17 Oct Fight inflammation with these top 6 foods

Does your body heat up, become red, sore, or swollen? These are all physical signs of inflammation. However, you can also have inflamed tissue inside your body which you cannot see that affects your joints and organs. Allowed to continue, long-term inflammation causes pain and physical damage. You often start to lose interest in activities that once brought you enjoyment because of your body’s chronic discomfort.

What causes inflammation?

Your immune system can kick into overdrive for a variety of reasons such as exposure to microbes, plant pollen, or certain chemicals. Chronic health conditions such as Crohn’s disease, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, and other disorders all feature ongoing inflammation. Ultimately, chronic inflammation leads to long-term health problems as healthy tissue suffers damage. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes have all been linked to ongoing inflammation. Furthermore, inflammation also exacerbates obesity, asthma, depression, and acne.

Foods that fight inflammation

You can naturally fight inflammation by choosing certain foods that have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Also, avoiding a sedentary lifestyle, stress, and any environmental triggers may prove beneficial at reducing inflammation.

The western diet

Unfortunately, the Western diet features an abundance of refined starches, sugar, animal fats, and processed foods. Westerners consume very few fruits, whole grains, vegetables or omega-3 fatty acids.

Healthy mediterranean food choices

Mediterranean countries are known for their healthier food choices. Researchers and physicians believe that the superior dietary choices of people in Greece, Italy, and France are the reason few suffer from the inflammation and chronic health problems that are experienced by Westerners. Their diet consists of strong anti-inflammatory food choices. The Mediterranean diet has an abundance of either low-fat or nonfat dairy foods, olive oil, legumes, nuts, poultry, and wine as the primary daily staples. Research performed by the Foundation for Integrated Medicine in New York, New York shows that the high ratio of monounsaturated (MUFA) to saturated (SFA) fats found in the Mediterranean diet are the contributing factors to an anti-inflammatory response in the body.

Foods that naturally fight inflammation

You can fight inflammation simply by focusing your diet on foods that are known to have strong anti-inflammatory properties.

1. Green Leafy Vegetables: Leafy greens packed full of powerful antioxidants which helps every cell in your body regenerate. Plus, leafy greens have an array of healthy vitamins and anti-inflammatory flavonoids. Spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, and arugula are all wonderful choices.
2. Blueberries: All berries are good, but blueberries stand out as superior. Blueberries are well known for containing an abundance of quercetin, a powerful antioxidant. Studies performed by the Comparative Biomedical Sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana have shown that blueberries not only reduce existing inflammation in the body but also prevent it from developing.  
3. Pineapples: Pineapples are brimming with bromelain which is a digestive enzyme that can regulate your body’s immune system response and reduce inflammation. Your heart’s health will also benefit from pineapples because the bromelain fights clots and keeps blood platelets from accumulating in the blood vessels. The juicy tropical fruit boasts ample vitamins, such as vitamin C, potassium, and manganese.
4. Nuts: Nuts are a healthy food choice, especially almonds. They contain alpha-linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fat. All nuts come packed with powerful antioxidants that not only reduce inflammation but even help your body repair damage.
5. Salmon: Salmon is an ideal source of omega-3 which is a healthy fat that benefits your brain’s function, skin, and heart. Also, it is loaded with anti-inflammatory substances that relieve inflammation throughout the body. Many physicians suggest that sufferers of heart disease and arthritis regularly consume the tasty fish. However, to reap its many benefits, it is imperative that you purchase only wild-caught salmon. Often when people consider a dietary protein choice, they focus on meats, but salmon is a wonderful source. The fish also contains abundant vitamins and minerals including vitamins B-12, B-3, D, potassium, and selenium.
6. Ginger and Turmeric: Both ginger and turmeric are used in Indian and Asian cooking. The spices have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric is what makes curry appear yellow. It works by turning off the NF-kappa B, a protein that regulates the immune system. The protein is also a major trigger in the body’s inflammation process. Ginger is a spice relative of turmeric and highly effective at reducing inflammation within the intestines. Many people opt to take ginger in a daily a supplement form.

Inflammation can be controlled and significantly reduced with dietary changes. These are just six of the top six foods to fight inflammation. You might also want to try sauerkraut, olive oil, peppers, tomatoes, beets, garlic, onions, low-fat dairy, soy, olive oil, and flaxseeds. If you simply must eat beef, then only purchase grass-fed beef.