One More Trick
By now you have probably read my article about including black tea in my morning routine as a way to reduce inflammation for my mental and physical well-being (if you haven't read it yet, you can find it by clicking here). I do have one other inflammation reducing trick up my sleeve (or rather on the table) though - frozen berries.
The Price of Frozen
The fact that I eat frozen berries doesn't have anything to do fighting inflammation. But it does have to do with personal preference.
I prefer the texture and coolness of the frozen berries after about a 45 second ride in the microwave and I also prefer to not waste food. This last preference has to do with the cost of food these days - yikes! - and also the moral obligation to not waste food.
I got the idea for frozen berries instead of the fresh ones by following Ryan Fischer on Instagram. It's a great account for fitness tips but be warned, he makes things seem so simple that you may find yourself running out of excuses (which is one reason I hate Ryan Fischer - not really).
From a cost perspective, I can purchase 2 kilograms of mixed berries from the Real Canadian Superstore (i.e. Dominion / Loblaws) for around $14.00. The same amount of fresh berries would run upwards of $35.00 (assuming an equal amount of each type of berry).
The Fab Four
The four types of berries that happen to be included in a bag of Naturally Imperfect Berries are also the ones studied in the journal Nutrients, with findings published on the National Library of Medicine website (link in the footnotes), and were found to contain an abundance of bioactive compounds that inhibit inflammation.
Strawberries
Blackberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Add a Little Protein
With a bowl of frozen berries fresh out of the microwave and a cup of black tea straight from the kettle, the only thing left to do to round out your anti-inflammatory breakfast is to throw in a hand full of almonds and walnuts for some protein and maybe a glass of water to help flush out any toxins released while you were sleeping.
Now, if only there was something you could do physically each morning to help in the fight against inflammation...
* a small portion of the sale of items found by clicking on some links within this article are paid to me, Sandy Cooper, and are used to support the cost of running this website.
Certain details from the above article were sourced from the following publication found on the National Library of Medicine website:
Land Lail H, Feresin RG, Hicks D, Stone B, Price E, Wanders D. Berries as a Treatment for Obesity-Induced Inflammation: Evidence from Preclinical Models. Nutrients. 2021 Jan 23;13(2):334. doi: 10.3390/nu13020334. PMID: 33498671; PMCID: PMC7912458.