Inflammation: Foods That Create Pain
According to the latest medical theory, chronic inflammation is the root cause of almost every disease suffered by human beings. Many doctors believe persistent, low-level inflammation paves the way for chronic disease, including those we usually experience later in life, e.g. arthritis, heart and kidney disease, and cancer.
As a part of our immune response system, inflammation occurs when the body is fighting germs that enter the body through a variety of ways, e.g. injury or inhalation. It’s your body’s natural way to respond to stress. When you experience redness, swelling, heat, infection, and pain from a variety of ailments, it’s a sign of inflammation. This is your body’s way of telling you something isn’t right and it’s is doing its job to get rid of the problem. Today however, people remain in an inflamed state, as if their body’s inflammatory switch is left on all the time. This can cause serious health problems very quickly.
The good news is that we can do many things to reduce the risks of persistent inflammation including losing weight, exercising regularly, and eating the right foods. Today, our focus is on food and I’m including the top ten foods that continue to keep that “switch” on. Give yourself the gift of consuming less of the following foods and then tell me how you feel.
Foods that cause inflammation
The American diet today is rich in “healthy whole grain” foods (carbohydrates) and low in fats. This creates a real imbalance in within the body and they keep your body inflamed. I’ll go into further detail in future articles.
- Trans fats – foods containing hydrogenated oils: donuts, cookies, fried foods, peanut butters, crackers, most stick margarines just to name a few
- Sugar – the more we consume, the harder our body has to work to break it down
- Wheat – breads, pastas, muffins, cookies, cakes, pancakes all turn to sugar quickly
- Gluten products – most grains contain gluten which spikes blood sugar levels quickly.
- Processed meats – these can trigger immune responses that result in inflammation and tissue damage
- Omega-6 Fatty Acids – an imbalance between Omega-6 & 3s can lead to inflammation
- Dairy products – moderate intake can guard against inflammation unless you have difficulty digesting it
- Artificial food additives – It is suggested that we avoid foods that contain MSG until more research is done. Aspartame is a neurotoxin that affects the brain in negative ways.
- Casein – found in whey protein products
- Alcohol – a burden to your liver, but small amounts can help lower your risk of heart disease and Alzheimers
How do you feel about potentially eliminating these foods from your diet? Do you think your body will freak out upon consuming less of them? Well, it may not be very happy at first, but please, please give it a couple of extra days and you WILL feel the difference! Give yourself a month and you will notice less pain, more energy, and you may even realize you’ve lost a few pounds. Please share your experiences with me—I love success stories, and I want to hear yours!
Next, we’ll share the great foods that prevent inflammation. These foods you’ll love to add into your diet to replace the bad ones that cause problems. It’s your choice to feel better and be free of pain.
