What is Inflammation?
Inflammation is a localized reaction of tissue to irritation, injury, or infection. Symptoms of inflammation include pain, swelling, red coloration to the area, and sometimes loss of movement or function.
We commonly think of inflammation as the painful component of arthritis, but inflammation is also a component of many chronic diseases such as heart disease and strokes.
Antinflammatory Foods
Pro-inflammatory foods will increase inflammation, increase your pain from the inflammation and may also raise your risk for chronic disease. Loading up on junk foods, high-fat meats, sugar and fast foods will increase inflammation in your body.
This is partially due to the unhealthy fats used in preparing and processing these foods, especially trans fats and saturated fats.
Processed meats such as lunch meats, hot dogs and sausages contain chemicals such as nitrites that are associated with increased inflammation and chronic disease. Processed meats also have high amounts of sodium.
Diets high in sugar have also been associated with inflammation, obesity and chronic disease such as diabetes.
Eliminate high sugar foods such as sodas, soft drinks, french fries, pastries, and pre-sweetened cereals and candy and not only will you most probably drop a few pounds, you will have begun to stop simply eating, but will actually learn to start feeding your body what it needs for you to remain healthy.
Choose Antiinflammatory Foods
Adding foods that reduce inflammation will improve how you feel and help to decrease your risk for chronic diseases. Here are some suggestions:
- Antioxidants: Any high-antioxidant foods such as fruits and vegetables, acai berries, blue berries, grapes, raspberries and many others can help to reduce pain and put you back on the road to good health.
- Fats and Oils: The right types of fats in your diet will affect pain and inflammation in a positive way.
Omega-3 essential fatty acids are very powerful anti-inflammatory agents. They are found in cold water oily fish, walnuts, flax seeds, canola oil and pumpkin seeds.
Omega-3 fatty acid supplements from flax oil or fish oil may also help reduce inflammation. Speak with a doctor or nutritionist before taking larger, therapeutic doses of any supplement, or follow label instructions.
Olive oil is another type of oil that will reduce inflammation. Other healthy oils include rice bran oil, grape seed oil, and walnut oil.
- Protein: Good protein sources include lean poultry, fish and seafood, nuts, legumes and seeds. Red meats may trigger inflammation, so cut back on fatty red meats.
When you do eat red meat, choose lean cuts of bison, venison and other game meats, or the lowest-fat cuts of beef, preferably grass-fed beef from cows which have not been fed hormones to fatten them faster to decrease their time-to-market and increase their owner's profits.
- Healthy Beverages: Your body needs water in the form of foods and beverages every day. The simplest and best form of water is fresh drinking water.
Other good fluid sources include 100% fruit juices, herbal teas, vegetable juices and low fat milk. About 20% of the water you need every day will come from the foods you eat.
So, the next time you visit the grocery store, begin by taking a walk down the fruit and vegetable aisle. Choose a few antiinflammatory foods to help decrease your inflammation and pain instead of the more heavily processed (quick) foods. You'll be glad you did.
