It is strange to think that every food item we put in our mouth is either causing more inflammation for our body or nourishing our body. I found it both exciting and interesting to look closer at this What is Inflammatory Foods and Chronic Inflammation.
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Incorporating Homemade Chicken Broth and Easy to Make Vegetable Broth into your diet are wonderful ways to reduce inflammation.
When I think about my health journey over the past twenty plus years, I had no idea that certain foods caused inflammation in my body. And that chronic inflammation is at the root of all disease and illness. Crazy!
I love learning about health and how to keep my body functioning at it’s best, especially as I age. You might not be too surprised at the list of 10 food items that trigger or increase an inflammatory response.
What is Inflammatory Food and Chronic Inflammation?
We’ll look at ten common food items that trigger inflammation and how to reduce chronic inflammation.
10 Items that Trigger Inflammation in our Body
- Sugar – refined white sugar, corn syrup, beet sugar, corn-based alcohol sugar
- Vegetable Oils – corn, soy, sunflower, safflower, canola
- French fries – included all fried burgers, chicken nuggets, hand pies, seafood, etc.
- Refined flour: White and wheat flour have been striped of slow digesting fiber which triggers sugar and glucose problems.
- Dairy – pasteurized dairy, included pasteurized and unpasterized fermented dairy (yogurts)
- Artificial Sweeteners – like aspartame found in baked goods, ice cream, and “sugar-free” goods.
- Food Additives: artificial food-like substances in food like boxed cereal.
- Gluten: found in wheat flour, barley flour, rye flour
- Saturated Fats and Trans-Fat
- Processed Meat
This is not a comprehensive list of food that triggers inflammation. Alcohol and soda are two common drinks that cause too much inflammation.
What triggers inflammation?
Sugar is one the biggest culprits when it comes to triggering inflammation. This sweetener found in boxes of cereal, juice, and soda actually releases inflammatory messengers called cytokines. Soda (or pop, if you’re from the mid-west) is the most common trigger of all!
Refined processed carbohydrates, encourage an inflammatory response in our bodies. A majority of the fiber is removed from goods like sandwich bread, crackers, hamburger buns, and store bought boxed items. (Read more about fiber at Weight Control and a High Fiber Diet). Processed carbohydrates raise our blood sugar levels quickly, which in turn send messages to our brain that responds with inflammation.
Please know this a brief summary of how the above foods trigger inflammation in our bodies. Basically our body stays in a constant state of too much inflammation when we feed it unwholesome food that is lacking in high fiber and essential nutrients.
10 Items that Reduce Inflammation in our Body
Hopefully you’ll be delighted with the 10 food items that fight and reduce inflammation in our body.
- Turmeric: rich source of curcumin
- Wild-caught salmon, sardines & tuna
- Berries – blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Celery
- Sulfer containing vegetables: broccoli & brussel sprouts
- Beets
- Eggs – cage-free, organic eggs
- Chia Seeds
The above list is not a comprehensive list of food that reduces inflammation. Leafy greens, like spinach and kale are beneficial to reducing inflammation. Let’s not forgot healing herbs and spices!
Why Bother to Fight Inflammation?
It is normal for our bodies to have low amounts of inflammation, as it often protects our joints and can be a protective immune response to injury.
The danger comes in when our bodies remain in a constant state of chronic inflammation. Common health problems and diseases that stem from too much inflammation are as follows:
- arthritis
- autoimmune diseases (allergies & asthma)
- cardiovascular disease
- metabolic disorders (diabetes)
- cancer
- exercise related chronic injuries
- digestive disorders (irritable bowel syndrome, colitis)
Chronic inflammation doesn’t necessarily show itself with disease, it can start small with sleep disorders leading to sleep deprivation.
Win the War Against Inflammation
Set yourself up for success!
Plan ahead before going to the grocery store and add the above mentioned ingredients to your upcoming meals.
Incorporate foods high in anti-oxidants! Read more here on the top 10 foods that contain anti-oxidants.
If you already struggle with an autoimmune disease you know that eating food that triggers inflammation can increase your symptoms. Avoid those triggers!
Be sugar-conscious! Eat food that has no added sugars and drink water as your main beverage. Limit your intake of fruit, potatoes and milk products. as they all convert to sugar in the body.
Practical Application: Start your day with a glass of lemon water. Plan to grill wild caught salmon, roast beets in the oven and add turmeric to soups.
You can Reduce Chronic inflammation!
Prepare yourself for a few lifestyle changes and the healthy benefits will be well worth it!
Dr. Joseph Mercola stresses the importance of using diet and exercise to control chronic inflammation.
I hope that together we can encourage each other to keep fighting! Ideally, surround yourself with people that take daily steps to reduce inflammation. No one needs or desires chronic inflammation in their life, so let’s promote healthy choices together!
Pursing Better Health Together,