What is an anti inflammatory diet & Why You Might Just Need It
To answer the question, what is an anti-inflammatory diet and why you need it, we must start with understanding how inflammation affects your body in harmful ways.
The immune system responds to injury and diseases with inflammation. This is a normal process that is important for healing.
One the other hand, not all inflammation is healthy for you. When inflammation gets out of hand, it can attack the normal cells of your body. and the process that is supposed to heal you, becomes self-destructive.
It is now well known that chronic inflammation is the root cause of a whole host of serious illnesses, including
Heart disease,
Diabetes,
High blood pressure (hypertension).
Stroke,
Arthritis,
Asthma,
and Eczema,
Autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, & lupus.
Inflammatory conditions like Crohn’s Disease and Colitis
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
and Parkinson’s disease.
Also, it turns out that the body’s aging process can be accelerated by inflammation in the body.
Allergies and sensitivities to food, poor diet, persistent stress, and over-exposure to environmental toxins causing auto-immune diseases can all be causes of chronic inflammation.
The good news is that there are some lifestyle choices that can help this process. Following an anti-inflammatory diet is one way to control the bodies inflammatory response.
The anti-inflammatory diet is an eating plan you follow, whenever you suspect your body is chronically inflamed.
Some possible warning signs of inflammation, include digestive issues, intermittent joint pain, sudden and new food sensitivities, belly fat that just won't go away, worsening allergies, persistent brain fog, unexplained fatigue, wild mood swings, on-set of sleep problems, and unexplained rashes.
Doctors can also diagnose inflammation using biomarkers of oxidative stress and organ tissue damage.
So now we get to what is an Anti-Inflammatory Diet.
An anti-inflammatory diet places a focus on whole foods that are whole and unrefined. It is high in anti-inflammatory spices, high in healthy fats, and high in omega 3 fatty acids.
Foods to include in an anti-inflammatory diet are organic soy products, such as tofu, soy milk, tempeh, an edamame.
Healthy fats found in extra virgin olive oil of high quality, beans, avocados, seeds, and nuts.
Foods that are brightly colored, such as dark berries, fruits, and vegetables.
Plus Spices that are anti-inflammatory, including cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, cayenne, black pepper and garlic.
An anti-inflammatory diet also focuses on foods to avoid that cause inflammation
Highly processed foods are inflammatory. as are carbohydrates that are quickly digested, such as sugar and sugary snacks.
You need to stay away from foods containing vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated oils, and polyunsaturated oils, such as corn, safflower, and sunflower oils.
Also, avoid processed meats and too much alcohol.
An anti-inflammatory diet is often one of eliminating any foods that you know are causing body upsets. When you’re not sure, you should buy raw unprocessed foods and cook them yourself.
Also, organic foods are best for an an anti-inflammatory diet.
Start introducing anti-inflammatory foods gradually into your diet and take away inflammatory foods so that eventually your diet represents an anti-inflammatory diet as much as possible.
Thanks for watching & be well.
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