Easy Ways to Eat to Reduce Inflammation
If you suffer from any kind of autoimmune disease, there are ways to heal your gut and to eat a diet rich in foods that will actually help your body’s inflammatory response. Here are ways you can change your diet to help your body heal, and that may reduce its inflammatory response.
What is Inflammation?
Inflammation is a necessary function of the body that ensures your survival. If a part of your body is injured or under attack by a foreign substance then inflammation ensures that the body sends appropriate nourishment and immune activity to the rescue. You have probably seen this reaction on the surface with redness, heat, swelling and pain.
The problem with inflammation is that if it continues over a long period of time or goes beyond just a localized area it can become destructive to your health. In fact, since the 19th century inflammation has been studied and found to be the underlying cause of aging and age-related illnesses. This has led to the discovery of a complex chemical response to inflammation in the human body that can lead to an overactive immune system.
One of the simplest causes of underlying inflammation in the body is factors we can control like toxin exposure, stress and poor diet.
Foods to Avoid
These are foods that may contribute to inflammation in the body and that you will want to avoid. Saturated fats from poorly fed animals, trans-fats, and sugar and highly refined foods,
Foods to Include
Clean and unprocessed foods are your best friend. They supply your body with much needed vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients that can help your body’s defense against chronic inflammation.
Bok Choy is awesome. It has a very high concentration of beta carotene and vitamin A. Beta carotene is an antioxidant that helps to protect cells against damage. Also, one serving of bok choy contains up to 70 mg of omega-3 fats, and those also can help to reduce your body’s inflammatory response.
It’s time to add some sardines to your diet! This often over-looked fish is a great source of omega-3 and packs a serious dose of vitamin B12 too – and both of those have been found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Ginger and turmeric are great spices to add to the diet that may help to combat inflammatory effects in the body. They can be incorporated easily into many dishes and they taste great.
Extra virgin olive oil is wonderful source of polyphenols. These are antioxidants that may help to reduce inflammation in the body. Polyphenolic compounds have been proven to decrease the production of molecules that manage the messages in the body that produce an inflammatory response.
Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of NatalieMaynor
