Reducing Inflammation In Your Diet
Key to reducing inflammation in your diet…
Did you know that inflammation appears to be the source of all disease, so reducing inflammation in your diet can be a life saver!
Chronic inflammation can cause diabetes, heart disease, cancer and even Alzheimer’s. It requires an ongoing immune response as your body tries to heal the injury.
The interesting thing that scientists and the medical community are learning is that there are many foods that cause chronic and systemic inflammation, meaning inflammation throughout your body. There are also foods that help cure inflammation in the body.
Let’s talk about the foods that cause the inflammation and then we can look at the foods that prevent and reduce inflammation.
Reducing Inflammation In Your Diet
First though, do you know what inflammation is?
It’s when something in your body becomes irritated and your immune system has a response. Generally, with acute inflammation the response is helpful and protective.
Chronic inflammation is another story. Let’s say you sprain your ankle. It swells up to three times its normal size. Why? It’s a protective mechanism that immobilizes your ankle and the damaged tissues. Fluids and specific types of cells flood the area as a way to try to repair the damage. With chronic inflammation, though, this process doesn’t end.
The reason most of us don’t see the damage caused by chronic inflammation is that it resides inside the body. It’s in your digestive system, your cardiovascular system, and your organs.
Junk Food Causes Inflammation
Quite simply, the chemicals, fats, and processed sugars in junk food can cause inflammation. They cause your digestive system to become inflamed, as well as your heart and cardiovascular system, and other organs.
Superfoods for Mind and BodyAllergic Foods
Foods that you’re allergic or sensitive to can have a similar impact. For example, if you have a gluten intolerance or a disease like Crohn’s, then you endure inflammation in your gut.
What Fixes Inflammation?
There are essentially six food categories that fight inflammation. You’re probably eating many of them on a regular basis. Fruits, nuts and seeds, leafy greens, fatty fish, tomatoes and olive oil are all inflammation fighters.
Steer clear of junk food and eat a diet rich in nutrients, and you’ll be able to stave off disease and increase your chance to live a long and healthy life.
Next time: we’ll focus on having special nutritional needs, which are different than the daily recommended amounts for an average person.
