What is inflammation?
Inflammation occurs when your body faces an infection, illness, or injury. It beings with the distribution of white blood cells to the site of infection and ramping up the production of cytokines (i.e., chemicals that promote inflammation).
As a natural response to inflammation, you can expect the following signs and symptoms:
- Dolor (i.e., pain)
- Calor (i.e., warmth)
- Rubor (i.e., redness)
- Tumor (i.e., swelling)
This type of inflammation is generally acute (i.e., lasts for a short period of time) and beneficial; however, when it becomes chronic, you will most likely not experience any noticeable symptoms.
Unfortunately, chronic inflammation precipitates several illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, and some types of cancer.
Note that chronic inflammation is also present in obese people or those under a lot of stress.
The most common tests to detect levels of inflammation, including C-reactive protein (CPR), homocysteine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and TNF alpha.
In this article, we will cover everything there is to know about inflammation, including its causes and how to dampen it using your diet.
What causes chronic inflammation?
Chronic inflammation is the accumulation of years of bad lifestyle habits.
For instance, consuming foods rich in sugar and high-fructose corn syrup promotes the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Following this way of eating for years could precipitate chronic inflammation.
Researchers also found a link between consuming large amounts of refined carbohydrates (found in white bread) and inflammation, obesity, and insulin resistance.
Even more, consuming processed foods with high concentrations of trans-fats and chemicals promotes inflammation and deteriorates the lining of your blood vessels.
Vegetable oils are another potential culprit that may disrupt the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, a process that promotes inflammation.
Drinking too much alcohol and eating large amounts of red meat may be another contributor to this state.
Finally, living a sedentary lifestyle and being obese could also trigger chronic inflammation.
What is an anti-inflammatory diet?
An anti-inflammatory diet refers to eating more anti-inflammatory foods and fewer inflammatory products.
Your diet will revolve around whole foods that are rich in nutrients and provide protection against oxidative stress.
Your diet should consist of protein, carbs, and healthy fat at each meal. You also need to get enough vitamins, minerals, fiber, electrolytes, and water.
Note that there isn’t one single anti-inflammatory diet since any eating pattern that meets the criteria listed above can be considered an anti-inflammatory diet.
For instance, the Mediterranean diet significantly reduces inflammatory markers (e.g., CRP, ESR) due to its diversity and healthy ingredients.
Which foods are anti-inflammatory?
Kale
Kale is one of the most nutrient-dense veggies out there. It contains large amounts of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
One cup (67 grams) of kale contains:
- 684% of the daily value (DV) for vitamin K
- 206% of the DV for vitamin A
- 134% of the DV for vitamin C
Kale is also rich in antioxidants, such as lutein and beta-carotene, which dramatically decrease the risk of diseases triggered by oxidative stress.
Here is how it works:
Kale neutralizes the hazardous effects of reactive oxygen species and regulates the actions of the immune system. As a result, it will subsequently reduce the concentration of proinflammatory cytokines.
This effect positively impacts conditions, such as cancer and chronic blood hypertension.
According to experts, cooking kale reduces its nutritional value; therefore, it is best to consume this vegetable raw.
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate is extremely nutrient-dense, with numerous beneficial ingredients, such as fiber, iron, magnesium, manganese, copper, potassium, and zinc.
The main role of fiber is to optimize food digestion by improving the composition of your gut microbiome and regulating the absorption of nutrients.
By all measurements, fiber is considered the best product to detoxify and temper down inflammation across the body.
Moreover, the other minerals found in dark chocolate enhance metabolism, cognition, and the immune system.
Green tea
Green tea possesses potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that neutralize the harmful complications of reactive oxygen species and the chronic elevation of pro-inflammatory substances, which could potentially lower the risk of some cancers.
Cancer is the result of anarchic cellular growth that’s not controlled with the usual signaling cascades.
Over the decades, researchers were trying to understand the pathophysiology of this debilitating disease to be able to develop an effective treatment.
Two major phenomena that were found in most cancers included oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.
Turmeric
The health benefits offered by turmeric are mainly the result of its anti-inflammatory properties.
While this reaction is designed to protect your body against foreign pathogens, several underlying conditions could turn it into a chronic, destructive state that requires special care.
You see, chronic inflammation is a hallmark of most debilitating conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative ailments (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease).
Unfortunately, treating this state with pharmacological drugs is unwarranted since the adverse effect profile of these medications outweighs their potential benefits.
The good news is that curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) is an impressively potent anti-inflammatory compound that could exert the same effects as anti-inflammatory drugs.
In fact, many athletes around the world started using turmeric to treat pain and inflammation of their joints, especially after competitions.
Other anti-inflammatory foods
- Vegetables (e.g., broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower)
- Fruit (e.g., grapes, cherries)
- Avocados and olives
- Olive oil and coconut oil
- Salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, and anchovies
- Almonds and other nuts
- Bell peppers and chili peppers
Takeaway message
Following an anti-inflammatory diet can significantly improve your health status and lower the risk of diseases. Eating foods with potent anti inflammatory properties will eliminate harmful substances from your system and improve different physiological functions.
We hope that this article managed to highlight the potential role of the anti inflammatory diet in optimizing your health.
