Inflammation is observed in many chronic conditions such as cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and even obesity. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly and eating the right foods can help reduce systemic inflammation, according to dietitian Dina Aronson in "Today's Dietitian." The acid/base balance in your body is also affected to a certain extent by your diet and the American diet is more and more acidic, which contributes to some health problems, especially for your bones. Basing your diet on anti-inflammatory and alkaline foods could lead to improved health.
Vegetables and Fruits
All vegetables and fruits are alkaline, according to the PRAL, or potential renal acid load, score method proposed in 1995 in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association." The lowest PRAL values are attributed to raisins, spinach, black currants, celery, bananas, carrots, apricots, zucchini, kiwi fruit and cauliflower. Moreover, vegetables and fruits are excellent sources of antioxidants, fiber and phytonutrients which have anti-inflammatory properties. Diets rich in vegetables and fruits tend to have a lower glycemic index, which can help to further reduce the inflammation in your body, according to expert Dina Aronson. If you are overweight, a higher vegetable and fruit intake can reduce the energy density of your diet and, by contributing to satiety, facilitate weight loss, as explained by Barbara Rolls in the July 2009 issue of "Physiology and Behavior." Achieving a healthy weight will keep the inflammation levels down.
Unsaturated Fats
Fats have a PRAL value of zero, according to Thomas Remer in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association," which means they are neutral, neither acid nor alkaline. However, dietitian Dina Aronson explains that trans fat and saturated fat induce inflammation; replacing them with unsaturated fat like olive oil or sunflower oil is likely to reduce systemic inflammation. Use unsaturated fat for cooking, splash a little on your vegetables or make your own salad dressing with healthy oils and your health will benefit from lower inflammation levels and a reduced dietary acid load.
Vegetable Proteins
Vegetable proteins such as nuts, tempeh and tofu are alkaline foods. Although beans and legumes are moderately acid-producing, a study in the January 2010 issue of "Plant Foods for Human Nutrition" showed that vegetarian diets are more alkaline compared to non-vegetarian diets. Plant foods including vegetarian sources of protein such as beans, nuts and seeds provide an abundance of phytonutrients and antioxidants with the ability to lower systemic inflammation in the body. Go vegetarian for a few meals a week and this will help boost your intake of alkaline anti-inflammatory foods.
References
- "The Journal of the American Dietetic Association": Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH; Thomas Remer and Dr. Friedrich Manz; July 1995
- "International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research"; Anti-inflammatory effects of plant-based foods and of their constituents; Watzl Bernhard; December 2008
- "Today's Dietitian"; Cortisol--Its Role in Stress, Inflammation, and Indications for Diet Therapy; Dina Aronson; November 2009
- "Plant Foods for Human Nutrition"; Nutrient Based Estimation of Acid-Base Balance in Vegetarians and Non-vegetarians; Peter Deriemaeker; January 2010
- "Physiology and Behavior"; The relationship between dietary energy density and energy intake; Barbara Rolls; July 2009
