Inflammatory food is what you want to stay away from. When your body is inflamed, it’s not in the greatest health to fight against illness and feeling unwell. Especially if you suffer from health ailments like arthritis or high cholesterol, a low inflammatory foods diet is what you want to have.
5 Foods that cause inflammation
Here are 5 high inflammatory food choices to eliminate from your diet:
- Sugar
- Refined carbs
- Alcohol
- Trans fats
- High fat foods
Sugar
One type of food that causes inflammation is sugar. Sugar from processed foods and sugary drinks are two of the main sources of inflammatory bacteria in your body.
The more you consume these types of foods, the worse your inflammation will get. Another common cause of inflammation is stress.
Stress can come in many forms – physical, psychological or emotional. Be mindful to take good care of yourself when dealing with stressful situations – such as taking a walk or practicing deep breathing exercises.
Lastly, alcohol can also contribute to higher levels of inflammatory chemicals in your body because it irritates and dehydrates cells in your colon.
Refined carbs
Refined carbohydrates have a high glycemic index. Foods that are high in sugar and refined flour will cause your blood sugar levels to rise and then crash just a few hours later.
This can lead to inflammation because the spikes in blood sugar levels can be damaging to your body if they happen too often.
If you’re eating these types of foods, it’s important to follow them up with protein and vegetables for the nutrients they need to stay healthy.
Alcohol
Alcohol can be a major contributor to inflammation in your body.
Drinking alcohol can cause your cells to become dehydrated which leads to high levels of inflammatory chemicals in the body. Alcohol may also contribute to weight gain because it’s difficult for your body to process the sugars from alcoholic beverages and you’ll feel hungry soon after drinking.
Consuming too much alcohol can also lead to liver damage, which can increase inflammation risks.
The best thing you can do is limit the number of drinks you have per day. One drink a day is recommended for men and two drinks or less for women. Two drinks are defined as 12 ounces of beer, 8 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.
Trans fats
Trans fats are man-made industrial fats that are created by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil. They are used to make a food product more shelf stable and provide better texture. Foods with trans fat content can increase inflammation levels in the body and lead to heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
High fat foods and stress
One common cause of inflammation is stress. Stress can come in many forms – physical, psychological or emotional. Be mindful to take good care of yourself when dealing with stressful situations – such as taking a walk or practicing deep breathing exercises.
Stress is one factor that can contribute to the onset of chronic inflammation and symptoms such as weight gain, heart disease and skin conditions.
Foods that are high in fat can produce pro-inflammatory hormones which increase your overall inflammatory levels.
Try to avoid these types of food when possible because they can have a negative impact on your health not only now but also in the future and instead, enjoy low inflammatory foods.