Chronic inflammation can have long lasting effects on your health. Over the counter medications like NSAIDs and aspirin, a sedentary/inactive lifestyle are some of the factors that can help fuel it.
An effective tool that you may want to consider in your journey to protect yourself against chronic inflammation and its associated risk factors, is diet. By considering the impact of what you put on your plate can have on your overall health is the first step to making a difference.
What is the anti-inflammatory diet?
Several nutrients and foods can affect inflammatory pathways and therefore, modulate levels of inflammation in the body. The anti-inflammatory diet targets chronic inflammation by including plenty of anti-inflammatory foods and decreasing or restricting the intake of potentially pro-inflammatory foods. Here are some guidelines when following the anti-inflammatory diet;
- Reduce your intake of animal products.
- Reduce high-glycemic load carbohydrates.
- Drink more water or drinks like tea, sparkling water with lemon. Sometimes diluted fruit juices.
- Eat more healthy fats.
- Remove the wrong fats.
- Use spices like turmeric and ginger which can add flavor to our meals along with their anti inflammatory compounds.
- Include omega-3 fatty acids and phytonutrient-rich plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts.
- Eliminate pro-inflammatory foods, including processed foods, refined carbohydrates, trans-fats, and excess saturated fat and vegetable oils.
