The single most important factor in combating inflammation is the food you eat. Chronic inflammation is associated with heart disease, autoimmune disorders, asthma, allergies, arthritis, obesity, poor wound healing, chronic fatigue, and premature aging.
Inflammation is a fundamental physiologic defense mechanism the body uses to fight injury and invasion. This positive effect of inflammation keeps us alive.
Systemic inflammation can involve every cell in your body and negatively affect your health. Chronic systemic inflammation results in debilitating and life-threatening illnesses.
Utilize proper nutrition as a catalyst to decrease your inflammation level and lower your risk of disease.
Inflammatory and anti-inflammatory chemicals called prostaglandins are released by your body in response to the foods you consume. Imbalances in your diet lead to the release of excessive inflammatory prostaglandins.
Balance your intake of anti-inflammatory and inflammatory prostaglandin releasing foods for better heath.
Omega-3 fatty acids cause the production and release of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins while omega-6 fatty acid intake results in the production and release of inflammatory chemicals.
Paleontologists estimate that stone age man consumed roughly equal amounts of omega-3’s to omega-6’s. Today’s standard American diet (SAD) contains ten to twenty times more inflammatory causing omega-6’s than anti-inflammatory omega-3’s.
Excessive omega-6 fatty acid consumption combined with deficient omega-3 fatty acids intake leads to toxic inflammation levels and disease.
Balance your intake of omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids to lower your risk of acquiring or to better manage atherosclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, or multiple sclerosis.
High quantities of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids are found in mackerel, salmon, albacore tuna, bluefish, sturgeon, anchovy, herring, trout, salmon, mullet, walnuts and pumpkin seeds.
Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in fish oil, flaxseed oil, black current oil, evening primrose, and borage oil.
Inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids are found primarily in vegetable oil, beef, pork, and chicken.
To better balance your omega-3 and omega-6 intakes eat ocean-caught fish two to four times a week instead of meat or chicken.
Simply replacing vegetable oil with olive oil will positively affect your inflammatory levels.
Fish oil supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids are a valuable tool for decreasing and preventing chronic inflammation.
Food allergies produce an inflammatory response. The most common allergic reaction producing foods are dairy, gluten, nuts and shellfish.
Food allergies that elicit immediate reactions are easy to determine. Foods which cause low level inflammatory reactions are much more difficult to detect. If eaten on a regular basis these foods lead to chronic inflammation.
Maintain a detailed dietary log to enable yourself to note how your body reacts to specific foods and food combinations.
Utilize the Pulse Test to help determine if you have an allergic reaction to a specific food.
Eliminate the intake of any foods you suspect may be eliciting allergic reactions for one or two weeks. Re-introduce these foods one at a time and note your body’s reaction. If your body reacts negatively simply eliminate that inflammation causing food from your diet and find an anti-inflammatory substitute.
Highly processed foods are often the source of inflammation. Chemicals added to foods for flavor, coloring, and preservation may elicit an inflammatory response.
Chemical additives are new additions to human nutrition. Your digestive system may not be able to properly breakdown and digest these unfamiliar molecules.
If these partially digested particles enter the blood stream the immune system views them as invaders. An inflammatory immune response is triggered which adds up over time to negatively alter you health.
To prevent inflammation, consume a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily. For best results consume five to nine servings each day.
Fruits and vegetables contain disease fighting vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients in their natural balances. Newly discovered phytonutrients give foods their colors and possess inflammation fighting properties.
Don’t get engulfed in the hype and eat the same so-called superfoods everyday. Each individually colored fruit and vegetable contains varied quantities of health promoting phytonutrients. Strive to eat a wide array of different colored fruits and vegetable each day.
Defeat chronic inflammation with dietary strategies that contain cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower are cruciferous vegetables that are proven to inhibit the production of inflammatory prostaglandins.
Choose fresh, organic, green leafy vegetables to receive large amounts of vitamins and minerals. Foods such as spinach and lettuce contain huge quantities of inflammation inhibiting chemicals.
Citrus fruits possess antioxidant properties. Vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene are classified as anti-oxidants. These substances render disease producing free-radicals harmless.
Berries are rich in anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. They make excellent snacks and desserts. Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries can easily replace highly processed cakes and donuts.
Live a healthier, fitter, more functional life by preventing chronic inflammation and the diseases it causes. These fundamental nutritional strategies are your best tools for reducing chronic, systemic inflammation and the debilitating disorders associated with it.
Dr Donald A Ozello DC of Championship Chiropractic in Las Vegas, NV
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