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Mandy Nix

Diet Effects Inflammation













When you have excess inflammation in the body, known as chronic inflammation, it can lead to disease such as autoimmune disease, diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. In fact, inflammation is at the root of most disease. A poor diet is one of the biggest contributors to chronic inflammation. Fortunately, we can address inflammation with anti-inflammatory foods and diet changes. The following are steps to preventing and reducing inflammation. Addressing food sensitivities — Food sensitivities trigger an IgG reaction in your body, which is an immune response. It is beneficial to identify your food sensitives to calm the immune response. An elimination diet, food symptom journal or nutrition sensitivity testing are tools you can use to pinpoint any food sensitivities. Common signs of a food sensitivity include: Fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, headaches or migraines, eczema, rashes or skin irritations, GI symptoms (reflux, abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea), and ADHD. The most common food sensitivities that promote inflammation include gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, nightshades foods (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant), citrus, yeast and legumes. High omega-6 to omega-3 ratio — The typical American diet often contains more omega-6 fats than omega-3 fats. This is because omega-6 fats are found in many processed and unhealthy foods such as chips, pizza, pasta dishes, processed meats, and baked packaged goods. The ideal ratio of fats that we want to consume is a 3 to 1 ratio with omega 3s to omega 6s. The typical western diet contains an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of around 15:1. When we consume too many omega-6 fats and not enough omega 3-fats this promotes inflammation in the body. To obtain more omega-3s compared to omega-6s, consume healthy fat foods such as avocado, wild caught salmon, extra virgin, cold-pressed oil options like coconut oil, olive oil and avocado oil, grass-fed butter, seeds such as flax and chia, nuts such as walnuts, almonds, pecans and macadamias (not peanuts).

Limit processed meats which have been shown to increase inflammation. Processed meats include hot dogs, deli meat, sausages and canned meat. Eliminate refined vegetable oils — Highly processed vegetable oils such as those from soy, corn, or canola, are rich in linoleic acid which is highly inflammatory. These are not oils are ancestors consumed. They consumed a diet rich in omega-3 fats. Corn, soy, cottonseed, and canola oils have increased because it is a cheaper oil and found in most processed foods. Meanwhile, are omega-3 fats have declined. It is estimated that up to 96,000 deaths each year are due to omega-3 deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to inflammation. It is estimated that as many as 80% of Americans are low in vitamin D. Aim for about 10 minutes of daily sun exposure to obtain recommended vitamin D levels. Sugar including high fructose corn syrup, is a major pro-inflammatory food. The consumption of sugar can suppress the immune system for hours after ingestion. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that processed sugars trigger the release of inflammatory messengers called cytokines. If you suffer from arthritis, avoiding sugar is one of the best things you can do. Sugar goes by many names so look out for any word ending in “ose,” such as fructose or sucrose on ingredient labels. Poor gut health — As Hippocrates stated, “All disease begins in the gut.” Having an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut can result in inflammation. Signs of poor gut health include IBS, chronic yeast infections, fatigue, food sensitivities and migraines.

Adding high anti-inflammatory foods to your diet is a good start towards reducing inflammation. These foods include leafy green vegetables, cruciferous veggies, beets, blueberries, wild-caught salmon, bone broth, pineapple, flax and chia seeds, turmeric, garlic, ginger, water, and healthy fats.

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