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.
As the connection between silent inflammation and a host of diseases becomes clearer, the case for dietary and lifestyle changes that can combat inflammation has become stronger.
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.
Whole grains are also an important component of our daily diet. A diet rich in whole grains helps to lower cholesterol and decrease our fasting insulin level. In other words eating whole grains helps combat type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
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.
Legumes are recommended at 2 servings per day. They are a very versatile food and are high in protein, folate, potassium, iron, magnesium, essential amino acids and fiber. The legume or bean is actually the fruit or seed of a plant. Examples of legumes are the soybean, peanut, lima beans, kidney beans, and black beans.
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.
What Can I Do?
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.
Sugar is a key culprit in inflammation, and therefore you should also cut back on sugary foods. Inflammation can also be reduced by taking supplements such as fish oils which are high in Omega 3 fatty acids.
As the connection between silent inflammation and a host of diseases becomes clearer, the case for dietary and lifestyle changes that can combat inflammation has become stronger.
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.
Whole grains are also an important component of our daily diet. A diet rich in whole grains helps to lower cholesterol and decrease our fasting insulin level. In other words eating whole grains helps combat type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
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.
Legumes are recommended at 2 servings per day. They are a very versatile food and are high in protein, folate, potassium, iron, magnesium, essential amino acids and fiber. The legume or bean is actually the fruit or seed of a plant. Examples of legumes are the soybean, peanut, lima beans, kidney beans, and black beans.
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.
What Can I Do?
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.
Sugar is a key culprit in inflammation, and therefore you should also cut back on sugary foods. Inflammation can also be reduced by taking supplements such as fish oils which are high in Omega 3 fatty acids.
0 comments:
Post a Comment