Top 4 Most Inflammatory Foods and Top 4 Swap Options - a podcast by Discussions with successful health experts such as Ben Greenfield, Terry Wa

Inflammation is a natural response of the body to infection and injuries to stay healthy. But when this inflammation becomes chronic is when it continues for a prolonged period and cause unwanted damage to the cells in your body.

Unfortunately, some foods can increase the inflammatory reactions in your body. Foods that are loaded with unhealthier fats like trans fat and saturated fat, and foods that are filled with sugars are promoters of inflammation.

The good news, however, is that some foods help to reduce inflammatory markers in the body. Whole foods like vegetables, fruits, seafood, nuts, whole grains, and seeds have a matrix of beneficial nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy fats, and phytonutrients which helps to reduce inflammation.

Here are some inflammatory foods and good swap options to keep your body in a healthier state:

Swap sugars with natural sweeteners

Did you know that a can of coke contains 39 grams of sugar? Most times, food products add sugar in disguise using names like fructose, corn syrup, golden syrup, dextrose, maltose, and sucrose.

Unfortunately, excessive consumption of sugar has been linked to tooth decay, metabolic syndrome, increased risk of obesity, and chronic inflammation.

Hence, you should avoid beverages like punches and soft drinks. More so, avoid sweet snacks, deserts, and pastries. Instead, you can take foods containing natural sweeteners like honey, Stevia, or blackstrap molasses.

Swap common cooking oils with extra virgin olive oil

Common cooking oils used in many restaurants and homes have a high amount of omega-6 fatty acids and low omega-3 fats. A diet containing these kind of oils promotes inflammation and puts you at risk of inflammatory diseases like cancer and heart disease.

So, avoid polyunsaturated oils like such as grape seed oil, cottonseed oil, canola and sunflower oils. You can swap with healthy options like extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil and macadamia oil.

Swap dairy products with coconut or almond milk

Milk is naturally an allergen that triggers inflammatory responses like IBS, acne, hives, skin rashes, and breathing difficulties.

So instead of using dairy products like cheese and butter, you can use coconut or almond milk or unsweetened yogurt, especially if you’re not allergic to milk.

Swap red meat and processed meat with poultry, fish, and organic vegetables

Several studies have shown that red meat contains molecules that may trigger chronic inflammatory response. Several reports of cancer have already been linked with consumption of processed meat.

Hence, swap those common red meats like beef, pork, lamb, and sausage with organic vegetables, fish and poultry. However, you don’t have to avoid red meat totally, but no amount of processed meat is safe.

Other inflammatory foods you can swap for healthy options include:

• Swap sugary drinks for mineral water with a squeeze of orange juice or lemon
• Swap alcohol for Kombucha
• Swap artificial food additives with anti-inflammatory spices, herbs, or natural sweeteners
• Swap trans-fats with natural peanut butter

You can try avoiding the inflammatory foods listed above for one or two weeks and notice the difference in your health. You can swap with the healthy options given.

Note that you may not be able to control every aspects that support inflammation, but you can take full charge of your food choices to reduce your risk of diseases associated with chronic inflammation.

You can consult Dr. Jason Jones at our Chiropractic office at Elizabeth City, NC, to learn more about foods that triggers inflammation and healthy options to swap it to reduce your risk of inflammation.

Further episodes of Health Made Easy with Dr. Jason Jones

Further podcasts by Discussions with successful health experts such as Ben Greenfield, Terry Wa

Website of Discussions with successful health experts such as Ben Greenfield, Terry Wa