Inflammation is something that is not often talked about when it comes to health and diet. We have all heard of it and have an idea of what it is but many don’t know what leads to bodily inflammation, what it causes, and the kinds of things responsible for it.
Inflammation happens when your immune system is constantly working to fight infections and harmful things in your body. When your immune system starts working “overtime”, it begins to release harmful chemicals into your body which can a number of sicknesses.
A huge contributor to inflammation is caused by the kinds of food we consume. The over consumption of inflammatory foods can lead to weight-gain, drowsiness, digestion issues, skin issues as well as diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer.
So what types of foods should we be avoiding? Well…
Refined Carbs
- White bread, Pasta, Bagels, White flour tortillas
Certain Oils
- Sunflower Oil, Vegetable Oil
Dairy
- Milk, Cheese, Yogurt
Artificial Sweeteners
Processed Meats
- Bacon, Hot Dogs, Jerky
Saturated Fats
- Burgers, Pizza, Chips
….and these are just to name a few. When you actually think about it a lot of the foods listed are ones that were always frowned upon and were never considered good for our health. So this can be the extra push you need to cut them out completely.
Cutting out these harmful foods doesn’t have to be done “cold-turkey”, starting off by slowly adding in more goods that are anti-inflammatory first is the best way to go. Adding foods like avocados, broccoli, salmon, spinach, berries, dried beans as well as oils such as olive oil can really help jumpstart the process to combating Inflammation in the body.
The great thing about these foods is that they are easy to add on to the majority of your everyday meals which also means gradually increasing your intake won’t be as hard as you think!