food and inflammation.

     A healthy diet, avoiding inflammatory foods is very different from the typical American diet and can be a very effective treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis for many people.

Often times people reduce the intake of inflammatory foods but fail to recognize all the hidden places, generally in processed foods, that these foods are being consumed.

The food we eat each day creates the environment of our digestive tract. When we are consuming foods that our body does not tolerate well our digestion will become “sluggish” leading to any number of health challenges.

Worse yet is when we are eating substances that the body does not recognize as “food”. The body does not know what to do this these substances, thereby putting a stress on all of the body’s organs.

The goal of avoiding certain foods is to reduce exposure to allergens, improve our digestion and thereby improve over all wellness and reduce inflammation throughout the body.

The following is a list of inflammatory foods that everyone could consider either avoiding completely or limiting to achieve maximum health. Click on any of the links below to learn more about each food.

DAIRY >(All pasteurized dairy products) - AVOID REFINED SUGARS (white sugar, brown sugar, confectioners sugar, corn syrup, processed corn fructose, turbinado sugar, etc) - AVOID CHEMICAL SUGAR SWEETENERS - AVOID MSG (Monosodium Glutamate or Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein) - AVOID ALCOHOL - AVOID CAFFEINE - AVOID RED MEAT - Reduce or Avoid PROCESSED FOODS - Reduce or Avoid COMMON TABLE SALT - AVOID

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection or irritation. We are all familiar with the classic signs of inflammation (swelling, redness and pain) that occur when we hurt ourselves or have some kind of infection. However recent research¹ has shown that eating the wrong foods can cause inflammation within our bodies. In fact being overweight can itself be the cause of inflammation.

Body fat causes inflammation

The fatty tissues of the body secrete hormones that regulate the immune system and inflammation, but in the case of an overweight individual this can become out of control. Three of the hormones that play a role in metabolism are leptin, resistin and adiponectin.

• Leptin is involved in appetite control.
• Resistin is a hormone that increases insulin resistance.
• Adiponectin lowers the blood sugar by making your body more insulin sensitive.

The fact that it is the fatty tissue that produces these hormones makes the fat self regulating, as the hormones should act to bring the increased fat under control. Bodies with more fat will produce more leptin bringing the appetite under control. However in cases where the body is inflamed there is often a problem with leptin resistance, and the self regulation of fat does not occur. Leptin resistance is where to body stops responding to the appetite controlling effects of the hormone.

In addition to these metabolism regulating hormones your fatty tissue also produces chemicals that cause inflammation and this can make the problem of leptin resistance worse. This is why obesity can cause an increase of these inflammatory chemicals which in turn inhibit the correct balancing function of the weight controlling hormones. This results in a vicious circle of weight gain causing inflammation which inhibits hormone function thereby causing further weight gain.

Food and inflammation

Another major cause of inflammation in our bodies is the food we eat. Inflammation can be aggravated by diets high in refined or hydrogenated vegetable oils such as those found in margarines, potato chips and baked goods and by diets high in sugars. But food can also be part of the solution to the problem of inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory foods, if eaten regularly, can reduce inflammation in the body and bring the problem under control. This page contains a list of anti-inflammatory foods that if incorporated into your regular diet will help bring a balance to inflammation in your body. Try and feature some kind of anti-inflammatory food into every meal that you eat, and eliminate pro-inflammatory foods from your diet all together. People who have done this often describe noticable relief from previous discomforts and a greater ability to control their weight.

Please also remember that exercise is one of the greatest ways to counter inflammation. Check out our article on the best way to burn fat here.

Vegetables Bell Peppers Bok Choy Broccoli Broccoli Sprouts Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Chard Collards Fennel Bulb Garlic Green Beans Green Onions/Spring Onions Kale Leeks Olives Spinach Sweet potatoes Turnip Greens   Herbs & Spices Basil Cayenne Peppers/Chilli Peppers Cinnamon Cloves Cocoa (at least 70% cocoa chocolate) Licorice Mint Oregano Parsley Rosemary Thyme Turmeric   Oils Avocado Oil Extra Virgin Olive Oil   Drinks Green Tea

Fruits Acerola (West Indian) Cherries Apples Avocados Black Currants Blueberries Fresh Pineapple Guavas Kiwifruit Kumquats Lemons Limes Mulberries Oranges Papaya Raspberries Rhubarb Strawberries Tomatoes   Nuts & Seeds Almonds Flaxseed/Linseed Hazelnuts Sunflower Seeds Walnuts   Fish Cod Halibut Herring Oysters Rainbow Trout Salmon Sardines Snapper Fish Striped Bass Tuna Whitefish