The older our bodies become, the weaker they get. The skin will become looser, the muscles start losing their strength and the joints are not as strong as they should be. The contemporary diet is rich in inflammatory ingredients, which is bad for the body and does not help in performing a regular task.
That is why it’s said the body is growing older even faster than the mind. When it comes to joints this is particularly true. Our joints are tired and overexposed every day for years, so they are aging before their time. This leads to mobility issues, swelling, and chronic pain problems.
Inflammatory disorders, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and bursitis usually trigger joint pain.
What is Inflammation?
Inflammation is a mechanism that destroys the white blood cells in the body and the substances that they contain to protect us from infection caused by foreign species, such as bacteria and viruses. Chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system induces an inflammatory response in circumstances where there are no contaminants to defend off. When chronic inflammation occurs, the body attacks its tissues.
The symptoms of arthritis include:
- Joints Pain
- Swelling in the joint
- Stiffness
- Impaired functionality
When the white blood cells release substances to the site of infection which enhances the blood flow, inflammation occurs and the area becomes tender, hot, and swollen. The extra blood, when the body is healthy, accelerates the process of wound healing. But inflammation causes the gradual breakdown of cartilage in healthy joints.
Health Risk Due to Inflammation
The common health risk associated with systematic inflammation includes:
- Respiratory Disorders
- Cardiovascular Disorders
- Bone Disorders
- Depression and Anxiety
- Cancer
The reasons for inflammation include stress, lack of sleep, smoking, dehydration, consuming alcohol, and gastrointestinal disorders, all of which contribute to the inflammation. The primary driver for the inflammation is our food habits and lifestyle.
7 Inflammatory Foods You Should Avoid (1, 2, 3)
The list of food items that play a vital role in regulating inflammation and must be avoided to prevent inflammation-related health disorders.
Added Sugar
Excessive consumption of added sugar can cause dental caries and increase the risk of inflammation, obesity, type-2 diabetes, and several chronic diseases. It can also lead to metabolic disorders due to an imbalance between good and bad bacterial as well as essential enzymes. The consumption of sugar compromises the immune system.
The major source of added sugar is soft drinks, fruit juices, coffee, tea, desserts, pastries, and sweets. We should try to substitute added sugar with naturally occurring sweeteners such as honey and syrups. Its always better to meet the daily requirement of sugar content through fruit and berries.
Artificial Sweeteners
Cytokines are inflammatory messengers produced as a result of the consumption of refined sugars and sweeteners. We must find out one of them, which induces liver inflammation and contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disorders.
They are present in candy and processed foods. Stop consuming corn syrup, maltose, golden syrup, sucrose, dextrose, fructose, and sorghum syrup.
We should avoid processed ingredients and opt for all-natural treats like dates and honey. Also, if you want to cut calorie consumption, use stevia rather than Splenda.
Dairy Products
Around 60 percent of the world’s population is unable to digest milk. According to several studies, it is observed that it is very difficult to digest milk beyond a certain age. Milk is one of the most common allergens and it can cause inflammatory responses in susceptible individuals, including stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation, acne, skin rashes, hives, and breathing difficulties.
Apart from obvious milk products such as butter and cheese, milk is also present in foods containing secret dairy content such as cookies, bread, cakes, crackers, cream sauces, packaged cereals, and protein powder.
You can use coconut milk, or homemade almond milk, instead of normal milk. Coconut oil is a great butter replacement.
Alcohol
Regular alcohol intake causes pain and inflammation in several organs, including the esophagus, the larynx (the speech box), and the liver. Over time this inflammation becomes persistent and at frequent pain sites, it stimulates the development of tumors and cancers.
It is present in ciders, beers, wines, liqueurs, and liquors. We can avoid alcohol and eat soothing, thirst-quenching drinks such as tea, sweet, filtered water, and freshly squeezed juice.
Processed Grains
Many of the foods we now eat are genetically engineered, refined, and filled with herbicides and pesticides. Some of the grains, for instance, wheat, are so processed that most people can experience extreme allergy-like symptoms. The worst part is, the wheat becomes whitened and stripped from its nutrients, which are later added in the form of synthetic vitamins and minerals.
Refined grains are part of white flour, white bread, pastries, biscuits, pasta, and noodles. We should use nutritious grains such as quinoa, amaranth, rye, millet, chia, and buckwheat instead of processed grains.
Processed Meat
Most processed meats are salted, dried, smoked, or otherwise preserved. Typically, this form of meat includes additional nitrates, soy products, corn products, preservatives, and coloring agents. All these compounds make these products so toxic that they can become carcinogenic and cause cancer in the intestine. Have you ever found this tough to swallow?
It is present in varieties of fast food products. We should defer the use of processed meat and instead eat fresh meat, poultry and fish. Alternatives such as smoked salmon or beef jerky may also be eaten organically.
Trans Fat
Nearly every person knows that trans fatty acids are very bad because of their double whammy effect: increasing the markers of low-density lipoproteins and lowering the ‘good’ cholesterol levels. These support the risk of inflammatory disorders. In the early 1990s, the Harvard School of Public Health was warning about the risks of trans fats.
A further category of dangerous compounds is saturated fat. Several studies have shown that saturated fats cause inflammation of adipose (fat tissue), which is not only an indication of heart disease but also worsens inflammation of arthritis.
Fast snacks, deep-fried snacks, commercially baked goods and foods cooked in partially hydrogenated oil, margarine, frozen foods, and vegetable shortening contains trans fats.
We should try using alternative products which do not contain trans fats and do not include partially hydrogenated oil or vegetable shortening in the list of ingredients.
Summary
Chronic inflammation causes several life-threatening diseases such as respiratory, Cardiovascular, bone disorders, cancer, and depression. However, this can be tackled by slight modifications in the lifestyle such as a balanced and healthy diet and have regular exercise to overcome any deformity caused by inflammation. “Eat Healthy Stay Healthy”.
