10 Top Foods that
Prevent Inflammation in Your Body
Do you want to feel healthy, energetic, and fight disease and the
signs of aging? Then you need to know about inflammation and how to
reduce it.
|
If you have heart disease, high blood pressure, bacterial or viral infections,
osteoporosis, arthritis, acid reflux, candidiasis or acne, then you could
also have chronic, low-grade inflammation. In fact, if you have any
number of other diseases, it is likely you have inflammation. And if you want
to get or remain healthy, you definitely want to reduce the damaging effects
of it!
Inflammation has a positive and negative affect in your body. Inflammation
has a positive side because it helps your body respond to stress. But chronic
low-grade inflammation is thought to be one of the leading causes of disease,
premature aging and illness.
When you get a cold, your body responds with inflammation in the form of
a fever that helps you heal. The inflammation does its job, gets rid of the
virus, and disappears. But if your immunity is compromised and your body
is constantly stressed, you might experience chronic low-grade inflammation
that leaves you more susceptible to illness and disease.
Learn more about inflammation by reading Inflammation:
The Real Cause of All Disease and How to Reduce and Prevent It.
Fight Inflammation the Natural Way
You can help your body fight inflammation by reducing stress, eliminating
sugar and processed foods, and getting enough sunshine.
Diet is a key part of your inflammation-fighting plan, and some foods have
amazing anti-inflammatory properties.
Here 10 excellent inflammation-fighting foods and ways to incorporate
them into your lifestyle:1
- Broccoli has tons of vitamin C and plenty of calcium. It also
fights eye inflammation. Make sure you lightly steam
your broccoli to digest it well.
- Hemp oil (and all other oils with omega-3 fatty acids) reduce inflammation.
Most Americans consume too
many omega-6 fatty acids, so it's important to incorporate more omega-3
fatty acids. Hemp oil also has gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) to further fight
inflammation. Remember to look for unrefined organic oils.
- Wild-caught
salmon is another way to get beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. You
can also try other fatty fish like cod and sardines.
- Tart cherries can reduce inflammation ten times better than aspirin!
Once your inner ecosystem is well underway you are in stage
2 of Body Ecology. Tart cherries help reduce your risk for heart disease.
They are certainly more delicious than the popular over-the-counter pill
you are likely familiar with.
- Soaked
walnuts make a delicious and inflammation-fighting snack when you
are ready for stage 2 of Body Ecology because of vitamin E and more heart-healthy
omega-3 fatty acids. Soak
your walnuts and other nuts before you eat them to remove the enzyme
inhibitor. This makes them easier to digest.
- Onions and Garlic. Onions not only provide a sweet taste to your
savory meals, but also they have lots of quercetin, a potent antioxidant
that can help your body fight inflammation. Try onions with your grain dishes,
or prepare with eggs and greens. Garlic has long been a folk remedy for
colds and illness, and its anti-inflammatory properties are amazing! Garlic
contains sulfur compounds that stimulate your immune system to fight disease.
- Fermented Foods and Liquids like Dong Quai, InnergyBiotic, and
Coco-Biotic should be at the top of your list of inflammation-fighting foods.
They are anti-inflammation super stars for many reasons. One example is
that they build immunity and help control infections that are often an underlying
cause of inflammation.
- Pineapple is a tart fruit that you can begin to eat in
Stage 2 of the Body Ecology diet. It has bromelain, an antioxidant that
boosts your immunity naturally.
- Spinach has plenty of carotenoids, one kind of inflammation-reducing
antioxidant and it also contains vitamin E.
- Spices: Ginger & Tumeric
- Turmeric is a spice used extensively in other cultures, and for good
reason. It contains curcumin, a substance that actively reduces inflammation.
Try sprinkling turmeric onto cooked squash or quinoa for a different
flavor.
- Ginger works in a way similar to tumeric to lower inflammation and
in some studies has been shown to reduce pain associated with arthritis.
Wild-caught salmon is the only kind you should consider eating if
you are serious about reducing inflammation. Farmed salmon (and other
fish) have high levels of arachadonic acid, a fatty acid that is destructive
if you get too much. Instead, try
wild caught Alaskan Salmon from Vital Choice, our pick for omega-3
rich salmon and other healthy fish.
|
While processed foods may seem like the easier choice at first, they deplete
your health over the long haul.
Developing a healthy eating plan can sometimes seem difficult but like anything
that is new, it becomes second nature over time. And the payoff is well worth
it: with a proper diet, you can take a proactive stance against inflammation
and disease by incorporating these superfoods into your life.
With diet and lifestyle choices that support your health, you'll fight disease,
illness and the signs of aging!
Sources:
Dominick, Heather,"4 Foods PROVEN to Fight Inflammation," http://ezinearticles.com/?4-Foods-PROVEN-to-Fight-Inflammation&id=139191
2 Underwood, Anne, "Anti-Inflammatories: The New Superfoods," Health.com.
http://www.health.com/health/article/0,23414,1076460,00.html
3 Ginger, University of Maryland Medical Center, UMM.edu. http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ginger-000246.htm
Turner, Lisa, "10 Foods to Fight Inflammation," BetterNutrition.com.
http://www.betternutrition.com/document/624
Return to Newsletter Archive
Recommend
This Page to a Friend
Print this article
