Everyone knows about inflammation.  When you twist your ankle it swells a little (or a lot), when you get a cut you see the skin around it turn red.  That’s acute inflammation, lasting a few minutes to a few days.  

But have you heard about chronic inflammation?  It can last weeks to YEARS!  Chronic inflammation can be triggered by illnesses, viruses, poor nutrition, stress, or aging.  Yup, stress and aging…does anyone not age besides Jennifer Aniston?  Certain disease conditions are linked to chronic inflammation, including: obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.  Nutrition plays a key role in inflammation by either promoting it (Boo!), or combating it (Yay!).  Some foods have been found to reduce inflammation in the body.  However, research is finding that some foods can promote an inflammatory response.  Choose the right foods, and you may be able to reduce your risk of illness by decreasing the inflammatory disease process.

Eat More Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients:

• Vitamin C:  red and green peppers, oranges and orange juice, kiwi, strawberries, broccoli 
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids:  fatty fish (like salmon, herring, trout) Chia seed, walnuts, canola oil, flaxseed oil
• Vitamin E: nuts, seeds, oils (sunflower, safflower), spinach, broccoli
• Polyphenols: fruits, vegetables, chocolate, tea, coffee, olive oil
• Probiotics: cultured dairy (yogurt, kefir), sauerkraut, kimchi 
• Prebiotics: garlic, onion, bananas, oats, apples

Eat Less Pro-Inflammatory Nutrients:

• Refined carbohydrates: white bread, pasta, cakes, cookies, simple sugars 
• Trans fatty acids:  margarine, highly processed, shelf stable foods
• Saturated fats: butter, animal fats, fried foods

Instead of focusing on individual foods to add or remove from your diet, a generally healthy eating pattern is a better approach.  Try some of the recommendations below for a more anti-inflammatory approach to eating.

• Lots of fruits and vegetables
  • Trying making ½ your plate fruits and/or vegetables at meals
  • Always start with a fruit or vegetable at snack time
  • Aim for a variety of different kinds and colors
  • Fresh or frozen, it doesn’t matter!
• Make ½ your grain whole
  • Look for flour based products (bread, bagels, cereal, pasta) to be made with whole grains, not refined flour.
  • Try whole grains at meals like brown rice, quinoa, barley, oatmeal
• Swap out your fats
  • Swap cream based salad dressing for oil based- a vinaigrette for example
  • Use oil when cooking in place of butter
  • Try avocado on your sandwich in place of mayo
  • Choose low fat dairy and lean cuts of beef
• Check your beverages
  • Limit beverage like soda, sweetened ice tea and sports drinks
  • Focus mostly on water, but green tea, coffee, and the occasional glass of red wine (6 ounce) have their benefits
• Try some chocolate!  
  • Just look for chocolate that’s 70% cocoa or more

Diets like the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension), the Mediterranean Diet, and the MIND Diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) incorporate the recommendations above.  Look for recipes and meal plans based around these diets.

And don’t forget adequate sleep and managing stress, in addition to a healthy diet, can really reduce your risk for chronic inflammation.  Easy right? 

 Stay Happy, Stay Healthy

This blog was written by Chris Henigan MS, RD, LDN, co-founder of Simple Start Nutrition.  For more blog posts and nutrition information follow @simplestartnutrition on Instagram and Facebook.  Also feel free to contact us, by visiting our website (simplestartnutrition.com) to schedule an appointment to discuss your nutrition related needs.  We’re here to help.

References:

1. Mahan, L. Kathleen and Janice L. Raymond. Krause’s Food and The Nutrition Care Process. 14^th Ed., Elsevier, 2017.