Foods To Fight Inflammation
By: Ashley Shipton
Can the foods that you eat help fight joint pain? The simple answer is yes! Certain foods can help lower harmful levels of inflammation within the body resulting in less pain and swelling. Sometimes inflammation persists day in and day out. Chronic inflammation, the type that does not go away after treatment, is linked to many major diseases including diabetes, arthritis, depression, cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Often inflammation is not apparent with a visual inspection, but hidden, microscopic inflammation is a key process in many diseases. The foods we eat can contribute to our problems with inflammation, or serve as our first line of defense against it.
Some of the most powerful tools to combat inflammation come from the grocery store. Studies show that how we nourish the body can have a major impact on its inflammatory response. Choosing the right foods can reduce the risks of long-term, serious illnesses associated with chronic inflammation. Consequently, picking the wrong ones can accelerate the inflammatory disease processes.
Top five foods that decrease inflammation:
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Green leafy vegetables: Spinach, kale, and collards
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Olive oil
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Nuts: Macadamia, almonds and walnuts
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Fruits: Strawberries, blueberries, cherries, tomatoes and oranges
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Fatty fish: Salmon, mackerel, and tuna
These foods have been found to reduce inflammation, and with it, chronic disease. A diet that is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, and healthy oils will reduce chronic inflammation, and subsequently reduce the risk of most major diseases.
Top five foods that increase inflammation:
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Refined carbohydrates: White bread, pastries, rice
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Sugar sweetened beverages: Juice and soda
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Processed meat: Hot dogs, sausage, and lunch meat
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Solid fats: Margarine, shortening, and lard
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Fried foods: French fries and chicken fingers
These foods also contribute to weight gain, which in itself is a risk factor for inflammation. Yet in several studies, even after researchers took obesity into account, the link between foods and inflammation remained. This suggests that weight gain isn’t the sole driver of inflammation, but that the compounds released from the digestion of these foods directly influences the inflammatory response.
It is not always easy to maintain a healthy diet, especially through the holiday season, or while on vacation. But here are a few simple ways to reduce inflammation through. First, increase your selenium intake. Research has shown that people with chronic inflammation, especially those with rheumatoid arthritis, have low levels of selenium. Selenium is a mineral that contains antioxidants, which are believed to help control inflammation. Talk to you doctor about supplementing with selenium, or look for an arthritis supplement with selenium in it. Second, consider supplementing your diet with Vitamin D. Vitamin D is usually recommended, along with calcium, to protect against osteoporosis, but it may also be helpful in lowering the risk of chronic inflammation.
Reducing inflammation is key in disease prevention. Tailoring one’s diet to fight chronic inflammation is a simple way to fight a condition which can lead to so many serious illnesses.
