Anti Inflammatory Diet

Chronic, systemic inflammation is a serious health concern that can be made worse — or better — with diet. Here’s what chronic inflammation is, and how what you eat can keep you safer from the chronic diseases inflammation can cause.

If you’ve ever cut your finger, bruised a toe or had a throat infection, you have likely experienced at least some of the four signs of inflammation: redness, swelling, pain and heat. Acute inflammation is your body’s natural response to illness, injury or infection and usually resolves on its own.

But there is another kind of inflammation ― the kind that affects the whole body ― which is called systemic. Systemic inflammation can become chronic; it can persist for months, or even years.

Chronic, systemic inflammation is a factor in diseases such as:

What causes inflammation? It can result from exposure to environmental toxins, a lingering virus, aging or chronic stress. But what you eat contributes, too.

What foods cause inflammation? Unfortunately, a lot of them. In particular, experts recommend avoiding these inflammatory foods:

When you want to reduce inflammation, baking, steaming or fast stir-frying are preferable to deep frying or grilling.

Cooking meat, especially red meat, on the grill creates compounds associated with cancer. Meat on the grill can drip fat onto the flames and release these compounds, which can end up in the food on your plate. The same is not true of grilled vegetables or low-fat fish, which are safe (and delicious) on the grill.