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The Shocking Truth About Anti Inflammatory Diet.

By Brandi Hayes


First and foremost, we want to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. A good rule of thumb is to eat a rainbow. In other words we want a wide variety of color in the fruits and vegetables that we eat.

Green leafy vegetables are a great way to start. Greens are rich in iron, fiber, protein, vitamin K, lutein, and folate. Not to mention they have a lot of vitamin C. Other types of vegetables include Nightshade varieties, Cruciferous, Allium, Gourds, Morning glory and a host of others. Varieties of fruit include Pepo, True berries, Hesperidium, Aggregate, Accessory and Multiple fruit.

This is the most common statement and the least correct. Inflammation affects every person in the world at some point in their life. In western cultures, like the United States, a huge portion of the population is affected by inflammation every day. Being overweight or obese is the most common inflammatory condition. It is this inflammatory response that could be the cause of some weight related conditions like diabetes.

When fat cells grow, they take up the free space around the organs. Blood flow can be constricted and the body often feels as though it needs to fight to function normally. When the body feels threatened, inflammation occurs as a natural, healing response. Unfortunately, unlike the small cut that will heal in a few, short days. Obesity takes time to correct and the longer the body lives inflamed, the greater the risk of long term effects.

Examples of whole grains include whole wheat, bulgur, rolled oats, quinoa, millet, spelt and many others. We typically want about 3 servings of whole grains in a given day. For those with gluten allergies or intolerance, options like quinoa, amaranth, and millet are acceptable.

Legumes are recommended at 2 servings per day. They are a very versatile food and are high in protein, folate, potassium, iron, magnesium, essential amino acids and fiber. The legume or bean is actually the fruit or seed of a plant. Examples of legumes are the soybean, peanut, lima beans, kidney beans, and black beans.

There are many illnesses and conditions caused by inflammation. These include asthma, arthritis, inflammatory bowel syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, diabetes, COPD, Psoriasis, Colitis, and Lupus - just to name a few. All-in-all, there are nearly 40 autoimmune conditions currently accepted by the medical community that are affected by inflammation.

Wild caught fish have a more diversified diet and so has a far better nutrient content. Due to the pollution in our oceans many of our fish are contaminated with heavy metals such as mercury. For this reason pregnant mothers and children under the age of 6 years old should keep their servings to only 2 per week. High levels of mercury in adults can cause neurological dysfunction and kidney damage.

The first step is to make dietary changes to reduce food based inflammation. Processed foods, fast foods and prepackaged foods can cause increased inflammation in the body. Replacing these foods with lean meats, whole grains and healthy fats will make a tremendous different in how the body reacts to inflammation. In addition, if weight is a problem, reducing weight while changing to an anti-inflammatory diet can increase the benefits exponentially.

Changing to an anti-inflammatory diet does not have to be in reaction to a disease or illness. Prevention is the best choice and the anti-inflammatory diet can reduce the risk of contracting many of the listed illnesses. When the body feels as though it needs to fight for survival, inflammation occurs, so offering healthy foods that have an inflammatory effect is a great choice for all people including those who are young, healthy and feel they do not need an anti-inflammatory diet.




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