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Dietician Sheela Seharawat

what is an anti-inflammatory diet?

Everybody wants to live a healthy and fit life, a life without any illness or disease, a life that is active and moving. In this process of staying healthy lifelong, even researches have been working on to find a common link between many unrelated health conditions. After years and months of studies and examinations it could be found that inflammation is the common answer. Inflammation is the body’s biological mechanism to protect itself that fights and removes harmful elements, like pathogens and other irritants and dead cells and also initiates the healing process. Researches have proven that people with chronic inflammation have higher chances of developing certain health related problems like heart diseases, cancer and other auto immune diseases.

Fortunately, we have the benefit of food and exercise with which we could do a lot against inflammation. Dieticians and food experts says that by incorporating and eliminating certain foods from our daily diets we could take care of the problems of inflammation, and such food plan is called the Anti-Inflammatory Diet Plan.

Now what is an anti-inflammatory diet?
It is a diet or food plan that eliminates numerous or all allergenic foods that initiates irritation within the body. It substantially reduces and eliminates the intake of hormones, pesticides and antibiotic residues. By reducing the intake of toxins and hard to digest items through food in our body, the diet aids easy digestion and lessen abuse to the body.

Food avoided in the anti-inflammatory diet:

Saturated and trans fat: saturated fat is found in animal based foods like red meat and dairy products that is really bad, as it rises cholesterol levels and triggers inflammation. Trans fats found in cookies and baked products are chemically altered fats are also responsible for rising cholesterol and inflammation even more than saturated fats.
Omega 6 polyunsaturated fats: found in corn, soya bean and sunflower and also in packaged goods are also known to have inflammatory qualities.
Sugar and simple carbs: increases blood sugar levels and linked with inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory foods:

Olive and peanut oil, avocado, nuts: are rich in mono saturated fats that are good anti-inflammatory agents and also lowers cholesterol levels.
Canola Oil, fish and walnuts: high in omega 3 polyunsaturated fat is an excellent source to counteract inflammation.
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains: high in antioxidants and provides a different inflammation defence.
Spices, herbs, tea: all have high antioxidant qualities to fight against inflammation.