Apr 24, 20215 min read

Inflammation: Foods that Cause and foods that reduce

Updated: Dec 15, 2021

Our Weekly Mantra

“I deserve to feel healthy and strong”

Inflammation it’s part of life but chronic inflammation can be an issue and you can do things to help.

I wanted to talk about inflammation for several reasons, one thing I think most people don’t understand what inflammation is. Have you ever had a meal or dessert that was high in added sugar and fat and felt crummy the next day. When you wake up in the morning and are super sore or uncomfortable and blame your age or the aging process? This could be inflammation from what you ate last night. Being aware and placing blame where it belongs will help you make better food choices. Learning more about inflammation can help us see how some of our ailments, sore joints, migraines, digestive distress, overall aches and pains can be helped with simple dietary and lifestyle changes.

Definition:

When people talk about inflammation, they’re actually talking about your immune system’s response to a perceived injury or infection. When you’re injured, this inflammation is actually a good thing. The area you injured will become red and swell as an army of beneficial white blood cells flow in to fight infection and help you heal. The same response occurs in other parts of your body when you encounter a virus or infection. But sometimes this immune response occurs when it shouldn’t. It can be triggered, for example, when you are exposed to toxins, and by other causes such as chronic stress, obesity, and autoimmune disorders. In these cases, instead of moving in, healing the problem, and then returning to normal, the inflammation persists over time. It’s thought that this chronic state of inflammation can lead to numerous health problems, including migraines, heart disease, arthritis, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and even cancer.

Follow these seven tips for reducing inflammation in your body:

Load up on anti-inflammatory foods: opt for green leafy vegetables and fruits, nuts, fatty fish, and olive oil.

Cut back or eliminate inflammatory foods: SUGAR, red meat, refined carbohydrates (such as white bread and muffins), fried foods, and sugary drinks.

Control blood sugar.

Make time to exercise. … 30 minutes a day

Lose weight. … starting with 5%

Manage stress. We are always going to have stress finding ways to manage it without food is key.

Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night

What is the strongest natural anti-inflammatory

Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids may help fight vascular inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids , which are abundant in fatty fish such as cod, are among the most potent anti-inflammatory supplements. I personally do not eat fish I WISH I DID! I just don’t like it. SO my diet is heavy in Olive oil and I take really really good supplements. I will be sharing that with you at the bottom of this blog.

The best diet to follow

The Mediterranean Diet

Foods to AVOID or at the very least portion and reduce

While I believe you should be able to eat whatever you want I do think you have to NOT have or buy some products. Especially items that make you have to say I can’t have, or cause you to overeat and then feel bad about yourself. In other words if you go out for dinner bread and butter may not be a awful choice but eating it every day could be considered destructive to your health and wellness.

Butter, Lard, margarine

White bread, pasta, rice

Packaged snacks , sweets, and pastries

Bacon,

Beef High fat cuts, corn fed

Grilled meats

FYI ” Although delicious, crusty seared or grilled meats may exacerbate inflammation. Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York found that frying, roasting, searing or grilling certain foods at high temperatures produces compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs).Your body produces AGEs, also known as glycotoxins, as part of the metabolic process. AGEs are also present in raw animal products, including meat. Cooking, especially at high temperatures, forms new AGEs in foods. Although some AGEs are not bad, high levels of the compounds in the tissues and blood can trigger an inflammatory response and have been linked to the recent epidemics of diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Research shows that restricting the amount of dietary AGEs accelerates wound healing, improves insulin sensitivity and helps prevent diabetes, vascular disease and kidney dysfunction. The highest levels of dietary AGEs are found in beef, pork, fish and eggs; even lean meats like chicken contain high levels of dAGEs when they are cooked with dry heat. Compared to other meats, lamb had the lowest levels of dAGEs. It’s estimated that 10% of AGEs we get from eating seared burgers and fried chicken may be absorbed into our tissues and bloodstream.”

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Full Fat dairy

High saturated fat foods

High sodium, foods

Things in packages

Packaged and processed meat alternatives garden burgers, faux chicken

ALL the SUGARS!

Foods to focus on adding in your diet to reduce inflammation

BEST CHOICES

Vegetables: (Fresh, Frozen and canned with no added sodium or sugar): *Dark Leafy Greens, *spinach, *Swiss chard, lettuce especially *romaine. Beets, carrots, celery root, radishes, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, turnips and winter squash, asparagus,bell peppers, corn, *fermented pronbitic vegetables, green beans, mushrooms. Chives, *onions, *garlic, leeks, scallions, shallots. Arugula, book chop, broccoli, Brussels sprouts , Cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna, mustard greens, radish greens, turnip greens, romanesco broccoli.

Fruit: Apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, citrus, cranberries, figs, grapes, kiwi, mangos, melons, pineapples, and stone fruit. *BERRIES, CITRUS AND PINEAPPLE top choices!

Fats and oils: nut oils, *OLIVE OIL (95% of the time), seed oils.

Whole Grains: Amaranth, Brown rice, Oatmeal, Buckwheat, Millet, popcorn, Quinoa, Teff.

Seeds: Chia, *Ground Flaxseed, Hemp, Mustard, Poppy, Pumpkin, Sesame, sunflower

Herbs and Spices: Basil, Bay Leaf, Cilantro, *Cinnamon, Clove, Dill, *Ginger, Mint, Nutmeg, *Oregano, Paprika, Parsley, Pepper, *Rosemary, *Saffron, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme, *Turmeric (see supplement recommendation below)

Proteins: *Beans, *Tempeh, Tofu

Other: Unsweetened coffee and unsweetened black and green tea

Good Options but Consider your Portions

Fats and Oils: Corn, safflower, sunflower, soy and sesame

Whole Grains: Barley, Emmer, Spelt, Farro, Rye, Wheat Berries, Whole grain bread, bulgar, couscous, and pastas)

Nuts and Seeds: Peanuts, Tree Nuts

Dairy: Fermented Probiotic Dairy (Kefir, yogurt), Low-fat and non fat dairy products.

Proteins: Eggs, Fish (cod, flounder, halibut, mackerel, salmon, sardines, and tuna), Pork very lean cuts, WHite meat skinless chicken, shellfish, Soy

Other: (Portion controlled) Dark Chocolate and wine

Suggested Supplements:

As many of you know I have another business, some of you are clients. I don’t normally combine the 2 but I wanted to share what I think are the best supplements on the market. They have changed our lives and are DōTERRA’s best sellers. Life Long Vitality are is our line of supplements (there is a kit at the bottom that has them all with our digestive line as well) I want to share a couple of them with you and give you links to purchase if you choose.

LLV INFO: https://www.doterra.com/US/en/p/doterra-lifelong-vitality-pack