Eat the right foods to reduce your level of inflammation
Inflammation is a natural response of the immune system to harmful stimuli. It’s designed to protect your body from disease and injury, but when it gets out of control, it can be damaging to your health.
What does an anti-inflammatory diet do?
Your immune system becomes activated when your body recognizes anything that is foreign—such as an invading microbe, plant pollen, or chemical. This often triggers a process called inflammation. Intermittent bouts of inflammation directed at truly threatening invaders protect your health.
What is inflammation?
Inflammation is the body’s response to a damaging event, such as the invasion of a virus or a chemical irritant. The immune system sends out inflammatory cells and chemicals to fight infection and neutralize toxins. These substances cause swelling, pain, redness, heat, and more. Inflammation can also be caused by the overgrowth of bacteria in your gut. Inflammation is normal and helpful. It helps you heal after an injury, and it protects your body from damage from bacteria, viruses, and other harmful agents. But chronic inflammation can have serious consequences. It contributes to many diseases, including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune disorders.
How does inflammation work?
When your immune system detects something foreign, it sends out cells called macrophages to engulf and destroy the invader.
Inflammation can be a good defense, but it can become your enemy if it lasts for too long. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer's are some of the chronic diseases that have been linked to inflammation. Chronic inflammation is a common problem that affects millions of people, many of them without even knowing it, so how do you stop the body's immune system from going into overdrive? It's a silent disease that can go undetected for years. One of the most powerful tools to combat inflammation comes not from the pharmacy but from the pasar or supermarket.
Curcumin, a component of turmeric, has been shown in animal studies to reduce inflammation. Inflammation in the body protects against infections. There are ways to control inflammation without harming your body. One of the best ways to fight inflammation is to eat fish oil. It's no secret that fish oil is good for you. Why you may ask? Fish oil is one of the most powerful anti- inflammatory agents. They also help with cholesterol levels. Some foods that have been shown to reduce inflammation include broccoli, green tea, oats, and tomatoes. If you are looking for a natural way to reduce inflammation, look for fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Foods that cause inflammation
Try to avoid or limit these foods as much as possible:
refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, cakes and pastries
French fries and all deep fried foods
soda and all other sugar-sweetened beverages including bubble tea
red meat (burgers, steaks) and processed meat (hot dogs, sausage)
margarine, shortening, and clarified butter
The health risks of inflammatory foods
Not surprisingly, the same foods on an inflammation diet are generally considered bad for our health, including sodas and refined carbohydrates, as well as red meat and processed meats.
There is a lot of research that has come out in recent years about diet. What many people don't realize is that some foods are better than others when it comes to our overall health. Many foods that we once thought were healthy are actually unhealthy due to their effects on our bodies and inflammation levels.
Many inflammatory foods, including fried foods, fast food, soda, and junk food are often high in calories. And while that might be a great reason to avoid them, it doesn't necessarily mean that these foods should be avoided totally. Eat such foods sparingly.
Certain foods can help improve health. It’s a good idea to eat a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and fiber, with a reasonable amount of fat.
What foods should I avoid?
Unhealthy foods also contribute to weight gain, which is itself a risk factor for inflammation. Yet in several studies, even after researchers took obesity into account, the link between foods and inflammation remained, which suggests weight gain isn't the sole driver. Some of the food components or ingredients may have independent effects on inflammation over and above increased caloric intake. Unhealthy lifestyle habits such as smoking, excessive drinking and overtly worrying are other risk factors for inflammation.
So while you can't completely control your body's response to foods, you can try to limit the types you eat. That means cutting back on the red meat, processed meat and dairy that increase your risk of inflammation. Here are a few foods that have been linked with less inflammation and fewer health problems.
For example eating dark chocolate. The antioxidants in cocoa may help keep blood vessels healthy, but they can also prevent inflammation by protecting the body from oxidation, according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. A small study of 20 people found that eating just one square of dark chocolate (70 percent cacao) at lunchtime resulted in a significant decrease in IL-6, a pro-inflammatory marker. But this is not an excuse to go hog wild on chocolate. Just 1 ounce of chocolate a day was enough to improve blood vessel health. Similarly, fish, like salmon and tuna, are high in omega-3 fatty acids, a type of nutrient, that can help reduce inflammation and ease joint pain.
Anti-inflammatory foods
An anti-inflammatory diet should include these foods:
tomatoes and carrots
olive oil and coconut oil
green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale and kailan
nuts like almonds and walnuts
fatty fish like salmon, barramundi, snapper and grouper
fruits such as mango, dragon fruit, cherries, and guava
Benefits of anti-inflammatory foods
Research has shown that nuts, coffee and tea can be beneficial for reducing inflammation and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, nuts have been found to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and even cancer. On the other hand, drinking coffee even in small amounts may help reduce inflammation and keep the brain healthy, too. In fact, drinking coffee has been found to improve cognitive function, and some studies suggest that it may reduce the risk of dementia.
Anti-inflammatory diet
To reduce levels of inflammation, aim for an overall healthy diet. If you're looking for an eating plan that closely follows the tenets of anti-inflammatory eating, consider the Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, and healthy oils.
In addition to lowering inflammation, a more natural, less processed diet can have noticeable effects on your physical and emotional health. A healthy diet is beneficial not only for reducing the risk of chronic diseases, but also for improving mood and overall quality of life.
How to start your journey to lowering inflammation?
1. Keep a Journal A good way to stay on track with your goals is by keeping a journal. A journal is a tool to help you monitor your progress and keep you accountable, and it may be particularly helpful if you're trying to lose weight or improve your overall health. Journaling is a great way to stay motivated and on track with your goals, and it's also helpful to track your progress over time.
2. Exercise Regularly Physical activity can have an impact on your overall health and mood. "Regular exercise can help improve sleep, and in turn, lead to more positive emotions". Whether you like to walk, run, swim, dance, or play sports, any type of physical activity is beneficial for your brain and body. Aim to do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week. Start with 15 minutes a day and gradually increase the time by 5 minutes over the course of 2 weeks to touch 30 minutes.
3. Get Some Sleep Your health and your mood depend on how much rest you get each night. Sleep deprivation can affect your overall health and your mood. When you're sleeping well, your brain and body are able to heal from the day and be ready to tackle whatever comes next. Aim for at least seven hours of sleep each night.
4. Get a Smart Band or Watch. A useful gadget to keep track of your time spent on physical and sedentary activities. Some gadgets provide workout guidance, monitoring your heart rate, sleep tracking, steps completed and reminders to exercise if you have been sitting down for too long!
Conclusion
In conclusion, Inflammation is a normal part of the body’s immune response. However, if you are chronically inflamed, this can lead to serious health issues such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
When we eat, we need to be mindful of the foods that we are consuming. Many of the foods that we consume today are not only unhealthier than they were decades ago, but they are also not nutritionally good to our bodies. The best way to maintain a healthy body is to eat a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables. Importantly too, the diet must be balanced with whole grains (1/4 plate), proteins (1/4 plate) and vegetables and fruits (1/2 plate) and hydrate yourself with water or green tea throughout the day. A balanced diet that is low in processed food can help to lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Your immune system is a major contributor to inflammation and a healthy diet can help you lower your levels of inflammation.
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