Inflammation is your body's way of repairing tissues and guarding against infection. When you are physically injured, your body increases blood flow to the affected spot and the wounded area becomes inflamed -- red, swollen and painful. However, inflammation can also occur in tissues inside your body, leading to chronic conditions such as heart disease, arthritis and cancer. Some additions to your diet may help prevent or repair this type of inflammation. Talk to your health-care practitioner about how diet can help your specific condition.
Consume Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The Cleveland Clinic recommends increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids to guard against inflammation. The best and least contaminated sources include small, wild, cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel and anchovies. If you don't eat fish, you also can get omega-3s in ground flaxseed.
Choose Lean Protein
The saturated fats in red meat and whole-fat dairy can be inflammatory. In addition to fish, the Cleveland Clinic recommends you get needed protein from plant sources, including beans, nuts and seeds. If you do eat meat, choose leaner cuts, and take the skin off poultry.
Eliminate Bad Fats
Trans fats, or hydrogenated oils, are human-made fats added to food products to increase their shelf life. Many baked goods, crackers and fast foods contain these fats, which can provoke inflammation in the body. Check labels carefully to avoid buying products with these harmful fats.
Opt for Whole Foods
Whole foods are those as close to their natural form as possible -- fresh produce, nuts, seeds, eggs and meat. Processed or refined foods, on the other hand, have had many of their nutrients stripped out and substances such as sodium, sugar and trans fats added back in for flavor. Choose whole foods more often than those in boxes, cans or bottles to boost wellness and prevent inflammation.
Increase Fruits and Veggies
Top among whole foods are fruits and vegetables, which are naturally packed with anti-inflammatory compounds called phytonutrients. In particular, flavonoids, found in foods such as citrus fruits, berries, broccoli, kale and peppers, help block messages to the rest of the body from molecules that promote inflammation.
Eat Pineapple
Among fruits, pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain, a known anti-inflammatory. Elson Haas, M.D., author of "Staying Healthy with Nutrition," says that clinicians have been using bromelain for inflammation since the 1950s. This enzyme is most helpful for curbing inflammation from respiratory and sinus infections.
Use Herbs
Herbs like garlic, turmeric, oregano and ginger have powerful anti-inflammatory properties, so use them liberally in cooking. As with flavonoids, Haas says these herbs "turn down the volume" on the NF-kappaB molecule that creates inflammation. Green tea also is rich in phytonutrients that help fight inflammation.
Limit Sugar
Refined sugary foods and beverages tend to promote inflammation in the body by causing sharp spikes in blood sugar levels. People with diabetes, whose blood sugar levels require close monitoring, need to be especially careful about creating inflammation in their tissues with simple sugars that enter their bloodstream too quickly.
References
- "Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary"; Donald Venes, M.D., ed.; 2005
- "Staying Healthy with Nutrition"; Elson Haas, M.D.; 2006
- Cleveland Clinic: Anti-inflammatory Diet
- Women to Women; Inflammation; Marcelle Pick; April 2011
- MSNBC.com; Feeling Stiff? Food Can Ease the Pain; Joy Bauer; April 2007
- "The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan"; Monica Reinagel and Julius Torelli; 2006
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