Anti-Inflammatory Foods | Get Back To Better Health | Top 7 Foods

Anti-Inflammatory foods can be key to your overall health and well-being. Because unfortunately, thousands of people suffer from conditions that when the immune system overreaches it begins attacking healthy body tissues.

Let’s first clear the air though, because inflammation, providing it’s happening in a healthy body isn’t all bad. For example, when you suffer a scrape or cut on your arm for example, there may be swelling present in the area and what this means is the body has created an immune response, to promote healing. Where the blood runs out, in the event of cut, the body rushes white blood cells to the area courtesy of the immune system.

Now, we know however, that in an unhealthy body, inflammation can prove to be an absolute nightmare.

It can present as troublesome in conditions such as;

• Autoimmune Disorders (leaky gut)
• Arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Celiac Disease
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome & Disease
• Asthma
• Diabetics

….and the list could go on.

In the event a disease or condition you have isn’t an autoimmune, inflammation can still play a part in the body’s ability (or inability) to heal tissues in the affected area.

‘While today’s modern diet may provide beneficial protection from micro- and macronutrient deficiencies, our overabundance of calories and the macronutrients that compose our diet may all lead to increased inflammation, reduced control of infection, increased rates of cancer, and increased risk for allergic and auto-inflammatory disease.’ (Dr. Axe) 

The key to eating an anti-inflammtory type diet is to stay away from overly processed foods which unfortunately have become far too common in North America especially.

What experts in the field have done, are consider the anti-inflammatory properties of different foods and herbs and be able to link them to conditions with lowered inflammation. Some of the more obvious ones like fresh produce, really stood out among the rest.

 

Top 3 Things to Consider

1. Antioxidant rich foods
2. Minerals
3. Essential Fatty Acids

Incorporating these types of foods into your diet doesn’t need to be a difficult task, instead, you could begin gradually and find the right anti-inflammatory foods that help your body fight inflammation. Once you discover which foods react best with your body, and taste great, you can work on eliminating the troublesome ones without the feeling of being deprived or missing out.

Quick Fact: When someone feels deprived of something, it can often trigger an emotion to binge eat/drink that missing item. Very counter-productive!

At Ki’s Kitchen we wanted to provide you with a list of our Top 7 foods that you could start introducing to your diet, as early as today, to help your body manage, reduce and heal from inflammatory conditions.

 

Top 7 Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Green Leafy Vegetables – Leafy greens are an excellent source of Vitamins A, C and K which assist your body in managing and protecting your brain against oxidative stress. They are commonly jammed with antioxidants as well as enriched with anti-inflammatory flavonoids.

They can be added as a side dish, blended up for a delicious green juice or smoothie, or highlight a dish of complimentary items.

Blueberries – One of the main anti-inflammatory qualities of these delicious little berries is called quercetin. It is a flavonoid that is proven to fight inflammation and in some cases, even cancer. We know that blueberries are also among the foods that are high in antioxidants, another wonderful benefit.

Blueberries can be added to a multitude of dishes and salads, or added as a mid-day snack!

Walnuts – These are especially key if you are consuming a diet that isn’t high in meats (if any), because nuts and seeds can make up for the difference in Omega-3s and protein. Phytonutrients, found in walnuts, can help protect and manage metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular difficulties as well as, Type 2 Diabetes.

Walnuts are a delicious salad topping, like blueberries, or perfect on the go.

Coconut Oil – Fats and spices can create a strong anti-inflammatory platform especially with coconut oil. There are high levels of antioxidants and have been studied to reduce inflammation and have helped manage (and potentially heal) those who suffer from arthritis.

You may want to consider using coconut oil in your cooking – and it is important to note that there are varieties available that do not taste like coconut (in the event you don’t enjoy that added flavour).

Chia Seeds – How about we call them an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant superhero?! Chia seeds are absolutely loaded with benefits such as; essential fatty acids alpha-linolenic and linoleic acid, mucin, strontium, vitamins A, B, E, and D, and minerals including Sulphur, iron, iodine, magnesium, manganese, niacin, thiamine.

And in case that wasn’t enough, Chia Seeds are also very beneficial to help regulate cholesterol and lower blood pressure. Very impressive little seeds for heart health.

Turmeric – (at this point, I think it’s safe to say this spice is so versatile and beneficial to overall health, on every single level). Turmeric possesses high anti-inflammatory properties due to its curcumin components – Described as one of the most potent anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative agents in the world.

If you haven’t already – check out the extensive review we did on Turmeric.

Ginger – What is great about ginger, is you can consume it fresh, dried or even as an extract. Ginger is most often used as an immune modulator that helps reduce inflammation caused by overactive immune responses. Ginger causes the body almost a warming feeling, which is very beneficial in helping to break down toxins in the body and help cleanse it at the same time.

Ridding the body of this type of accumulation will naturally help inflammation especially in those who suffer from allergy or asthma type disorders.

Bottom line, creating a diet or meal plan you can stick to, is simply knowing what foods to eat for specific conditions, and in this case, inflammation. These anti-inflammatory foods can have you feeling results virtually right away, and you will notice a difference in the way you feel inside.

The key really, stay away from foods that are processed as much as possible, nothing good ever comes from them. The combination of saturated fats and trans fatty acids are an inflammation nightmare and truth be told, they are not nearly as tasty as rich, whole, fresh foods anyways! 

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Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have found some valuable information, if so, I’d love to hear about it! Please feel free to share this post with anyone who might benefit, and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. 

I look forward to connecting with you next time!

And be sure to check out why you should order your family’s next meal courtesy of Ki’s Kitchen  

From my kitchen to yours, 

Peace + Love

Kiran Bissoon