Most diseases have an etiology involving inflammation such in the case of joint pain and arthritis. These conditions can be made worse or better depending on your diet. A diet of anti inflammatory foods can help you heal and ensure that you stay healthy.
Anti Inflammation Diet
An anti inflammation diet is comprised of wholesome, healthy, unprocessed foods. Fats such as omega 3 fatty acids are important in an anti inflammatory diet. They can be found in foods such as walnuts, flax seeds, hemp seed, wild salmon, herring, sardines, and anchovies. Other anti inflammatory foods are avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, hemp seed oil, flax seed oil, walnut oil, and anti inflammatory vegetables.
Vegetables and fruits have a high content of antioxidants that can help reducing inflammation. Anti inflammatory vegetables are important in healing joint pain and arthritis, especially those that are high in inflammation fighting carotenoids, vitamin E and K. Among the best anti inflammatory vegetables are the dark leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and onion.
Spices and herbs also include active compounds that can fight inflammation. Ginger, rosemary, oregano, and green tea contain polyphenols and bioflavonoids that limit the production of free radicals.
Pro Inflammatory Foods
The usual Western diet is high in fast food and high processed food. It is unhealthy and promotes an imbalance between the omega 3 fats and the omega 6 fats. This imbalance is cause of inflammation in the body. Omega 6 fats are inflammatory. They metabolize in the body into hormone like compounds that provoke inflammation. Foods with high content of omega 6 fats are safflower, corn, soybean oils, and peanut. Saturated fats and trans fat are also highly inflammatory. The amount of saturated fat and trans fat should also be reduced in your diet if you suffer from joint pain, arthritis or other related inflammation.
In an anti inflammatory diet you should consume grass feed beef and organic pasteurized eggs because they have a better profile of anti inflammatory fatty acid content than the grain feed beef and the factory farmed eggs.
Refined carbs are another pro inflammatory ingredient. Sugar, refined flour and foods high on glycemic index aggravate the inflammation in your body and elevate glucose and insulin levels.
Best inflammation fighting foods for joint pain and arthritis:
The immune systems of people with arthritis attack the lining of their joints and that causes pain, stiffness, and chronic inflammation.
Among the best foods to fight this medical condition is fish, which is high in omega 3 fatty acids and other polyunsaturated fats that help suppress cytokines present in the body because of the inflammation process.
Anti inflammatory vegetables contain carotenoids and flavonoids that are powerful antioxidants. Fruits high in antioxidants such as blackberries, blueberries, oranges, or melons and anti inflammatory vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes can be a real help in fighting joint pain, arthritis and related inflammation.
Anti inflammatory vegetables such as tomatoes can heal the inflammation in the body. Tomato juice is especially rich in lycopene, which is proved to help reduce the inflammation in the body. Cooked tomatoes are even higher in lycopene.
Whole grains such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal can help lower the level of the C-reactive protein, which is a marker of inflammation in the body. They also have the advantage of being high in selenium, an antioxidant with inflammation fighting properties.
