First and foremost, we want to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. A good rule of thumb is to eat a rainbow. In other words we want a wide variety of color in the fruits and vegetables that we eat.
Green leafy vegetables are a great way to start. Greens are rich in iron, fiber, protein, vitamin K, lutein, and folate. Not to mention they have a lot of vitamin C. Other types of vegetables include Nightshade varieties, Cruciferous, Allium, Gourds, Morning glory and a host of others. Varieties of fruit include Pepo, True berries, Hesperidium, Aggregate, Accessory and Multiple fruit.
While it was always known that some conditions such as arthritis and acne were a result of acute inflammation in the body, there is mounting evidence that silent inflammation plays a role in heart disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes and some cancers, as well as in the ageing process. Chronic inflammation can be present undetected in your body for years, until it manifests in disease.
When fat cells grow, they take up the free space around the organs. Blood flow can be constricted and the body often feels as though it needs to fight to function normally. When the body feels threatened, inflammation occurs as a natural, healing response. Unfortunately, unlike the small cut that will heal in a few, short days. Obesity takes time to correct and the longer the body lives inflamed, the greater the risk of long term effects.
In the case of obesity, changing the diet by reducing calories will reduce body weight and thus reduce the inflammation in the body. This is the simplest benefit of an anti-inflammatory diet. However, people who are obese or overweight are not the only people who can benefit from an anti-inflammatory diet.
There are molecules in the body called prostaglandins which play an important role in inflammation. It has been found that of the three main types of prostaglandins, two of them (PG-E1 and PG-E3) have an anti-inflammatory effect, while the third type (PG-E2) actually promotes inflammation.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are considered "healthy", while saturated and trans fats are considered unhealthy and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. We generally want 4 to 5 servings of healthy fats per day. Good examples of "healthy" fats are avocados, olive oil, and nuts (excluding peanuts). We also want to consume cold water fish in moderation, 3-4 servings per week is a good rule of thumb. Cold water fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines are great sources of omega 3 fatty acids. When choosing our fish, we want to ensure that it is wild caught, not farm raised.
Wild caught fish have a more diversified diet and so has a far better nutrient content. Due to the pollution in our oceans many of our fish are contaminated with heavy metals such as mercury. For this reason pregnant mothers and children under the age of 6 years old should keep their servings to only 2 per week. High levels of mercury in adults can cause neurological dysfunction and kidney damage.
The first step is to make dietary changes to reduce food based inflammation. Processed foods, fast foods and prepackaged foods can cause increased inflammation in the body. Replacing these foods with lean meats, whole grains and healthy fats will make a tremendous different in how the body reacts to inflammation. In addition, if weight is a problem, reducing weight while changing to an anti-inflammatory diet can increase the benefits exponentially.
We always want to make dietary choices that will enable the body to work at peak potential. Avoid refined sugars. Utilize caffeine and alcohol in extreme moderation (red wine is best due to resveretrol content). Lastly make sure to consult your doctor, should you choose to utilize any type of supplementation.
Green leafy vegetables are a great way to start. Greens are rich in iron, fiber, protein, vitamin K, lutein, and folate. Not to mention they have a lot of vitamin C. Other types of vegetables include Nightshade varieties, Cruciferous, Allium, Gourds, Morning glory and a host of others. Varieties of fruit include Pepo, True berries, Hesperidium, Aggregate, Accessory and Multiple fruit.
While it was always known that some conditions such as arthritis and acne were a result of acute inflammation in the body, there is mounting evidence that silent inflammation plays a role in heart disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes and some cancers, as well as in the ageing process. Chronic inflammation can be present undetected in your body for years, until it manifests in disease.
When fat cells grow, they take up the free space around the organs. Blood flow can be constricted and the body often feels as though it needs to fight to function normally. When the body feels threatened, inflammation occurs as a natural, healing response. Unfortunately, unlike the small cut that will heal in a few, short days. Obesity takes time to correct and the longer the body lives inflamed, the greater the risk of long term effects.
In the case of obesity, changing the diet by reducing calories will reduce body weight and thus reduce the inflammation in the body. This is the simplest benefit of an anti-inflammatory diet. However, people who are obese or overweight are not the only people who can benefit from an anti-inflammatory diet.
There are molecules in the body called prostaglandins which play an important role in inflammation. It has been found that of the three main types of prostaglandins, two of them (PG-E1 and PG-E3) have an anti-inflammatory effect, while the third type (PG-E2) actually promotes inflammation.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are considered "healthy", while saturated and trans fats are considered unhealthy and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. We generally want 4 to 5 servings of healthy fats per day. Good examples of "healthy" fats are avocados, olive oil, and nuts (excluding peanuts). We also want to consume cold water fish in moderation, 3-4 servings per week is a good rule of thumb. Cold water fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines are great sources of omega 3 fatty acids. When choosing our fish, we want to ensure that it is wild caught, not farm raised.
Wild caught fish have a more diversified diet and so has a far better nutrient content. Due to the pollution in our oceans many of our fish are contaminated with heavy metals such as mercury. For this reason pregnant mothers and children under the age of 6 years old should keep their servings to only 2 per week. High levels of mercury in adults can cause neurological dysfunction and kidney damage.
The first step is to make dietary changes to reduce food based inflammation. Processed foods, fast foods and prepackaged foods can cause increased inflammation in the body. Replacing these foods with lean meats, whole grains and healthy fats will make a tremendous different in how the body reacts to inflammation. In addition, if weight is a problem, reducing weight while changing to an anti-inflammatory diet can increase the benefits exponentially.
We always want to make dietary choices that will enable the body to work at peak potential. Avoid refined sugars. Utilize caffeine and alcohol in extreme moderation (red wine is best due to resveretrol content). Lastly make sure to consult your doctor, should you choose to utilize any type of supplementation.
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