Take Anti inflammatory foods to combat diseases
If you’re the one who does the shopping and cooking in your family, then you can help your family achieve better health, by including anti inflammatory foods in your daily diet.
While inflammation isn’t necessarily anything that will shorten your lifespan (well, maybe it could), it is something that quickly deteriorates your quality of life. Living in pain isn’t something anyone wants to experience.
Inflammation is when your body is trying to protect you, but it ends up creating pain instead. It hones in on something that needs to be attacked – like unhealthy cells, when you abuse your body with unhealthy lifestyle.
Avoid Pro inflammatory Foods
We live in a culture where ingredients are added into our meals and processed foods in a way where we’re rarely, if ever, aware of them. Sometimes we’ve just been raised to turn to certain foods for comfort, so we don’t view a doughnut (for example) as a toxin, but as something that brings us pleasure.
MSG is known as monosodium glutamate. You regularly find it in Chinese food, but it’s also found in processed meats that you eat, as well as some canned foods like soups and vegetables.
This is an additive to food that can create a toxic reaction in your body, such as headaches, nausea, fatigue, chest pain and more. Not everyone has a bad reaction, but even if you feel mild discomfort after eating MSG, it’s best to get rid of it in your diet.
Salt is an ingredient that can damage your health. We’re routinely adding extra salt to our food sources, and this isn’t necessary. Almost all foods (even sweet ones) have salt in them.
Sugar isn’t just found in sweets. It’s hidden in many seemingly healthy foods, such as low-fat and light foods. Even some foods labeled whole grain are packed with grams of sugar – so you have to be vigilant about what you consume.
It’s been reported that Americans typically eat 3 pounds of sugar per person per week. How does it affect your health? Not only does it damage your immune system, but it also feeds cancer cells, contributes to obesity (and diabetes), and boosts your risk for heart disease.
Gluten is one ingredient that many people have a negative health reaction to. While many health plans tout grains as a main staple of your meal plans, gluten is found in grains – and it can cause you to have allergic reactions that complicate your health.
Embrace a Basic Health-Driven Nutritional Plan
Unless you’re already suffering from a major medical disease, then you should strive for a healthy, Mediterranean-style diet. This type of diet feeds your body with anti inflammatory foods it needs to protect your organs and overall health.
A Mediterranean diet consists of:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole Grains
- Nuts
- Olive Oil
- Seeds
- Legumes
- Beans
- Herbs and Spices
Choose Quality Fatty Acids
Every cell membrane in the body contains fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids may lower inflammation and promote heart health. Most of us don’t get enough anti-inflammatory Omega-3s, and we take in far more pro-inflammatory Omega-6s than we need.
Omega-3s are found in leafy green vegetables, walnuts, whole soy foods, fish, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil and grass-fed animal meats. Omega-6s are found in nuts, seeds and vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, safflower and soybean oils.
Eat more fish like tuna, mackerel, anchovies, herring, lake trout and sardines which are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Try to get two to three servings a week. Canned light tuna is another source of omega-3s, but because of some concerns regarding the mercury level found in samples of canned tuna, it’s best to limit your consumption to one serving per week.
Take one to two servings of nuts and seeds a day. Walnuts and pumpkin seeds are particularly anti-inflammatory; eat them raw or lightly toasted at home—just until you can smell the aroma.
Include Probiotics in your diet
[ctt template=”7″ link=”JL8Ff” via=”no” ]Healthy bacteria called probiotics play an anti-inflammatory role in our bodies. You can find them in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, fresh sauerkraut, kimchi and miso[/ctt].
Antioxidants are anti inflammatory foods
By eliminating free radicals from the body, antioxidants can help to prevent many degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and certain cancers. Due to its antioxidant properties, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries can reduce inflammation in the body by blocking the enzymes that set the inflammatory process in motion.
Berries contain anti-inflammatory phytonutrient quercetin and the flavonoid anthocyanin which gives them red, blue and purple color. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, “blueberries are one of the best sources of antioxidants, substances that can slow the aging process and reduce cell damage that can lead to cancer.”
Wellness is a personal choice
Remember – supplements are not a good enough substitute for real, solid foods when it comes to giving your cells the nutrients they need to fight disease in your body.
Keeping your health intact is a burden that falls on your shoulders. Traditional medicine can only do so much to help you in the event disaster strikes. Ultimately, it’s up to you to feed your body what it needs to survive – and protect it from toxic wastes that make you sick.
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