Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Inflammation occurs when the human body is fighting an infection, irritant or diseased cells (a reaction of tissue to irritation, injury, or infection).

When most people think of inflammation, an image of a swollen joint such as a sprained ankle pops into their mind. In fact, inflammation is the body’s first line of defence (white blood cells) against bacteria, viruses etc…

Infections with bacteria or virus trigger an acute inflammatory response, chronic diseases such as arthritis, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, maintain inflammation in the body.

Classic symptoms of inflammation are swelling, redness and pain. These problems occur when the inflammatory process becomes chronic.

Unfortunately, today lifestyle and fast-food world create a breeding ground for chronic inflammation to develop in numerous disease processes such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer and type II diabetes.

Foods to Avoid:

A diet of junk-food type, high-fat, meat, sugar and highly processed foods increases the potential for inflammation in your body.
Limit consumption of trans-fatty acids and saturated fat by reducing highly processed foods, red meat, processed meat as ham, bacon, sausages.
Don’t add sugar. Cut back the consumption of pastries, rich desserts, sweetened cereals and sweet sodas.
Vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants contain alkaloid called solanine a chemical very painful for some people when they eliminate them.

Anti-inflammatory Foods:

Recently, specialists in diseases with inflammatory component focusing on some foods may have a role in reducing inflammation.  Anti-inflammatory foods help the immune system to fight disease and slow the aging process and despite the variability of anti-inflammatory diets, most of them have the same basic recommendation:

Fruits: Increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Fruits are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants and can prevent and even reverse the inflammatory process – all kind of berry, cherries, papaya, avocado, apples, currants, kiwi, lemon, oranges, plums, grapefruit, watermelon.
Fish: Adding a constant source of fatty acids (omega 3) – fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, cod, sardines, herring etc.),
Monounsaturated fats -nuts, canola and olive oil, avocados, pumpkin seed.
Increase the consumption of whole grains.
Lean meat: Increase the consumption of lean meat – chicken, turkey.
Vegetables: Rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals – peppers, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, onion, green beans.
Garlic: Everyone knows the anti-inflammatory power of garlic because it contains sulfur compounds.
Herbs: mint, oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, ginger.
And not in the last, increase the use of spices, they have an important role in inflammatory.
Herbal and green tea, fruit and vegetable juices.

 

Of course anti-inflammatory diet works more latent than anti-inflammatory drugs; if drugs manifest their action in a few hours, the effect of dietary improvement in symptoms is seen after weeks.

However, since the diet is not a deprivation of food, is becoming increasingly popular. But only diet cannot control inflammation. We need to change our lifestyle. We need an active lifestyle. Maintaining body weight also seems to have a beneficial effect on reducing inflammation in the body.

In conclusion, taking a balance diet, a sleep program, exercise and periodic medical examination will improve your health condition.