Although many of our favorite foods and beverages taste really good, when we consume them, they can cause painful inflammation. The word inflammation, originally from a Latin root for “fire” and “flame”, refers to the fact that the cellular tissue in our bodies essentially respond as if they were being burned by the foods and beverages that we consume. Over time, chronic inflammation can contribute to a host of lethal diseases, including cardiovascular and heart problems, arthritis, and even some forms of cancer.Below is a list of inflammatory foods to avoid eating, as well as some healthy alternatives:
Sugar – Processed, white “table” sugar, has been strongly linked to obesity, inflammatory diseases, and diabetes. Sugar can be found not just in desserts and sweet drinks, but in a vast range of processed foods, including soups, frozen foods, and bread.
Cooking Oils – While some vegetable oils contain healthy ingredients like Omega-3 fatty acids, restaurants and industrial food processors rely on polyunsaturated oils like grapeseed, cottonseed, corn, and sunflower oils, all of which can provoke inflammatory responses in our bodies.
Trans Fats – People are becoming increasingly conscious about the disastrous health effects of consuming trans fats, which do not exist in nature. Trans fats are regularly found in fried foods, fast food, and a lot of commercially-prepared baked goods such as bread, desserts, and pastries.
Dairy – Scientists now understand that the majority of people in the world cannot digest milk products after infancy and early childhood. The regular consumption of dairy products by adults, particularly industrially-produced cow’s milk, can lead to chronic inflammation.
Industrial Meat – There is a vast difference between the flesh of an animal raised naturally and meat produced in huge commercial quantities from animals imprisoned in factory farm feedlots. When animals are housed and fed in stressful and unnatural conditions, they produce hormones that get passed on to the human consumer, which can lead to chronic inflammation.
Alcohol – As with all things, moderation is the key to health. The regular over-consumption of alcohol puts an enormous strain on our immune system and digestive tract, leading to chronic inflammation and disease.
In almost all cases, it is possible to find similar foods and beverages that do not promote chronic inflammation. Honey and natural sweeteners like stevia, olive and macadamia oils, and free-range and wild-caught fish, can replace table sugar, unhealthy oils, and factory farmed meat. Likewise, completely avoiding trans fats and fast-food can be an excellent step towards living a life of maximum health as well as reducing or eliminating the harmful effects of chronic inflammation. When we avoid eating inflammatory foods, our bodies can begin to naturally repair and regenerate inflamed cellular tissues.