The Anti-Inflammatory Diet

What is inflammation?

     In a "normal" body inflammation is when your white blood cells and the things they produce protect your body against infection. This is called acute inflammation. However, in other cases the immune system triggers this response even when there are no infections in the body. This is called chronic inflammation, in which the immune system actually causes damage to its own cells and tissues within the body.

The theory behind it...

     Chronic inflammation can cause many chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and Alzeheimer's disease. This can happen due to stress, your genes, lack of exercise, being overweight, sedentary lifestyle, lack of sleep, exposure to toxins such as smoke and of course, your diet choices. The theory states that if you eat an anti-inflammatory diet it could reduce pain in joints, lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and other cardiac problems. Eating foods that cause inflammation can therefore do the opposite. 

What not to eat.

    The Conscious Life details some of the worst inflammatory foods that can cause chronic inflammation.

• Trans fats-look for trans fats, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, these can cause inflammation by destroying the cells in your blood vessels
• sugar-too much can send extra inflammatory sensors to your body
• white flour-diets high in refined grains lead to a higher concentration of inflammation in the body
• animal fats-eating a diet high in meats (beef, pork or poultry) can cause an inflammatory response and tissue damage
• alcohol-drinking too much can allow bacteria to easily pass through your intestine and cause irritation and inflammation
• omega-6 fatty acids-eating too much, found mainly in soy, nuts and seeds, causes an imbalance of omega-3 fatty acids causing inflammation
• milk-whole milk or even 2 percent is high in saturated fat causing inflammation
• gluten-eating any grains causes an inflammatory response especially in the intestines 

What to eat.

     The Conscious Life also details some of the best anti-inflammatory foods that can cause reduce chronic inflammation.

• Leafy green vegetables
• turmeric
• wild-caught salmon
• shiitake mushrooms
• green tea
• papaya
• blueberry
• extra virgin olive oil
• broccoli
• sweet potato
• garlic