While getting regular exercise and reducing the amount of stress in your life are key components to reducing the inflammation in your body, we can also add certain anti-inflammatory foods to our diet, (all the while cutting out sugar and processed food), to optimize our health.
The following seven foods are anti-inflammatory super heroes and you should eat them frequently, or at least three-four times per week:
1. Cold water fish. Cold water fish like wild salmon, cod, sardines, haddock and sole are all high in fats that have great anti-inflammatory properties. Keyword: WILD (skip the farm raised)
2. Vegetables. Surprise! Vegetables are good for you. However, most North Americans aren’t getting enough plants into their diets. You should be eating at least 8 or 9 servings of veggies every day. That means you should have vegetables with each meal. Make them bright and colorful, and leafy and green!
3. Seeds and nuts. Walnuts, sesame seeds and almonds all contain omega-3 fats that reduce inflammation.
4. Fruit and berries. Blueberries, pineapple, raspberries, cherries, strawberries and apples are all examples of fruits that may help reduce inflammation within the body.
5. Turmeric and other herbs and spices. Turmeric, ginger, garlic, basil, oregano—take your pick because all of those herbs and spices are very very high in nutrients and fight inflammation. Try chopping a bunch of herbs and combining with garlic and olive oil for an anti-inflammatory meat marinade!
6. Chocolate. Every once in a while some good chocolate is a great thing to eat. I’m talking about chocolate that’s at least 70% pure cocoa and no more than one ounce at a time. Make sure it’s organic!
7. Green Tea. Whether it’s hot or cold, green tea sort of acts like a liquid vegetable, putting up an inflammatory fight within your body. And please make sure that tea is organic.
Now that you know what foods you should eat to reduce that inflammation, here’s what you should avoid!
The top foods to avoid in order to reduce inflammation:
• Margarine and other trans fats
• White flour
• Sugar
• Deep fried foods
• Excessive alcohol
Leanne Ely is a NYT bestselling author and the creator of http://SavingDinner.com, the original menu planning website, bringing families back to the dinner table for over 15 years.
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