Anti-Inflammation Diet: Foods with Anti-inflammatory Properties

What is common about heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and rheumatoid arthritis? All these health problems start with a chronic inflammation. Well, what is inflammation? Inflammation is the primary defense mechanism of the body against harmful invaders like microorganisms and allergens. It is a localized reaction by the immune system to infection, injury or irritation. The major symptoms of inflammation are redness, swelling and pain. Sometimes, there may also be loss of function, as in case of rheumatoid arthritis. Chronic inflammation can increase the risk of various diseases like heart diseases, stroke, different types of cancer like colon, liver, esophagus and breast, and various auto-immune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Generally, inflammation is treated with different anti-inflammatory medications like steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, there are certain foods that possess anti-inflammatory properties. These foods help to prevent many health problems related to inflammation. So, let's take a look at the anti-inflammatory diet.

Anti-inflammatory Diet

When starting with anti-inflammatory diet, always remember that there are certain foods like junk foods that have pro-inflammatory effects. That means, such foods can increase inflammation and pain. Hence, you need to exclude these foods from your diet. On the other hand, your diet should be rich in foods that have anti-inflammatory properties like fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts and fish.

Foods to Avoid

You should avoid junk foods, fast foods, sugar and high-fat meats. Processed meats like sausages or hot dogs consist of chemicals like nitrites, which increase the risk of inflammation and chronic diseases. Foods high in sugar can also cause obesity, inflammation and diseases like diabetes. Therefore, you should avoid sugar-rich foods like pastries, candies, soft-drinks and pre-sweetened cereals. Certain vegetables including eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes and other vegetables belonging to the nightshade family of plants can worsen the pain from inflammation. Foods to be excluded from the anti-inflammatory diet are junk foods, processed foods, frozen and canned foods, sugars, artificial sweeteners, pork, red meat, and white bread and pasta.

Anti-inflammatory Foods

Your daily diet should include the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fibers and essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals and amino acids. You can get all these nutrients through fresh vegetables, fruits, oils, grains, meats, fish, dairy products, seeds and nuts. Always include healthy fats like monosaturated fats in your diet. Anti-inflammatory diet recommends fats like coconut oil, flaxseed oil, extra-virgin olive oil and omega-3 fish oil. You can have fresh vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, bell pepper, fennel bulb, Brussels sprouts, green beans, garlic, spinach, kale, leeks and sweet potatoes. Fruits like apples, lemons, avocados, papayas, grapes, oranges, strawberries and blueberries also possess anti-inflammatory properties. These vegetables and fruits are rich in anti-oxidants as well as vitamins like A, C and E. They can effectively reduce inflammation.

You should include certain spices and herbs like cinnamon, basil, clove, parsley, rosemary, mint, turmeric and thyme in your diet. Nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, flaxseed and sunflower seeds, as well as grains like oats, buckwheats and whole grains are also known to have anti-inflammatory properties. Fish like cod, salmon, tuna, sardines, rainbow trout, oysters and stripped bass are also effective to prevent inflammation. Fish like salmon is a rich source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory fats. Consume at least 6-8 glasses of water everyday. You can also have fresh fruit/vegetable juices, low-fat milk and herbal teas.

Anti-inflammatory diet provides a number of benefits and improves general health and wellness. By switching to this diet, you will experience improved digestion, reduced arthritis pain, decreased levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as a relief from the symptoms of bipolar disorder and depression.

Anti-inflammatory diet balanced with enough rest, regular exercises and maintaining a healthy weight can help to control the hazardous effects of inflammation and prevent a number of health related problems.