Anti-inflammatory foods may help you reduce inflammation. The symptoms of inflammation include swelling, redness and pain.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet
An anti-inflammatory diet focuses on foods that help your body create the right kind of prostaglandins, or hormones that help the body regulate inflammation. In part, you want to eat foods that have the right types of fat so that your body will make anti-inflammatory prostaglandins and avoid the foods that have fat that leads to the production of inflammatory prostaglandins.
Good Anti-Inflammatory Foods
You will want to eat foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, an acid that is important to your health that your body is incapable of manufacturing. Not only can foods that have omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation, these foods may help reduce the risks of developing heart disease, osteoporosis and high blood pressure. Foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids include:
Wild fish tends to have more omega-3 fatty acids than do farm raised fish.
In addition, look for foods that have high levels of vitamins A, C and E. There are many foods that are good sources of these vitamins, including:
Where would foods be without spices? Anti-inflammatory spices can add "zing" to your meals. Experiment with spices including:
If you use oils, focus on extra virgin olive oil.
Try to avoid eating processed foods as much as possible as processed foods contain polyunsaturated and partly hydrogenated fats, a big no-no as far as inflammation and your health overall.
An anti-inflammatory diet is basically a healthy, low fat diet. Not only might you feel fewer aches and pains if you include more of these foods in your meals, you may also lose weight.
 | Studies have linked inflammation to heart disease. Although taking a daily aspirin and losing weight can help to lower your level of inflammation, there are anti-inflammatory foods high in healthy mono-unsaturated and omega-3 fats can make a difference too. |
 | The causes of inflammation are still a mystery. But taking a daily aspirin, statins, participating in daily physical activity and losing weight appears to reduce inflammation in the body. |
 | Though often uncomfortable or even painful, inflammation is a normal response to injury and illness; it is closely linked with the processes of repair and healing. |
An inflammatory response is a common occurrence, but knowing you're not alone hardly helps you when you're in the midst of the experience. |
Inflammatory foods might seem impossible to avoid, but it is easy to eliminate them from your diet if you know precisely what to stay away from. |
