In 2001, Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a dermatologist, released his first book, "The Wrinkle Cure," according to Diet.com. This diet is based on eating foods known to inhibit an inflammatory response in the body, according to Diet.com. The diet is designed to improve health and reduce inflammation, including skin wrinkling. Consult your physician before embarking on this diet.
Theory
Inflammation is the body's response to outside factors, according to PerriconeMD.com, Dr. Perricone's website. These factors include hormonal changes, stress, a weakened immune system and a diet that causes inflammation. Dr. Perricone contends that many major health conditions are the result of an inflammatory diet. These include heart disease, Alzheimer's, arthritis and skin wrinkling. By consuming an anti-inflammatory diet, you can prevent these conditions from occurring or slow their progress. In addition to diet, Dr. Perricone recommends a comprehensive supplementation program that includes fish oil, alpha lipoic acid, carnitine, glutamine and many more, according to Diet TV.
Timing
The Perricone anti-inflammatory diet consists of eating five small meals per day, according to Diet.com. Dr. Perricone recommends eating food from protein sources before the rest of your meal. Meals include breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner and a bedtime snack. Eating constantly helps to maintain your blood sugar levels, which Perricone believes reduces inflammation.
Recommended Foods
Dr. Perricone's anti-inflammatory diet focuses on whole---not pre-packaged---foods in order to relieve inflammation. Examples of recommended foods include lean protein sources, such as fish, shellfish, poultry and tofu, according to Dr. Perricone's website. Carbohydrate sources should be low on the glycemic index and come from whole grains and colorful fresh fruits and vegetables. Healthy fat sources include nuts, seeds, olive oil and cold-water fish. You also should consume eight to 10 glasses of spring water per day.
Foods to Avoid
Dr. Perricone's anti-inflammatory diet involves eliminating any foods associated with causing inflammation. Examples of these foods include pasta, rice, cereal, popcorn, red meat, pizza, butter, margarine, bananas, carrots, corn and potatoes. These foods are high on the glycemic index, meaning they cause blood sugar spikes in the body. Foods high on the glycemic index are considered to be of poor quality and should be avoided.
Precautions
When beginning any diet, evaluate the existing body of research concerning its safety. Because the diet recommends taking an extensive list of supplements, it is a good idea to review these with your pharmacist to ensure no drug interactions will occur with the medications you currently take, according to Diet.com. The supplements also are very costly--as much as $100 for a week's worth of supplements as pf November 2010, according to Diet TV. For this reason, the diet may be cost-prohibitive for some. An additional concern associated with the diet is its recommendations of numerous fish servings, according to Diet.com. Because heightened consumption of fish is associated with mercury contamination, you may need to reduce the recommended fish servings or supplement them with other omega-3 fatty acid sources, such as flax seed.
