Inflammation is your immune system's response to a foreign object such as an invading microbe or chemical. When a part of your body has inflammation it is alerting the immune system to come and sort the problem out. For example, if you sprain your wrist, it usually swells, which alerts your immune system to come and check out the problem. Inflammation isn't just caused by external injuries, it can be caused by stress, lack of sleep, diet and genetics.
However, there are circumstances when inflammation will stay in the body even when there aren’t any foreign objects. This is usually how major diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimers, depression and arthritis are formed.
There is no evidence to suggest that eating certain foods will stop these diseases, but there is evidence to suggest that certain foods can increase and decrease your risk of inflammation.
Food that will Increase your Risk of Inflammation
Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and pastries
- Fried foods
- Fizzy beverages
- Red meat (burgers, steaks)
- Processed meat (hot dogs, sausage)
- Margarine, shortening, and lard
All of the foods above have been processed and contain a lot of sodium, saturated fats and sugars, whilst these may be a more appealing option to grab, they won’t be doing you any favours in the long run.
Foods that can Decrease Inflammation
Eating plenty of these foods will help your body to decrease inflammation.
- Tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Green leafy vegetables, such as Swiss chard can protect your brain from stress and vitamin k deficiency, thanks to it being very high in vitamin A and C, as well as vitamin K.
- Nuts like almonds and walnuts
- Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines
- Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges
Having a good diet is key to fighting inflammation but it will also have great effects on your physical and emotional well being. Another factor to consider is having the correct balance of sodium and potassium-rich foods. These two minerals work together, sodium will bring in fluid and nutrients whilst potassium flushes all the toxins out of the body. Sodium in large quantities is never good for you and most processed foods contain a lot of sodium and hardly any potassium, this is why toxins can build up when you have a heavily processed diet.
As we mentioned before, having an even balance of potassium and sodium is crucial, as they work together to gather nutrients and flush out toxins. Potassium can be tricky to find in certain foods but bananas and celery both contain a large amount of potassium, as well as antioxidants and vitamins.
If you're looking for food that is packed with antioxidants then a great tip when food shopping is to look at how deep the colour of the fruit and vegetables are. For example, blueberries and beetroots are very dark, making them great for repairing cell damage caused by inflammation. Beetroots are filled with an anti-inflammatory called Betalain, which is why the beetroot is so rich in colour. As well as Betalain, beetroot also has potassium and magnesium compounds which also help fight inflammation.
Inflammation can affect the body quite severely, so making sure your diet includes certain foods that can help inflammation is so important.