The Anti-Inflammatory Diet

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Inflammation is the way your body protects itself from infections, illnesses, and injuries. The body creates an inflammatory response to many outside factors. For many however, this natural process is chronic and silent, causing damage that can worsen chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

Your diet can contribute to this chronic inflammation. Unhealthy choices such as refined carbs, high fat foods, imbalanced omega-6 to omega-3 ratios, and excessive processed meat intake all incite inflammatory responses.

To combat this damage, many people have been following the Anti-Inflammatory diet. This diet focuses on increasing antioxidant intake in the diet. Antioxidants reduce free radicals, reactive molecules that are created naturally during metabolism and can cause inflammatory damage in excessive amounts.

Other anti-inflammatory strategies are balancing protein and carbohydrate intake at each meal, taking in adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals, high fiber intake, staying adequately hydrated, and choosing whole grains of refined carb choices.

Limit sugary beverages, desserts, processed meats and snacks, vegetable oils, trans fats and alcohol. Eat more vegetables, fruits, healthy fats like olive and coconut oil, fatty fish, nuts, spices like turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger. 

Regular exercise and adequate sleep are also extremely important in reducing inflammation. Following an anti-inflammatory diet can help help a lot of people who don't even realize they are experiencing inflammation. Even if you are not suffering from chronic inflammation, they recommendations of this diet are healthy for everyone!

Spritzler, F. (2017). Anti-Inflammatory Diet 101 - Fight Inflammation Naturally. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/anti-inflammatory-diet-101#section1

Comments

  1. MichaelDecember 1, 2018 at 4:02 PM

    Personally, I found this blog very informative and interesting in relation to how the content is presented. I enjoyed the examples of dietary choices that represent anti-inflammatory properties via antioxidants. Additionally, I like that the author highlighted the causal relationship that exists between adiposity and inflammation. Understanding how closely linked these two factors are plays a major role in the ability to mitigate inflammatory responses through specific interventions. MC

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