Fight Inflammation with Food (I)
Learning to combat chronic inflammation is something we should all do. We know that an inflamed body is an unhealthy body. We know that being inflamed entails risks, but even though we know about it, we are often unclear about what to do or how to act to prevent it. Don’t miss this series of articles on how to combat chronic inflammation with food.
What is chronic inflammation?
It is a response of the immune system to a series of stimuli or aggressions that persist over a prolonged period. Unlike acute inflammation, which is a rapid, temporary response of the immune system to injury or infection, chronic inflammation is long-lasting and can persist for weeks, months, or even years. Many of the muscle pain we feel, joint discomfort, swelling, some headaches, or even metabolic disorders that are increasingly common in people young, are the result of chronic inflammation.
In addition, it can be related to a variety of medical conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain autoimmune diseases.
Inflammation is the response of our immune system to stimuli or aggressions that persist over time prolonged, fight inflammation with food
Causes that lead to chronic inflammation:
- Lifestyle habits: Inadequate diet, living in a hurry, stress, a sedentary lifestyle, and alcohol abuse, among others.
- Exposure to toxic substances: Pollution, tobacco.
- Chronic or persistent infections: Force the immune system to be on constant alert.
- Obesity: It is a risk factor due to the release of inflammatory molecules in adipose tissue.
- Autoimmune diseases: In this type of disorder, it is the immune system itself that attacks the body’s tissues, causing chronic inflammation.
Consequences of Chronic inflammation maintained over time:
- Damages tissues and organs.
- Increases the risk of serious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurological disorders.
How to prevent and treat chronic inflammation?
There are different ways to address this problem, and obviously, each case will be different and will require different levels of intervention. Generally speaking, changing habits can be very positive, and specifically changing your diet. To do this, you need to know which foods you should incorporate because they will help you achieve your goal.
In this article, I am going to talk to you about 5 anti-inflammatory natural foods that you should know about. These are products that are within our reach and that you can easily incorporate into your diet.
Controlling our body’s immune responses is key to the development of diseases
1. NUTS
Their nutritional properties make them a fundamental food in any well-designed diet. Forget about the calories they provide and focus on their high protein content and fatty acids. They are rich in healthy fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for heart and brain health.
They also contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a type of omega-3, and provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals, such as vitamin E, folic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.
If you want to fight inflammation with food, nuts are a must.
2. AVOCADO
What can I say about avocado that hasn’t already been said? I’ll start by talking about the healthy fats it contains, especially monounsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid. These fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and have been shown to reduce markers of inflammation in the body.
They also contribute to cardiovascular health and may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases related to inflammation, such as heart disease.
They are also rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps fight oxidative stress andchronic inflammation, and provide fiber, which can help reduce inflammation by improving the health of the digestive system.
All of this makes avocado, beyond a fad, a must-see food when we talk about an anti-inflammatory diet.
3. CAYENNE PEPPER
When we talk about cayenne pepper, also known as chili, the first thing to mention is the active compound responsible for making it so spicy, capsaicin, with well-known anti-inflammatory properties.
It is used as a topical analgesic in some pathologies such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis or neuralgia, it is a natural antioxidant, prevents the formation of blood clots, is considered anti-bacterial, capable of preventing some infections and is also an expectorant.
To include it in your diet you just have to be cautious and dose it correctly.
Combine walnuts with avocado and cayenne, add extra virgin olive oil and enjoy a delicious healthy bite
4. BLUE FISH
The reason why oily fish has a prominent role in any anti-inflammatory diet is its contribution of omega-3 fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA, which are essential components of cell membranes and play a crucial role in regulating the inflammatory response in the body.
These fatty acids have the ability to reduce the production of inflammatory mediators, such as prostaglandins and cytokines, which play a key role in chronic inflammation.
That’s why never forget to add salmon, sardines or mackerel to your diet, and adding them to your breakfast is a good option to increase satiety.
5. COFFEE
Did you know that according to Johns Hopkins University, coffee also contains antioxidants and other active substances that can reduce internal inflammation and protect against disease?
So if you like coffee, be sure to have a cup in the morning with your breakfast, but keep in mind that its beneficial properties can be diminished depending on what you add to it.
To improve your coffee, choose natural sweeteners or flavorings such as cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla essence, or a little pure cocoa powder.
Change your old breakfast for this anti-inflammatory breakfast idea and you will see how in a short time the symptoms of inflammation improve.
THE RECIPE: Anti-inflammatory and very satisfying breakfast. Fight inflammation with food!
What do you need?
- 1/2 medium avocado
- 5-8 walnuts
- 1 can of mackerel preserved with extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt
- 1 cup of freshly brewed coffee
Prepare your breakfast in less than 5 minutes, on a plate place half an avocado cut into thin slices and season with cayenne pepper, black pepper and a little sea salt.
Add the walnuts and mackerel fillets. Dress everything with a little of the mackerel oil (make sure it’s extra virgin olive oil).
Accompany this delicious dish with a good, freshly brewed coffee, and if it’s essential for you, add a splash of your favorite milk.
Don’t miss the next article in this series: