Trin-for-trin instruktioner
Log Your Daily Food Intake
Write down everything you ate and drank over a 24-hour period. Be honest and include snacks, condiments, cooking oils, and beverages.
Tally Your Pro-Inflammatory Points
Scan your log for refined sugars, processed meats, fried foods, and refined grains. Assign points using the guide (+2 for high impact, +1 for moderate impact) and sum them up.
Tally Your Anti-Inflammatory Points
Identify your protective foods: leafy greens, colorful berries, healthy fats (like olive oil and nuts), fatty fish, and spices. Assign points (-2 for fish, -1 for others) and sum them up.
Subtract to Find Your Net Score
Subtract your total anti-inflammatory points from your total pro-inflammatory points. A score of 0 or below means you are doing an excellent job of keeping inflammation at bay!
Discover Your Diet's Inflammatory Impact
Hello, health champion! Have you ever wondered how the foods you eat affect your body on a cellular level? Chronic, low-grade inflammation is linked to many modern health challenges, from joint discomfort to fatigue. Fortunately, your kitchen is your best pharmacy!
Scientists have developed complex tools like the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) to measure how diets affect inflammatory markers in the blood. While the official laboratory method uses 45 different food parameters and complex statistical z-scores, you don't need a PhD to get a clear picture of your diet.
In this guide, we will teach you how to calculate a Simplified Dietary Inflammatory Score (SDIS) by hand. It's a fun, empowering way to audit your daily meals, celebrate your anti-inflammatory wins, and pinpoint areas for improvement!
Prerequisites
Before you begin, you will need:
- A Daily Food Log: A written list of everything you ate and drank yesterday (or on a typical day).
- A Pen and Paper: To tally up your points.
- An Open Mind: Remember, this is a tool for learning, not for judging yourself!
The Simplified Point System
To calculate your score, we categorize foods into anti-inflammatory (which earn negative points, lowering your score) and pro-inflammatory (which earn positive points, raising your score). Neutral foods like plain chicken breast, brown rice, or eggs score 0.
🟢 Anti-Inflammatory Foods (Subtract Points)
- Leafy Greens & Cruciferous Veggies (Spinach, kale, broccoli): -1 point per serving
- Berries, Cherries, & Citrus Fruits: -1 point per serving
- Fatty Fish (Salmon, mackerel, sardines): -2 points per serving
- Nuts, Seeds, & Extra Virgin Olive Oil: -1 point per serving
- Spices & Teas (Turmeric, ginger, garlic, green tea): -1 point per serving
🔴 Pro-Inflammatory Foods (Add Points)
- Refined Sugars & Sugary Drinks (Soda, candy, pastries): +2 points per serving
- Processed Meats (Sausage, bacon, deli meats): +2 points per serving
- Refined Grains (White bread, white pasta, white rice): +1 point per serving
- Fried Foods & Trans Fats (French fries, commercial fried snacks): +2 points per serving
- Excessive Alcohol (More than 1 drink for women, 2 for men): +1 point
🧮 The Formula
�KBLK0�
- Score of 0 or less: Outstanding! Your diet is actively fighting inflammation.
- Score of +1 to +3: Moderate. You have a good balance but room to grow.
- Score of +4 or higher: Highly inflammatory. Focus on adding more colorful whole foods and reducing processed items.
A Worked Example: Alex's Day
Let's calculate the score for Alex's daily meals:
- Breakfast: Oatmeal topped with a handful of blueberries (-1 point) and a cup of green tea (-1 point).
- Lunch: A turkey deli meat sandwich on white bread (+2 points for processed meat, +1 point for refined bread) with a side of potato chips (+2 points).
- Snack: An apple (neutral/0 points) and a handful of almonds (-1 point).
- Dinner: Grilled salmon (-2 points) with roasted broccoli (-1 point) drizzled with extra virgin olive oil (-1 point).
- Dessert: A small chocolate chip cookie (+2 points).
Let's sum Alex's points:
- Total Pro-inflammatory Points: �KINL2�
- Total Anti-inflammatory Points: �KINL3�
Now, apply the formula: �KBLK1�
Verdict: Alex scored a 0! This is a fantastic, neutral-to-anti-inflammatory score. Even though Alex enjoyed some chips and a cookie, they balanced it out beautifully with salmon, broccoli, olive oil, and berries.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Ignoring Portion Sizes: A single blueberry on a waffle doesn't count as a serving! Aim for realistic serving sizes (e.g., 1 cup of raw leafy greens, 1/2 cup of berries, 3 ounces of fish).
- The 'Perfect Diet' Trap: Don't stress if you have a high-score day. What matters is your average score over a week or a month.
- Hidden Sugars: Check your labels! Yogurt, salad dressings, and pasta sauces often contain added sugars that can quietly sneak pro-inflammatory points into your day.
When to Use an Online Calculator
While doing this by hand is highly educational, online calculators are incredibly helpful when you want to track your diet over consecutive weeks, analyze complex recipes with many ingredients, or access a database that automatically adjusts for portion sizes and micronutrients.