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Food For Thought: Inflammation and You
Food for Thought is a new column on A Beautiful Ripple Effect! It is written by nutrition + inspiration guru extraordinaire Whitney Ahneman. The column will be published every other Monday! Check out Whitney’s introduction video about the series in this post!
Inflammation and You
Inflammation in the body is a rampant but silent epidemic nowadays and is involved in the etiology of countless chronic diseases. In fact, chronic disease exacerbates this issue by igniting further pro-inflammatory pathways.
What does inflammation do exactly?
The mechanisms of inflammation in the body are not fully understood, but I’ll take a stab at explaining the key concept of inflammation in chronic disease. Inflammation essentially activates the “fight or flight” response, which should be seen only in acute illness and trauma. Instead, inflammation chronically elevates circulating levels of specific hormones and chemical messengers of the immune system in the body. These messengers are constantly in attack mode, which unfortunately includes attacking our own body tissues. In addition, our bodies become unable to mount an appropriate response to acute illness because the immune system is working so hard all the time. This certainly opens up the door to further illness, but I’m sure you can see how inflammation and chronic disease go hand-in-hand.
What foods will help fight inflammation?
Fats and Oils
Fatty fish is high in omega-3’s, a type of fat that plays a key role in reducing chronic inflammation. Studies show that consistent consumption of these types of fats (several servings per week) can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Extra virgin olive oil also has anti-inflammatory properties, along with rice bran oil, grape seed oil, and walnut oil.
Fruits and Vegetables
Antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables can help stave off inflammation by protecting the body from the formation of free radicals, little chemical messengers that ignite the inflammatory process and wreak havoc on the cells of the body. Considering we don’t know enough about antioxidants, how they’re formed and how they work, it is important to eat a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables. Each one brings slightly different healthful benefits to the table.
Proteins
Soy proteins such as soybeans, tofu, and soy milk may all help reduce inflammation. Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds also contribute anti-inflammatory properties to the diet as well.
Spices
Ginger, rosemary, garlic, oregano, and turmeric have all been found to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Fiber
A high fiber diet may have anti-inflammatory properties so using mostly 100% whole grain products will be beneficial in boosting fiber content of the diet.
Take Home Message
All in all, a diet that incorporates all of these foods consistently and with variety will see the benefits of their anti-inflammatory properties. These fresh and little/non-processed options open up a world of possibilities for planning meals and snacks. Enjoy!
… What do you think? Let’s meet in the comments and chat about this topic!
If you enjoy this topic, be sure to check out my first Food For Thought post published four weeks ago: Food For Thought: Oh Breakfast, Where Art Thou?. (includes a free PDF!) as well as my second post published two weeks ago: You Are What You Eat, Literally.
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Help spread the word about this new column by tweeting or linking or sharing the Food For Thought Badge on your blog! I am so grateful for your support!!
Related "ripples" you might enjoy:
- Food For Thought: Oh My Omega!
- Food For Thought: Energize Your Life
- Food For Thought: Color Me Healthy
- Food for Thought: You are What You Eat, Literally
- Food For Thought: Demeanor Determines Consumption
This entry was posted on Monday, August 2nd, 2010 at 6:04 pm and is filed under Food for Thought, Guest Bloggers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
5 Responses to “Food For Thought: Inflammation and You”
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Great information! I was diagnosed with MS in 2006 and have since dropped most inflammatory foods from my diet. (and it has made a difference in my overall health) I think animal products are the worst in terms of fueling the inflammatory fire, especially dairy. The China Study is worth a read to elaborate on some of these ideas!
Courtney Carver´s last blog ..You’ve Come a Long Way Baby
Hi Courtney! I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad that you’ve found a way to have some control over the disease through food! I don’t really like to make enemies out of any specific food groups but there are certainly foods that are more pro-inflammatory and should be consumed a little bit more sparingly in the diet. And I’ll be sure to read up on the China Study, thanks!
Whitney´s last blog ..Multivitamins For All
Twitter: clearlycomposed
says:
I heard it described once that inflammation is akin to being constantly irritated, like a rash is, only internally. It really is amazing how a precursor for so many conditions is greatly under our control. Cutting out the high fat red meat seems to be a wise move for us all as does incorporating the food that fight inflammation. Good article!
Clearly Composed´s last blog .. The Life Journey- Do You Trust Your Ride
[...] four weeks ago: You Are What You Eat, Literally, as well as my third post published two weeks ago: Inflammation and You. var a2a_config = a2a_config || {}; a2a_config.linkname="Food For Thought: Demeanor Determines [...]