Inflammatory Foods – Cutting back on foods that promote inflammation, increasing the proportion of fruits and vegetables in your diet.
Natural Inflammatory Foods
Gluten and Casein – Found in wheat, barley and rye, or casein, found in dairy products
Casein is one of the two types of proteins in milk
Gluten sets off an autoimmune response that damages the small intestine and can cause joint pain
There can be an overlap with arthritis, gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.
Inflammatory Processed Foods
Refined Carbohydrates – White flour products like bread, white rice, white potatoes and many cereals.
These high-glycemic index foods fuel the production of advanced glycation end (AGE) products that stimulate inflammation.
Saturated Fats – Meat products, full-fat dairy products like cheese
trigger adipose (fat tissue) inflammation
Trans Fats / Fried Foods – Fast foods, processed snacks, biscuits, donuts, cakes
Check Ingredients for partially hydrogenated oils on the label.
Omega 6 Fatty Acids – Found in cooking oils like corn, sunflower and vegetable. Also, think about foods like mayonnaise and many salad dressings which are made from these oils.
Omega 6 fatty acids are an essential fatty acid that the body needs for normal growth and development. We need a healthy balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. When we end up with excess amounts of omega-6s it can trigger the body to produce pro-inflammatory chemicals.
Soybean – Omega-6-laden
Sugar – Sweets, desserts, cakes, fruit juices and fizzy drinks
Processed sugar trigger the release of inflammatory messengers called cytokines.
Sugar goes by many names so look at labels
Aspartame – Intense artificial sweetener
If you are sensitive to this chemical, your immune system may react to the “foreign substance” by attacking the chemical, which in return, will trigger an inflammatory response.
Alcohol – Excessive use weakens liver function and disrupts other multi-organ interactions and can cause inflammation.
