Inflammation Definition

Inflammation is a natural process that helps your body heal and defend itself from harm. However, inflammation is harmful if it becomes chronic. Chronic inflammation may last for weeks, months, or years and may lead to various health problems. That said, there are many things you can do to reduce inflammation and improve your overall health.
Inflammation is a protective mechanism that allows your body to defend itself against infection, illness, or injury.

Natural Anti-inflammatories

Natural anti-inflammatories are foods that you can eat to lower your odds of having inflammation. If you have a condition that causes inflammation, it may help to change your eating habits. While medication and other treatments are important, many experts say an anti-inflammatory diet may help, too. An anti-inflammatory diet is widely regarded as healthy. Even if it doesn't help with your condition, it can help lower your chances of having other problems.

Anti-inflammatory Diet

To reduce levels of inflammation, aim for an overall healthy diet. If you're looking for an eating plan that closely follows the tenets of anti-inflammatory eating, consider the Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, and healthy oils.      In addition to lowering inflammation, a more natural, less processed diet can have noticeable effects on your physical and emotional health.
Adhering to an anti-inflammatory diet may help reduce levels of certain inflammatory markers (such as a substance called C-reactive protein) in people with type 2 diabetes.

Foods that Cause Inflammation

•     Refined carbohydrate

•     French fries

•     Soda

•     Red meat

•     Margarine

Anti-inflammatory Foods

•     Tomatoes

•     Olive oil

•     green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collards

•     nuts like almonds and walnuts

•     fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines

•     fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges

You can begin an anti-inflammatory diet by following these tips

•     Eat five to nine servings of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables each day.

•     Limit your intake of foods high in omega-6 fatty acids while increasing your consumption of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as flaxseed, walnuts, and oily fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, and herring).

•     Replace red meat with healthier protein sources, such as lean poultry, fish, beans, and lentils.

•     Swap out margarine and vegetable oils for the healthier fats found in olive oil, nuts, and seeds.

•     Instead of choosing refined grains, opt for fiber-rich whole grains like oats, quinoa, brown rice, bread, and pasta that list a whole grain as the first ingredient.

•     Rather than seasoning your meals with salt, enhance flavor with anti-inflammatory herbs like garlic, ginger, and turmeric.

General Anti-Inflammatory Diet Tips

Carbohydrates

•     Reduce your consumption of foods made with wheat flour and sugar, especially bread and most packaged snack foods.

•     Eat more beans, winter squashes, and sweet potatoes.

•     Avoid products made with high fructose corn syrup.

Fat

•     Avoid regular safflower and sunflower oils, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and mixed vegetable oils.

•     Reduce your intake of saturated fat by eating less butter, cream and high-fat cheese.

•     For omega-3 fatty acids, eat salmon, sardines packed in water or olive oil, herring, and omega-3 fortified eggs and flaxseeds.