19: How To Master The 3 Levels Of An Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Have you tried an anti-inflammatory diet before, only to crash and burn? Maybe it was too hard to stick to. Perhaps it was too hard when you needed to cook a meal for yourself, and then a separate meal for your family.

Imagine feeling relief in learning that there are various levels of an anti-inflammatory diet. And in order to get to each level, you have to master the one before it.

In today's episode, we're looking at the three different levels of an anti-inflammatory diet. I'll help you see what roadblocks come up in each level, how to avoid them, and what to do when you need to course correct.

Anti-inflammatory nutrition is meant to be a lifestyle, not a diet. But with the tips and solutions in today's episode, you'll be able to transition to an anti-inflammatory diet that lasts a lifetime!

Links mentioned and ways to connect
- The Supper Club, with recipes that are anti-inflammatory AND family friendly (without extra cooking!)
- Listen to these episodes to learn more about an anti-inflammatory diet: Episode 2 and Episode 6

Ashley Malik is a women's health and wellness coach, helping busy moms lose weight in perimenopause. You can learn more, and discover how to work with Ashley, by clicking here!

*** Ready to lose 15 lbs in 10 weeks? The Method gives you all the tools to make it happen! We start April 2nd. To learn more about The Method, click here!

Transcript

Ashley Malik (00:06)

Hello there, my friend. I am so glad that you are back. And if you're listening to this as it first airs, welcome to the new year. We are officially into 2025.

And I don't know about you, but to be really honest with you, I have already fallen into this trap of feeling like, oh no, I'm behind. Now it's only January 6th as I'm recording this and I just had this like deep feeling like, oh, I'm behind. I've been struggling to get my laundry done and I really wanted to clean my office for the new year. That's totally not done.

And I had some house projects that I also didn't get done while Suraya, my daughter, was home for winter break. And so I'm just feeling behind all around. So I started digging into those feelings a bit and I thought, you know what? Wait, wait just a minute. I've got to adjust my thoughts. And if you are already feeling behind, whether you're on a weight loss journey or you're just improving what you're eating for the new year, like improving your nutrition,

Remember that what we're trying to do is create a lifestyle. So this is not all going to be accomplished by the end of January. It is going to take time. And this is why I don't love New Year's resolutions because I think it's really important.

And this is why I don't love New Year's resolutions, because I think it's really important that we create goals that we can accomplish throughout the year, because not everything is gonna happen right away. So all of this really leans into what I wanna talk with you about today, because many of you are listening to this podcast because you are curious about how to make nutrition and healthy food just a little bit easier in your life.

And it might be because you're juggling family or kids. Maybe you're traveling and you're on the road and you're just not sure how to eat healthy when you're traveling or at business meetings and luncheons, that kind of thing. But really we have to keep in mind that all of this is for life. We're changing our lifestyle. We're not going on a diet. We're not doing a crash like 30 day plan. We are making this a healthy lifestyle.

So what you need to do in order to make sure that your nutrition is something that even if you fumble, it's gonna be okay because you've got a whole year, your whole life really to figure this out. It just doesn't need to be done in a month. So we're not behind, okay? So today we're gonna talk about anti-inflammatory nutrition and how to approach it in a really sustainable way. Remember, this is supposed to be a lifestyle.

Now I've definitely talked about anti-inflammatory nutrition in previous episodes and there are a couple of episodes about why an anti-inflammatory diet is so beneficial, especially in perimenopause. So I'll link to some of those down below in the show notes.

But overall, I 100 % believe that all women over the age of 35 should be eating an anti-inflammatory diet. The benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet are so far reaching, and it's not just for weight loss, which it definitely does support weight loss. I used an anti-inflammatory diet to lose 65 pounds, but I also found that there was so much more to it.

