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Home » Diet » Anti-Inflammatory DietFacts About Anti-Inflammatory Foods and What to Avoid – Parade

Before you start the anti-inflammatory diet, you should understand exactly what it is. Inflammation is a necessary mechanism of our immune systems, which evolved at a time when it would need to respond to acuteinsults such as infections. But today, our immune systemsare responding to our diets and lifestyles, and this has unintended consequences, including tissue damage, says Max Lugavere, New York Times best-selling author of Genius Foods. An anti-inflammatory diet attempts to steer the body from a chronically inflamed state to one with healthy levels of inflammation. While things like regular exercise, proper sleep and stress management can also play a role, experts say diet can be a crucial aspect in keeping our bodies free of dangerous levels of chronic inflammation. Here are 26 things to know about the anti-inflammatory diet and some tips on how you can incorporate elements of it into your lifestyle:

Related: What Is the Anti-Inflammatory Diet and What Foods Can You Eat On It?

When the body is injured or ill, the lymphatic (immune) system springs into action, bringing the immune systems army of white blood cells to the area of concern via increased blood flow, explains Dr. Josh Axe, founder ofAncient Nutrition. He notes that inflammation in a healthy body is the normal and effective response that facilitates healing, like when a cut becomes red, painful or swollen.

According to Dr. Axe, when the immune system overreaches and begins attacking healthy body tissues, were met with an autoimmune disorder and inflammation in otherwise healthy areas of the body. Inflammatory effects also are linked to arthritis andfibromyalgia symptoms, as well as celiac and irritable bowel disease (IBD), he explains, adding that, asthma creates inflamed airways; inflammation related to diabetes affects insulin resistance; and so on.

Related: 7 Simple Tips to Supercharge Your Immune System

Dr. Sears is president of the non-profit Inflammation Research Foundation,andauthor of the Zone Diet book series (which now includes his newest release, The Resolution Zone).

As a report from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases stated: While todays modern diet may provide beneficial protection from micro- and macronutrient deficiencies, our over abundance of calories and the macronutrients that compose our diet may all lead to increasedinflammation, reduced control of infection, increased rates of cancer, and increased risk for allergic and auto-inflammatory disease.

Drying your hands is as important as washing them. Wet hands transmit bacteria more easily, so especially during cold and flu season, take the time to dry them thoroughly.

Dr. AndrewWeil, author of 8 Weeks to Optimum Healthand the creator of the Anti-Inflammatory Diet, tells Parade.com that he based his program on the Mediterranean diet, due to the evidence-backed general health benefits on it. I tweaked that by adding Asian influences to it because Ive spent a lot of time in Asia and Ive drawn on Asian cuisine. So adding such things as ginger and turmeric and green tea and Asian mushrooms, for example, he explains.

Related: Sunday With Dr. Andrew Weil

You can have occasional servings of lean meat, eggs, and small dairyas well as small amounts of chocolate and wine! Check out Dr. Weils Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid for the recommended servings of each.

The most important tip is to avoid refined, processed, and manufactured foods, explains Dr. Weil. Thats whats doing us in. Thats whats causing most problems, so the more you can eliminate that from your diet, the better.

Weil adds that you will be doing your body a massive favor if you eat foods that are as close to the way nature produces them as possible.

Weil would recommend that everyone prioritizes eating in a low inflammatory mannerI think it gives you your best shot at overall health and longevity, since the most serious diseases that do people in as they get older are rooted in chronic inappropriate inflammation. So I think by following that, thats really your best overall health strategy, he explains. But per the expert, people with inflammatory disorders like arthritis, autoimmune diseases, etc. may especially benefit from it.

Coffeeand tea are generally considered anti-inflammatoryits with what we adulterate these beverages that can swing these beverages into inflammatory territory, says MonicaAuslanderMoreno, MS, RD, LD/N, nutrition consultant forRSP Nutrition.

