Chronic inflammation is very common these days which is linked with many other health issues. The common sources of inflammation include stress, poor sleep, anxiety, infections, being overweight and lack of physical activity.
When we are overloaded with dietary and environmental toxins our immune system leads to constant stage of distress where the inflammation takes place.
Chronic inflammation can set the stage of many degenerative diseases such as heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and Alzheimer’s etc.
The major source of inflammation is our diet. Foods high in sugar and saturated fat can spur inflammation. Some foods like peanuts and vegetable oil may also lead to inflammation. So make sure to get down the inflammatory levels in your body by avoiding the list of 14 foods in your diet.
Here are the 14 inflammatory foods that you should avoid at any cost in your diet and help you to reduce chronic inflammation safely and naturally.
14 Inflammatory Foods You Must Avoid in Your Diet
1. Sugar
Sugar is one of the biggest culprit for inflammation. According to the review called journal of endocrinology, when we take too much of sugar in our foods, the body cannot process it quickly and leads to increase in levels of pro inflammatory elements called cytokines.
So intake of sugar in your food should be reduced to get rid of inflammation.
2. Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oil is rich in omega 6 fatty acids and low in anti inflammatory fat omega 3 which causes inflammation. Better to replace vegetable oil with coconut oil in cooking.
3. Peanuts
Peanuts are major cause of inflammation in our body, this can be extended to peanut butter and oil as well. Better to use almonds and nut butters instead of peanuts.
4. Alcohol
Alcohol generates toxic by products and leads to damage of liver cells, promotes inflammation and weakens the body’s immune system. Excessive amount of alcohol will disturb the way your body interact with the organs and leads to inflammation.
5. Dairy
Dairy products such as cheese, yogurt and ice creams cause inflammation. Full fat dairy products will decrease the levels of good gut bacteria which are the key players for reducing inflammation.
Dairy is a common allergen and unfortunately many dairy products contain antibiotics and hormones that your body is better off without.
6. Sweeteners
Sweeteners like agave and splenda are more than worse of causing inflammation compared to sugar. Sweeteners suppress the immune system and leads to infectious diseases. It also reduces the effectiveness of white blood cells germs killing ability and weaken. Many other diseases linked with inflammation are caused due to sugar and its products.
7. Processed Meat
Processed meats are made from red meats high in saturated fats and they contain high levels of advanced glycation end products. Inflammation compounds are created when these processed meats are smoked and cooked at high temperatures.
8. Gluten
Gluten can be found in foods prepared with wheat, bread and barley. From many years gluten allergy is in rise. When you consume these products, it will lead to inflammation in the lining of your intestines.
You need to cut off gluten completely, if you are suffering with celiac disease.
9. Refined Flour
Foods which are made with refine flour and carbs are highly glycemic index foods and may cause inflammation. These foods will lead to increase in blood sugar level spikes along with the spikes in insulin levels.
10. Saturated Fats
Saturated fats in foods are connected with heart disease. Several studies have shown that saturated fats triggers fat tissue inflammation in our body. This tissue is a type of fat which stores energy rather than burning energy.
If you intake saturated fats in greater amount, then it will lead to release of pro inflammatory agents which promotes systematic inflammation in your body.
11. Fast Food
Fast foods are harder to digest compared to baked foods and pan fried foods. If you eat them in higher amount then it will increase exposure of free radicals. It’s better to avoid and eliminate all fast food products from your diet.
12. Trans Fat
Trans fat can cause inflammation by damaging the cells inside the lining of the blood vessels. Your body doesn’t recognize these things as foods and leads to inflammation.
Trans fat can be found in foods like cookies, donuts, fast food and fried foods, which are really bad for our system.
13. Artificial Chemicals
Artificial chemicals like preservatives and food colors can be found in processed foods that can lead to improper functioning of your system and causes inflammation.
14. Red Meat
Red meat also causes inflammation but you need not cut out red meat completely from your diet,the hormones and preservatives found in meat these days are troublesome. So it’s better to avoid red meat in your diet to get rid of inflammation quickly.