And medical research is also showing how important it is to eat anti-inflammatory as we age. It improves your metabolic health. It improves your cardiovascular health. There are multiple studies about anti-inflammatory nutrition protecting the brain and how it could reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer's. And it's also been proven

to show that people who have Alzheimer's and dementia can really benefit from an anti-inflammatory diet. That is just really near and dear to my heart because my dad has Alzheimer's. And when I look back at what he used to eat in the 80s and the 90s, I sometimes think, is there a way that we could have made things different if he would have eaten differently? So with that, I wanna talk about anti-inflammatory nutrition as we get into this new year or

If you're listening at any other time of year, if you're just starting with anti-inflammatory nutrition, it can feel so overwhelming so that you don't get stuck in thinking, I'm so behind, or you try to go all out and it doesn't work, or if you just can't stick with it, I want you to understand that there are these levels of anti-inflammatory nutrition. Now, in my own personal journey, and I'm working with many women over the years,

What I've seen is that there are these three different levels to approaching an anti-inflammatory diet, if you want to make it a sustainable lifestyle. Now, again, if you try and go all in, it's not going to be as effective because it really, it's just a diet that takes some getting used to.

Again, if you try and go all in, it's just not going to be as effective because it really takes time to get used to eating gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, cutting out alcohol and sugar. You know, it took me almost eight years to cut out dairy altogether. So I know that this takes time. But if you can understand the different levels of anti-inflammatory nutrition,

it will make it a lot easier for you to create goals and say, okay, this month I'm just gonna eat gluten-free because you can't do it all at once. You just can't. So let's talk about the three different levels and what they look like. And then I'm gonna give you some really helpful tips for mastering each level because once you conquer one level, you actually start to feel better and you get to this point where you're like,

I actually noticed that this change in my nutrition is helping me to feel better and I'm losing weight. So I want to increase the amount of anti-inflammatory foods that I'm eating or I want to do a little bit more to improve this lifestyle. So let's look at these different levels and talk about what they are and then how you can stick with them more effectively.

All right, when we look at level one of anti-inflammatory nutrition, it is pretty basic. If you're in level one, you've probably decided that you're just gonna go gluten-free and that's about it. And in this day and age, eating gluten-free has become so much easier. You can buy gluten-free products, you can order gluten-free at a restaurant, and when you travel on an airplane, if you're having a meal, you can even request a gluten-free meal.

it has just become a lot easier. And when people think about anti-inflammatory nutrition and they think, gosh, I have to cut out dairy and sugar and all these things, anything outside of gluten-free can just feel like a stretch. Dairy, that one is really hard for people to cut out, partly because it's everywhere. There's dairy in your protein powder if you drink that. There's dairy in condiments and salad dressing.

And in things that we want to eat in a healthy diet, dairy tends to be a big part of that. And if you listen to experts who are supporting weight loss or trainers who are talking about weight lifting, they talk a lot about things like yogurt and cottage cheese because these can be high in protein and low in fat.

So getting away from dairy is gonna be really challenging. It's not impossible, but it is definitely more challenging. So that's why in level one, you're really focused on gluten-free for the most part. Also in level one, you're probably still eating more sugar than you might need or want, but maybe you're starting to become a little bit more aware of how much sugar you're eating.

This is something that I work on when I work with private clients or women in my group programs. We really start watching the amount of added sugar that we're eating. no, I'm not talking about sugar from things like fruit and that kind of thing. We're talking about added sugar. When you look at the back of a bottle of ketchup and it tells you that it has nine grams of added sugar per tablespoon, that's a lot of sugar. And I know if you're anything like me,

you're not eating just one tablespoon of ketchup, you're probably eating like four tablespoons of ketchup. So nine times four, that's 36 grams of added sugar right there, just in your ketchup. So at level one, we're just starting to become more aware of where those added sugars are sneaking in. And of course, you know, we all think, yeah, I can eat fewer candy bars or I can put a bit.

bit less sugar or flavored creamer into my coffee. So we think about those obvious things, but if you slowly start to recognize where all of those added sugars are, you're also going to recognize how quickly they add up. If you've listened to previous episodes, you will know that based on what I've seen and experienced, sugar is more damaging and more inflammatory than gluten or dairy.

