6 Foods To Integrate And 6 To Avoid In Your Anti-inflammatory Diet

What we eat affects more than our weight. In the Eat Clean philosophy we talk about foods that cause us irritation, cause us hypersensitivity or allergies and that affect our state of health.

These ingredients are responsible for inflammation, rob us of vitality, age our cells and make us feel horrible.

Why does inflammation occur?

Inflammation is nothing more than a natural autoimmune response. It is a symptom of stress within our body, a sign that something is wrong.

When an external element, such as a bacteria or virus, enters our body, the body reacts by attacking it with inflammation.

When we twist our ankle, it swells, due to localized inflammation.

When our body encounters a toxic or harmful element within its blood, a systemic inflammation occurs, affecting internal organs and structures.

The evil of many in the 21st century is a chronic inflammation, that is, prolonged in time caused by constant exposure to pollution, tobacco, lack of sleep, stress, and bad eating habits.

Studies show that these degrees of inflammation can be the cause of future cardiovascular disease, dementia, chronic pain, and gastrointestinal problems.

6 anti-inflammatory foods

It is clear that if we sleep the hours we need, we stop smoking if we do so, we start practicing sports and we eat better, we will experience an anti-inflammatory effect.

All these habits are part of the Eat Clean philosophy that helps us get rid of toxins and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Some foods that I recommend integrating abundantly into your diet are:

• Turmeric. Turmeric has been shown to have great anti-inflammatory properties, which is why it is called the natural Ibuprofen.
• Flax and chia seeds. These seeds are a very rich source of omega-3 fatty acids with an anti-inflammatory effect on our body.
• Green leafy vegetables. They contain a large amount of antioxidants, including chlorophyll, which help us fight inflammation.
• Cruciferous. Crucifers, like cabbages and broccoli, are highly antioxidant and have cleansing properties.
• Probiotic foods. Sauerkraut, kimchi, water kefir and kombucha tea help us to improve the state of our intestinal flora and our digestions, causing a cleansing and anti-inflammatory effect.
• Fruits of the forest. Like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries are highly antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

6 foods that promote inflammation

There are foods that we should certainly avoid or limit their consumption for special occasions if we do not want to create inflammation in our body. Some of these ingredients are:

• Processed foods. The human body does not have the ability to digest and metabolize artificial chemicals such as colorants and preservatives that we find in processed “foods”. The body is not able to recognize these ingredients as food (and in fact, they are not!) And reacts by activating the immune system.
• Refined flour and sugars. These ingredients like white table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and all white foods like bread and pastry doughs, cause a blood glucose spike, which in turn raises blood insulin levels creating a constant high of this hormone and triggering an immune reaction, and therefore inflammation. If the consumption of these foods is constant then we will subject the body to chronic inflammation.
• Milk and its derivatives. These foods can cause an inflammatory response because they are recognized as invasive and the human body is not able to process as much casein (milk protein) or lactose (milk sugar)
• Red meat By consuming red meat, the body produces a chemical called Neu5gc, and our body generates an anti-inflammatory response against it.
• Cereals with gluten. Wheat, rye, barley, spelled, and kamut are gluten-containing grains. Gluten can clearly be an allergen for our body causing an inflammatory reaction on the part of the immune system.
• Vegetable oils. They are very rich in omega-6 and abuse of their consumption unbalances the ratio between them and omega-3, leading to an inflammation reaction in the body. That is why it is advisable to cook with as little oil as possible.

Bibliography

1-US National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. “Low grade inflammation and coronary heart disease: prospective study and updated meta-analyzes”

2- US National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health “Early inflammation and dementia: a 25-year follow-up of the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.”

3-British Journal of Anesthesia. “Mechanisms of inflammatory pain”

4-UC San Diego News Center. “How Eating Red Meat Can Spur Cancer Progression”