household oils and choose fats such as oily fish, avocado and rapeseed oil.

5. Lower the temperature

- Do not grill or roast what you are cooking. The higher the number of degrees, the more the fibers and antioxidants in the food die. Cook gently at a low temperature instead.

6. Periodic fasting

- Don't snack throughout the day, but give your body a long rest and then have an eating window. Every time you put something in your mouth, your body starts working and this leads to aging.

The book Food pharmacy by Lina Nertby Aurell and Mia Clase is published by Bonnier Fakta and can be ordered HERE.

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