Inflammation is your body’s response to toxic & harmful foreign substances that may harm your body. On your external body, inflammation manifest through swelling & redness, however it also impacts inside your body. In a lot of cases, your diet creates inflammation in your body. We are detailing foods that can create & worsen inflammation:
- Sugar: Sugar can cause inflammation by releasing inflammatory messengers or cytokines in the body. You should avoid consumption of processed sugar. Sugar comes by different names such as sucrose, fructose, glucose, galactose & maltose. Some fruits have naturally occurring sugar. While purchasing packaged food item from outside, so read the food label since it differentiates between natural occurring sugar & added sugar.
- Trans fat:Trans fat is the worst type of dietary fat & is linked to inflammation & increases the risk of diabetes, heart diseases & other chronic diseases. It also increases LDL cholesterol levels( the bad kind) & reduced HDL cholesterol levels ( the good kind). Trans fats are mainly found in a lot of fast food items such as burgers, pizza, french fries sugary items, carbonated drinks & many others. Trans fats in lot of these food items are formed through hardening of vegetable oil. This process is called hydrogenation. However it is important to note that not all fats are bad. Polyunsaturated & monounsaturated fats are considered good & saturated fats finds themselves somewhere in middle or trans fat & poly & mono unsaturated fats. For more details on good fats & bad fats, you can read our blog.
- Refined Carbohydrates: Refined or simple carbs are calorie dense & offers no nutritional value.Body digests these foods quickly due to high glycemic index, it spikes your sugar level. After consuming these foods enter your bloodstream as sugar making body insufficient to regular insulin levels.Consuming such foods only makes you feel hungry after a short period of time but also increases your craving for sugary foods. Example of simple carbs include pasta, white bread, white rice, sugar candies, Refined Flour. Besides, foods such as breakfast cereals, pizza dough & desserts also fall under this category.
Now you know a lot more about inflammation & how it impacts your body. These are some of the food items you should stop consuming:
- Soda & Carbonated Drinks.
- Pastries
- Desserts
- Fast foods such as Burgers
- French Fries
- Sugary Breakfast Cereals
- Sugar Candies
- Red & Processed Meat.
The following foods can help you fight inflammation:
- Leafy greens such as Spinach & kale
- Food with healthy fats such as Salmon
- Olive Oil
- Tomatoes.
- Nuts- Walnuts
You should also strive to adopt the following in your lifestyle:
- 7 hours of sleep
- Regular Exercise
- Drink an adequate amount of water.
- Maintain a healthy weight