I know that gluten is very inflammatory and dairy, some people are bothered by it. Some people not as much,

But overall, if you're eating at level one anti-inflammatory, I want you to really start focusing in on how gluten-free you can be. Can you order a gluten-free bun when you order a hamburger? Or what kind of gluten-free swaps can you make at the grocery store for things like bread or crackers or chips that you've normally eaten that typically contain gluten? How can you swap out for some options that are gluten-free?

Now a warning here, gluten-free does not necessarily mean healthy. Trust me, I wish that it did, but it doesn't.

When you find gluten-free products, they often have a lot of additives, preservatives, and thickeners, and different things that change the flavor profile, like artificial flavors, things like that. So just because it's gluten-free does not mean it's healthy. But if you're put in the effort in eating gluten-free at that first level, you're going to notice a difference. You are going to feel better.

And when you start eating gluten-free, I promise you will be amazed. You'll have more brain clarity, less brain fog. Your joints might even feel better, not so sore. And you might even notice that you start to have more energy. So it feels really fantastic.

And this is where I was saying, when you start gluten free at level one, you're actually gonna wanna move on to the next level, which is level two.

So at level two for anti-inflammatory nutrition, you have started to change significantly the things that you're eating. You're eating fewer processed foods, fewer foods in like packages, and you're probably becoming much more aware of how to cut out added sugars. And believe it or not, you might even be dabbling with cutting out dairy, even though it still feels really hard.

The other thing that happens in level two is that you're slowly starting to add in other things that help you to reduce inflammation. So maybe you're going to bed earlier or you've started adding in some low impact workouts because we've talked about in previous episodes that high impact workouts are going to increase the cortisol in your body and cortisol can be very inflammatory.

Once you know this, when you move into level two, you're starting to look for options. okay. So can I do Pilates? Can I do some strength training and weightlifting? Things that aren't going to spike your cortisol quite as much, right? You might even be doing some deep breathing or meditation and also just really trying to find ways to calm your body because again, stress increases cortisol and that cortisol is super inflammatory. So,

At level two, you're really starting to see a different side of yourself and it's starting to feel easier. You hear that? It's starting to feel easier. It does get there. You're also starting to set better boundaries.

So often women come to me to work with me when they're kind of between level one and level two. Because what I find at that level one, like as a mom, you can really eat gluten free and it probably doesn't impact your family at all.

You can buy yourself a different hamburger bun or buy yourself different bread for your sandwich. But when you start moving into level two, it becomes more impactful to your life and it starts to impact your family. This is where the idea of the Supper Club came from, where I give you meal plans that are anti-inflammatory, but also have these like regular conventional options for your family because

Once you start eating less processed food and fewer packaged foods, your family is going to notice because your cooking is going to change. And the things that you put on the dinner table are going to look different. The chips and the snacks that you have in the pantry, those might change too. And so I find that this is sort of like a tipping point where women are, you know, they've conquered gluten-free, but then you're thinking, okay, so

I wanna keep going, how do I do that? You're trying to eat fewer processed foods and you're definitely feeling better. And you're noticing a big difference when you continue to change your nutrition. And so you start adding in those low impact workouts and you start sleeping more. But now it's impacting your family. It's changing the groceries that you bring home. And when you get to level two, I want you to start recognizing where are those challenges with your family?

Are they liking certain things for dinner that you just need an anti-inflammatory swap for? I like to use like hamburgers or tacos as an example here because I think those are really common meals. But with tacos, you can give your family the flour tortilla, the cheese, the sour cream, whatever you want to use. But for you, you can still use the same taco meat, the same cut veggies.

but maybe you're just using a bed of brown rice or corn tortillas or corn chips or something like that as your base instead of the tortilla. So when you get to level two, it's really imperative that you find resources that support what you need. So you can also give your family what they want. And this is why I mentioned the Supper Club because in the Supper Club, I show you exactly how to incorporate your anti-inflammatory nutrition

with your family's meals because they are going to continue to eat those conventional foods.

