Today we’re taking a look at anti-inflammatory Diet eating patterns. You may have heard of anti-inflammatory foods or diets if you live with a chronic condition. That’s because many conditions from psoriasis to heart disease involve inflammation.
How you eat may help to reduce that inflammation and improve your health.Let’s begin by understanding what is inflammation.
It starts with the immune system. A little bit of inflammation can be a good thing but the immune system can sometimes malfunction and attack healthy cells and parts of your body. That misdirected immune response can cause excess inflammation. Along with other treatments what you eat may help you manage or prevent a variety of inflammatory conditions. So what are the elements of an anti-inflammatory diet?
Let’s talk about what it looks like in real life. It’s not just one or two foods but a repeated pattern in your eating habits that helps to reduce inflammation over time.
The main elements of an anti-inflammatory diet are
let’s start with the fats. omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as salmon trout sardines and anchovies. They’re also present in ground flax seed and walnuts. Higher levels of Omega-3 in your cells may help to switch off inflammation and support your body to heal any damage caused by inflammation.
omega-3 isn’t the only type of healthy fat though. Other sources of good fats include olive oil, olives, nuts, seeds, and avocados. These help to reduce inflammation and also contain antioxidants
Antioxidants are substances that help protect our cells from damage. They clean up so to speak these things called free radicals in our bodies which are molecules that damage our cells and cause disease. Antioxidants can also change the immune system’s response and lower inflammation. They’re truly superheroes for our health. Sources of antioxidants include includes fruits, and vegetables, especially dark-colored ones like berries as well as nuts seeds, spices, beans, olive oil, and green tea.
Fiber is key to care for all those microbes that live in your gut. Did you know that up to 80% of your immune system cells live in your gut? A high-fiber diet helps a good bacteria in your gut Thrive. Which can reduce the number of inflammatory bacteria that live there.
Great sources of fiber include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and whole grains such as oats and quinoa. If all these inflammatory food ideas have your head spinning.
Don’t worry here’s an example of a full day of eating on an anti-inflammatory diet.
You could try overnight oats made with ground flax and berries avocado toast on whole grain bread sweet potato toast or a strawberry granola yogurt parfait.
Enjoy a bean and vegetable soup with a side of whole-grain crackers. Large salads are a great idea because you can fill them with a variety of good-for-you toppings like colorful veggies, nuts, chickpeas, avocados, and eggs, the sky is really the limit and choose an olive oil-based dressing.
Enjoy salmon, whole grain pasta, and veggies roasted in olive oil, or go vegetarian with a bean-based chili loaded with other vegetables. Other meal ideas include baked fish and lemon basil spaghetti squash.
Throughout the day snack on hummus with raw veggies and whole grain pita, peanut butter on whole grain toast, trail mix, or fresh fruit.
Anti-inflammatory eating can be an important part of managing many different health conditions. It’s not designed to replace medications or treatments but can be used alongside those. Continue to work with your Healthcare team to manage any changes to your health.
Benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet. There are many reasons to try anti-inflammatory eating. Ongoing inflammation can lead to chronic disease and may be the reason for ongoing aches, pains, fatigue, and even brain fog that you experience.
Anti-inflammatory eating can also be great for your mental health. Things like depression anxiety and even schizophrenia have been linked to inflammation. Following an eating pattern that prioritizes anti-inflammatory foods may help to prevent or manage several health conditions. we’ll go over some now
Psoriasis is a condition that happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks the skin causing inflammation and plaques. The inflammation that targets the skin can also affect the joints causing psoriatic arthritis. A diet rich in Omega-3s, antioxidants, and fiber can help reduce inflammation in the skin and Joints as part of managing your psoriasis.
Inflammation in your arteries can increase the amount of plaque that builds up. plaque makes arteries more narrow and less flexible. This can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke. An anti-inflammatory diet May improve the health of your arteries and help manage risk factors like high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Type 2 diabetes is another condition that may benefit from an anti-inflammatory diet. Diabetes happens when you either don’t have enough insulin or your body isn’t using insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels and inflammatory proteins interfere with insulin function. Studies on people with type 2 diabetes have found that anti-inflammatory eating can improve blood sugar levels by helping your body better use insulin.
Inflammation and obesity are closely connected. Fat cells in the body release inflammatory proteins which increase the levels of inflammation in your body. Inflammation in the gut changes how your body uses energy which can also make you gain weight more easily. An anti-inflammatory eating pattern may help reduce these effects.
Inflammation in the digestive tract during a flare-up of Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis causes symptoms like bleeding, pain, and diarrhea. Some research suggests that anti-inflammatory eating could help people maintain remission from Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. A high-fiber anti-inflammatory diet may also help prevent Crohn’s disease. But be sure to check in with your doctor before making any changes as what to eat during a flare is very specific to you.
Most of our immune system lives in the gut. Our digestive system is home to trillions of tiny organisms like bacteria and fungi. when these get out of balance it’s called dysbiosis.
Dysbiosis is linked to a variety of chronic physical and mental health conditions. dysbiosis is even linked to several Sleep Disorders. A high-fiber diet as part of an anti-inflammatory eating pattern helps to nourish the colonies of good bacteria that live there. These helpful little guides keep your digestive system happy and help keep inflammation under control.
Rheumatoid arthritis develops when inflammation damages the joints. The inflammation that contributes to rheumatoid arthritis also increases the risk of other inflammatory conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Research has found that anti-inflammatory eating patterns can actually reduce pain in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
We know it can feel overwhelming to alter your diet. Try taking it slow by adding a few anti-inflammatory foods to your meals this week and see how it goes. consider working with a dietitian if you need some extra support.
