Inflammatory Diet
Inflammation is the body’s natural healing process. Its job is to protect the body in times it has been infected by harmful organisms. Short-term inflammation or acute inflammation can help the body heal from sickness or injury. Chronic inflammation, caused by prolonged stress can be quite harmful and has been linked to many autoimmune diseases. It may surprise you to know that some of the food and drink that we consume can actually cause an inflammatory response in our bodies, over time causing chronic inflammation and chronic disease.
It’s easy to try and avoid foods that cause inflammation when you love your organic produce! For those of you who may be a little more adventurous with your diets this can strike quite a challenge as the main food groups that seem to be the culprits are: Sugar, Gluten, Vegetable Oils and Artificial Additives.
This list seems small but if we read the ingredients in our bread, cereals, margarines, sauces, diet & soft drinks and a lot of the convenience foods available today we will notice that these main food groups are contaminating what we consume on a day to day basis.
To ensure that what you are eating is not contributing to inflammation, try sticking to a wholefood diet, filled with organic fresh fruits and veggies, good sources of animal protein and healthy good fats and prepare your meals yourself! Each person is different; what may affect some will not affect others, however many studies have been done showing less inflammation in the bodies of those eating a wholefood diet.
One study done with a group of older adults showed those who ate refined carbohydrates were 2.9 times more likely to die of an autoimmune disease. In Another study a group of much younger healthier men added 50grams of white bread into their diet. Shockingly, this study showed an instant spike in their blood sugar levels!
It’s easy to say “just a little bit” or “it’s just a treat” however as you can see even the smallest amounts of these ingredients can have damaging effects on the healthiest of bodies.