Like I said, the other thing with level two is that you really start to set better boundaries. You might find yourself in level two going to parties and believe it or not, deciding to bring your own food. I mean, you have to be pretty brave to do that. You have to feel really confident in knowing that if you eat dairy and gluten and all the added sugars tomorrow, you're not gonna feel very good. So yeah, it makes sense. Well, I'm just gonna bring my own food.

No big deal. At level one, you're probably not doing that. You don't feel strong enough to set those boundaries. But by the time you hit level two, you are really starting to feel like you can do that. You can set those boundaries for yourself.

All right, so once you have those boundaries set in place and you're feeling like, yeah, you know what? I'm really getting the hang of this. I am starting to feel better. I'm learning how to figure this out, how to cook for myself and my family and still balance everyone's needs. And once you start to get settled into that, you kind of start moving into level three. Level three, anti-inflammatory nutrition is when you have stopped eating gluten,

dairy, refined sugar, you have stopped drinking alcohol almost entirely, you hardly ever eat processed food, and you are fully prioritizing your sleep, your exercise, and your mindfulness or meditation. By the time you hit level three, it is just not even a question anymore that this has become a lifestyle for you. You know, when I say this, I think about a friend of mine, Nicole,

who she's a runner and everybody knows her as a runner. and you know this about her because when she posts on social media, it's about running. And when she, I don't know, know, makes plans with you, if you wanna like meet for coffee or lunch or something like that, it's usually timed around her run. And her year is already planned out around her races and her trainings. She is a runner.

By the time you get to level three anti-inflammatory nutrition, other people might look at you and say, she is a healthy eater. Like you actually get a name or a label for yourself because by this time, you've already spent a significant amount of time going out for happy hours or family dinners and ordering foods that only feel like the right fit for you. You've shown up at parties and events with your own cooler or your own bag of food.

And you're making different choices about the activities that you engage in and the things that you do. Like I love live music, but I might choose an afternoon concert instead of opting for live music late at night that would keep me up until two or three in the morning. Believe me, I know those events are still fun, but once you've hit level three, this way of eating and taking care of yourself has become an absolute lifestyle. One of the things

that is hard about maintaining this level because you think like, level three, this is where I want to get, right? But there are still challenges. So at level three, your body is still changing. You know, I don't know how old you are, but I think I'm pretty much post-menopausal. I mean, I had my hysterectomy over a year ago. I had hot flashes and all of it last year. And now I'm at this point where I think I'm just pretty much post-menopausal, but

my body continues to change and things keep happening. I have this like strange dry skin in my ear right now. I don't know why it's there, but I'm assuming it's related to menopause and my shoulder, my shoulder is pretty frozen right now and it's made it really hard to work out. And I know that frozen shoulder is also a symptom of menopause.

So when you're in level three, which I've been here for quite a few years, you often think like, my gosh, what's going wrong? What's the problem? I am doing everything right. I'm eating anti-inflammatory, not eating a lot of added sugar. I'm getting enough sleep. I'm meditating during the middle of the day. Like, why am I having these problems? We experienced these symptoms in level one and level two, of course, but back then we're still trying to like figure out our nutrition.

We're just trying to get it all figured out. And so it's a little bit easier to say, huh, well, I guess I just haven't figured out the exact nutrition. I haven't dialed things in quite yet. But when you get to level three, you are pretty dialed in. You're shopping differently, you're cooking differently for your family. And by this point, hopefully you've helped your family to adopt some of the healthier choices that you are making. And by now they're kind of feeling okay about it. So when you get to this point where

This is your lifestyle, but then a few pounds pack on and you're not sure where they came from or you have frozen shoulder like me. It makes you wonder, I'm eating so clean, so perfectly. What is the problem? It can feel super frustrating.

