The Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Its Benefits

 

Are you looking for anti-inflammatory diet options? Are you interested in its benefits? The anti-inflammatory diet helps you to maintain overall health. It offers you a number of benefits, such as lowering your blood pressure, improving your mental health and cognitive functions, and relieving other chronic issues. The anti-inflammatory foods contain vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fats, and antioxidants. These nutrients strengthen your immune system so it can work better.

Types of Anti-Inflammatory Diets

Here are the three types of anti-inflammatory diets:

Mediterranean Diet 

The Mediterranean diet involves vegetables, healthy fats, fruits, plant-based foods, and whole-grain foods. The healthy fats, antioxidants, and fiber lessen the inflammation.

DASH Diet

The DASH means Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This diet is designed for those people who have high blood pressure. This diet includes the same food as the Mediterranean diet. During the DASH diet, you have to limit sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day.

MIND Diet

The MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. This diet is a mixture of Mediterranean and DASH diets. The MIND diet emphasizes brain-healthy foods that are also anti-inflammatory in nature.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Here is the list of anti-inflammatory foods along with their benefits for you:

Fatty Fish

Fish have omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These acids minimize inflammation. According to the research published by the National Library of Medicine, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) cools down inflammation, which can cause other health issues like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart and kidney disease. The best sources of fatty fish are herring, sardine, mackerel, anchovies, and salmon.

Green Tea

Green tea is one of the healthiest drinks you can have. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is high in antioxidants. Green tea contains a substance called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). This substance inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokine production, which reduces inflammation. Drinking green tea is beneficial for your overall health. According to Healthline, green tea lowers the risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil contains antioxidants, oleocanthal, and heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that helps you with pain and inflammation. Adding olive oil to your diet lessens the chances of brain cancer, obesity, and heart disease. So, no doubt it is a healthy addition to your diet. Extra virgin olive oil has more anti-inflammatory properties as compared to refined olive oils.

Berries

Add berries to your routine to get rid of inflammation. Berries are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. There are different varieties of berries for you, such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. Berries have anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that protect you from various diseases. Phytochemicals are also present in berries that delay the process of cancer development and progression in your body.

Broccoli 

Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kale. Eating cruciferous vegetables can minimize the chances of cancer and heart disease. Broccoli contains an antioxidant substance, sulforaphane. It reduces the level of cytokines and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), which causes inflammation in your body.

Grapes

Grapes are rich in anthocyanins that help to minimize inflammation in your body. An antioxidant, resveratrol, is also present in grapes, which provides you with several health benefits. It can protect your heart from inflammation. You can also maintain your weight by eating grapes. Healthline cited a study that shows that eating grape extract daily can increase the level of adiponectin in your body. Lower levels of adiponectin can lead to weight gain.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice that contains a powerful anti-inflammatory substance known as curcumin. According to the studies, turmeric can reduce the inflammation caused by arthritis, diabetes, and other diseases.

Cocoa and Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is a tastier option that can ease your inflammation. You can make the process of aging healthier if you eat chocolate. Dark chocolate has flavanols that make it anti-inflammatory. Flavanols keep the endothelial cells in your arteries healthy. According to one small study, cocoa flavanols can enhance your vascular function. It also decreases your blood pressure and stiffness in your arteries in 3 to 8 hours after its ingestion.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are full of nutrients. They have rich amounts of vitamin C, potassium, and lycopene. Lycopene is high in anti-oxidant properties. It is also helpful in lessening pro-inflammatory compounds associated with various cancer types. Lycopene is a carotenoid, so you can absorb more lycopene content by cooking tomatoes in olive oil.

In a Nutshell

Inflammation helps your body to fight against injuries and infection. However, chronic inflammation is harmful. It can cause serious health diseases like cancer, heart disease, asthma, and others. All you have to do is to check your diet. Eliminate inflammatory foods such as refined carbs, sugar-sweetened beverages, processed meats, and fried and processed foods. Replace these foods with anti-inflammatory ones.