Inflammation is a severe problem for some people, especially if you have rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and similar ailments that have to do with an overactive immune system. Inflammation triggers flare-ups, causes pain in different parts of the body and can make your life miserable when it is out of control.
So, what is the cause of inflammation? There are two main culprits: food and stress. Some foods increase inflammation, and others can reduce the extent and severity of inflammation in your body. On the other hand, stress is something that we all face, and it can either help or hurt us, depending on how we handle it. To help you control flare-ups and prevent inflammation in any part of your body, the diet is fundamental, and one of the most recommended options is known as the anti-inflammatory diet.
The anti-inflammatory diet really is a “diet” in name only. It’s actually a lifestyle change, and if you’re wondering how to get started, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll take a look at this diet, why it’s so popular, and the science behind it. We’ll also explore some of the foods that make up the diet and give you a few tips on how to get started.
What is an Anti-inflammatory Diet?
As the name implies, the anti-inflammatory diet is a dietary pattern designed to help reduce inflammation in the body. It includes foods that protect the organism against inflammation and its effects on different tissues. It also takes out a few foods that increase inflammation or trigger an inflammatory response.
The anti-inflammatory diet can be modified according to each person because not all of us react equally to the same foods. Some people have gluten intolerance and can’t stay close to wheat because it triggers a very violent inflammatory response in the gut. Others do not have the same problems and may not need to take out gluten or dairy.
Still, the inflammatory diet as a whole takes out foods that commonly trigger inflammatory responses in some people, just like an elimination diet. After taking these foods out of the equation and when patients feel better, we can slowly reintroduce foods one after the other every week. That’s a good way to identify which foods are causing inflammation, and once we identify them, we proceed to take them out of the menu.
The anti-inflammatory diet improves our health in many ways, even if you don’t have a baseline inflammatory disease. However, it is the dietary pattern commonly recommended for people suffering from arthritis, IBS, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease.