Eat the Right Foods to Prevent Inflammation in Your Body

Chronic low grade inflammation is common to those who suffer from any number of disorders or diseases.

You are likely to have inflammation if you have cardiovascular disease, arthritis, acid reflux, asthma or a bacterial or viral infection. Even if you suffer from a skin disorder such as acne or psoriasis then you are likely to have inflammation in your body.

Inflammation is not all bad. It is good in that it does its part to help your body cope with stresses that are put upon it. For instance when you come down with a head cold you may get a fever which is a type of inflammation that signals to your body that your immune system needs to kick into high gear to help you heal. However if your immune system is constantly working overtime and your body is always under stress then this can lead to chronic inflammation that will make you more vulnerable to any number of diseases and sicknesses.

What you need to do is to find natural ways to prevent the bad type of inflammation from making you ill and from zapping all of your energy. You can do this by eating nutritious foods, reducing stress in your life and eliminating sugar and processed foods from your life. Increasing the amount of sunshine you receive on a regular basis can also do you a tremendous amount of good in making you less inflammation prone.

Let us focus in on the inflammation-fighting foods that can improve your health and your lifestyle in general.

Broccoli is a vegetable that takes high marks for so many of its beneficial properties. It is rich in the mineral calcium as well as vitamin C. Broccoli is instrumental in fighting inflammation of the eyes. For optimum digestion you should lightly steam your broccoli before eating it.

In our society so many of us consume too many omega-6 fatty acids and not enough omega-3 fatty acids. To fight inflammation you need to add more omega-3’s to your diet. Hemp oil can be helpful in this regard. Hemp oil contains an ingredient known as gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) that fights inflammation throughout the body. There are other types of oils that contain omega-3 fatty acids such as flaxseed oil. Add more of these oils to your daily diet. In particular select unrefined organic oils.

Another way to ensure that you are getting enough omega-3 fatty acids is to eat wild-caught salmon. Other fatty fish that is high in omega-3 fatty acids includes cod and sardines. Include fish in your meals at least twice a week.

Onions and garlic can both send inflammation packing! Onions are full of quercetin which is an intense antioxidant that can help the body to fight inflammation anywhere that it shows up. Garlic has its fair share of anti-inflammatory properties. It is made up of sulphur compounds that stimulate your immune system to fight illnesses and diseases that threaten your health.

Samantha

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Walnuts and Omega-3: Health and Taste All in One

Walnuts are not only tasty when added to anything from cereal to yogurt to casseroles but they’re also good for you because they contain heaps of omega-3.

Walnuts are one of the healthiest plant sources of protein. Walnuts are rich in B vitamins, fiber, the minerals copper, manganese and magnesium, antioxidants such as vitamin E, ellagic, gallic acids and phenols.

These tasty nuts are very high in omega-3 fatty acids in comparison to other types of nuts.

Walnuts, as well as other nuts in general, are high in fat and plant sterols. But don’t worry – the fat that makes up walnuts is mainly the good fats which are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These good fats have been found through research to lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood as well as the C -Reactive Protein (CRP).

CRP has recently been acknowledged as one of the predictors of future heart disease.

A great deal of research has been done on the health benefits of walnuts, this champion of nuts. In fact over 10 years of scientific evidence points to the fact that adding walnuts to a diet will reduce the potential for heart disease because it lessens plaque accumulation and it improves the elasticity of the blood vessels.

The FDA endorsed the benefits of walnuts to health by approving the following claim in March of 2004. The claim states that, “Supportive but not  conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 oz of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet, and not resulting in increased caloric intake may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”  (http://www.healthcastle.com/walnuts-benefits-heart.shtml)

Add Crunch to Your Meals:

Walnuts can add crunch and flavor to your life in more ways than one. Here are some very basic ways to incorporate walnuts into your daily diet.

Instead of snacking on potato chips or cookies, eat some walnuts. Once you get use to the yummy factor you will be sold on them! Use walnuts as a meat substitute in your pasta dishes and salads. Try toasted walnuts for that little extra bit of taste. Start your day right by using walnuts as a morning protein source. Instead of devouring bacon, eggs or both sprinkle some chopped walnuts onto your cereal or in your oatmeal.

Go light on the pepperoni on your pizza or go without pepperoni all together and instead treat your pizza to chopped walnuts.

Word of Caution:

Walnuts do not have any cons to speak of. However, along with other nuts they do tend to be high in calories and for that reason it is important to eat them in moderation.

This means eat them but go easy on the servings. The wisest thing to do is to use walnuts to replace foods that are high in saturated fats such as cheese for example, or a selection of meats. You should also keep your daily intake of walnuts to 1.5 ounces per day. That works out to be approximately 20 walnut halves.

Walnuts have become a consistent part of my daily diet and I invite you to do the same. Your body will love you for it!

Becca Scott

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