Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Inflammation - Is It Good Or Is It Bad?



Inflammation & Disease

 

Did you know that inflammation is the root of most diseases?  Inflammation is the common denominator in diseases such as arthritis, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).  


Types Of Inflammation  

 

Inflammation isn’t always a bad thing.  Acute inflammation is your body’s response to injury, irritation or infection.  This type of inflammation leads to redness, swelling, heat and pain in the affected area and it’s relatively short lived and results in healing of that area.

Chronic inflammation is a problem.  Chronic inflammation lasts for a long time and is your body’s reaction to things such as environmental toxins, poor diet and lack of exercise.  This type of inflammation is what leads to diseases in the body as well as mood disorders.  The good news is that we have some control over this.


Anti-Inflammatory Foods

 

Your nutrition is what decides whether you are healthy or not healthy.  Eating non-foods such as processed packaged foods will lead to chronic inflammation and disease.  Eating natural whole foods will keep your body in balance and therefore healthy.  Here are some of the top anti-inflammatory foods:

·         Cold water fish.  Try to have salmon, herring or mackerel 2-3 times/week.

·         Cruciferous vegetables.  Some great examples are broccoli, kale, cauliflower and other green leafy vegetables.

·         Nuts.  Try adding walnuts or almonds to your salad or just have them as a snack.

·         Avocados.  Great in a salad!

·         Olive oil.  Great for your salad dressing.

·         Spices.  Use rosemary, ginger, turmeric, oregano, cayenne, cloves and nutmeg to flavor your food.

·         Fruit.  Berries, pineapple and watermelon are particularly good ones to include in your diet.


Foods To Avoid

 

Anything that wasn’t once living or has been overly processed.  


Try It For A Week!

 

If you suffer from anything such as arthritis, asthma, IBD, high blood pressure or depression take a look at your diet.  Remove the irritants such as sugar and processed foods and see what happens.

When I removed sugar from my diet my asthma, allergies and depression went away.  I still indulge now and then but I know I’ll suffer the next day so I try to keep it to a minimum.  Prove it to yourself!  Commit to 1 week of clean eating.  Keep notes on how you feel and see if you notice a difference.  Let me know what happens!  info@wholeyfit.ca.


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