Another challenge that I noticed in level three is that things just start to sneak in. So right now I'm thinking about like gluten-free Oreos or Hershey's Kisses. my gosh. Hershey's Kisses are one of my biggest downfalls and I really struggle to ever have them around the house. Cause if there's a bag, I will eat like 10. I can't do one, it's like 10. So in level three,

I am fully aware of how good I feel when I don't eat added sugars and processed foods, but you know what? Just recently it was the holidays and I wanted to eat some Hershey's Kisses and they had those cute little Grinch Kisses out. they were so cute. I found myself plowing through an entire bag in just a couple of days. So in level three, we can get frustrated that there are things that are continuing to happen. Your body's continuing to change.

So on level three, we get frustrated that there are things that are continuing to happen. Your body is continuing to change. The impact that your hormones or lack thereof is creating on your body. It just feels frustrating because you think you're doing all the right things.

But this is where when those little things sneak in, it can actually have a really big impact on your progress or how you're feeling altogether. So in level two and in level three, I encourage women to start working on mindset frameworks that really are gonna help you to understand why am I thinking this way? Okay, I believe that I am doing everything right. I'm cutting out all the processed foods. I am working to cut out all the sugar, but...

Ugh, I still can't drop that pesky 15 pounds. What is going on? And when we start digging into your mindset, we realize that you might have some thoughts that are making it super hard for you to make good choices. One of those thoughts might be, well, like, I don't know, the example I just gave you, you know, it's the holidays and everyone else is eating all the fun stuff. I'm just going to have a quick Hershey kiss. And then one leads to two and five and 10.

In level two and level three, your thoughts are constantly being challenged. And that's difficult when there's a really fun party to go to, or you have a fun concert, or you want to do some tailgating before a big game with your friends and your thoughts are being challenged all the time. So even if you're like me and you've been eating anti-inflammatory for many years, I still get challenged. I still struggle.

This happened during the holidays. thought, well, I deserve to eat these kisses. I've been so good. Or you might think, I'm going to feel left out if I don't eat the bratwurst with the bun at the tailgating party, even though I know that bratwurst has tons of nitrates and that bun is filled with gluten. So in level two and three, it is essential to notice what thoughts you're having and then work through a framework to understand when I have that thought.

What kind of choices am I making and is it helping or hindering my progress? If you're curious about what that mindset framework looks like, I want you to go back and listen to episode 16. In that episode, I walk you through this five step framework that is really going to help you to understand how your thoughts are impacting the choices that you make and how those choices are going to give you the results that you have.

Now, these levels aren't set in stone and you can go between the levels over time, but the goal here is to recognize that eating anti-inflammatory, it just doesn't happen overnight. You can't just flip a switch and even if you try, the chances are pretty high that you're gonna fail. You know, I remember many years ago when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism and severe nutrient deficiencies.

I was talking to the receptionist at my doctor's office and we were talking a little bit about nutrition. And I knew that I needed to eat what's called an AIP or autoimmune protocol diet. It is super, super restrictive and it's really difficult to stay on track. It's definitely not a permanent fix, but I was talking to this receptionist and she said to me, I just ate four of those Hawaiian rolls last night. They were so good.

and we had some friends over and I just couldn't resist. And I knew that she also had the same diagnoses and those probably wouldn't make her feel very good. And I remember looking at her and thinking, but wait, why? You know that you're going to feel terrible if you eat those Hawaiian rolls because they have gluten and sugar and preservatives. Why would you eat those? I know that they taste good, but if you know how bad it's gonna make you feel, why would you do that?

Well, as I got further into my journey, I started to recognize, I see. It's because you feel deprived, because you feel left out, because you can't eat the things that you used to enjoy. So as you kick off your anti-inflammatory journey, I want to assure you that you are never behind and you're not failing.

You just need a little bit more time to learn and get the hang of things before you jump to that next level.

Eating an anti-inflammatory diet has unbelievable benefits and the longer you do it, the better you'll feel. But rest assured that it just takes time and you will fumble along the way, but you'll also continue to learn. And as you get better and you feel better and you lose weight, you will be more motivated to keep going, to keep incorporating more things that support your new lifestyle.

Trust me, before you know it, you are gonna be the one among your friends who is referred to as the one who eats super healthy. And when you get that label, I really hope you wear it with pride.