The journal Oncogene published the results of a study that evaluated several anti-inflammatory compounds. It found that aspirin (Bayer, etc.) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.) are least potent, while curcumin is among the most potent anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative agents in the world, says Dr. Axe.

She says that fruits and vegetables containbeneficialpolyphenolssuch as anthocyanin,which have powerful antioxidant effects and that diets high in fruits and vegetables provide vitaminsC and E, which may provide protective antioxidanteffects.

Studies show that diets with better ratios of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids may provide protective cardiovascularbenefits, says Crean. She cites that good sources of dietaryomega-3 fatty acids include: fattyfish such as salmon, mackereland herringaim for 2 servings a weekand advocates for limiting dietary sources of omega-6 fatty acids like soybean oil, sunflower oil and corn oil.

A crucial component of warding off inflammation, per Dr. Weil, is to keep your sugar intake low. Also pay attention to the fructose content of various sweeteners because the body cant handle fructose well and it disrupts metabolism, he says.

It would be good for people to reduce the percentage of animal foods in the diet. I think that North Americans eat much too much meat, beef especially, and too many animal foods. So replacing some of that with plant proteins is a good strategy, he explains.

Aim for a wide variety of vegetables, incorporate them into as many meals as possible, and include as many different colors as you can get, says Dr. Weil.

Weil says grains are absolutely OK, as long as you are eating the right kinds. I think grains are good food if theyre not processed, but theres a big difference between whole grains or cracked grains and polarized grains/flour, he says. If I ask most people to name a whole grain food, theyll say whole wheat bread. And thats not a whole grain foods. Its made from flour. So limit the processed ones and opt for rice, wild rice, quinoa, barley, millet and buckwheat instead.

Related: 12 Nutritious Quinoa Salads for Simple Meals

There are many foods that are allowed on the diet plan and Dr. Weil encourages you to get creative. For instance, he often eats smoked fish and whole grain toast, or even a salad for breakfast. You can have fish frequently, especially salmon and black cod and other fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. I like good soy foodstempeh, tofu, edamame. And those are examples of good quality vegetable protein foods. There are many vegetable preparations. Pasta is fine as long as its cooked al dente and not in huge quantities with not creamy, buttery sauces. And a lot of the ethnic foods like Asian, Middle Eastern, and Japanese are filled with healthy spices and great ingredients, he says.

Weil says as a rule of thumb, its a good idea to avoid foods prepared by other people, fast food, and stuff from the middle of the supermarketthe highly-processed stuff. He adds that if ingredients can barely fit on the label, you dont want to eat it; if they are too many things there, you dont know what they are, its a pass. Think about if youre going to make this at home, what ingredients you would use? And if there are too many other things beyond that, dont use them.

There are some good prepared foods out there, he explains, noting that he buys Gyoza potstickers from Trader JoesI often cook them with broccoli and thats a quick, easy mealas well as American Flatbread pizzas from Whole Foods.

per Jim Frith, author of End the Yo-Yo; the EAMAYW System and advanced sports nutrition specialist, are: darkly pigmented berries, stone fruits, cruciferous vegetables, citrus fruits, beets, green tea, probiotics, kelp, avocado, nuts, free-range eggs and olive oil.

per Global Master Chef Karl Guggenmos, senior culinary advisor at Healthy Meals Supreme, include: refined carbohydrates, processed meats, sugary drinks, refined added sugars, excessive alcohol consumption and processed conventional snack items.

Its really an eating plan for life and its not in any way meant to reduce the pleasure of eating, says Weil. I think above all, eating should be pleasurable and it is possible to have good food that meets the requirements of the anti-inflammatory diet, he adds.

Curious about the pegan diet? Weve got the scoop.

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Anti-Inflammatory DietFacts About Anti-Inflammatory Foods and What to Avoid - Parade

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Home » Diet » Anti-Inflammatory DietFacts About Anti-Inflammatory Foods and What to Avoid – Parade