Benefits of Anti Inflammatory Diet Prevention of Cancer and Other Diseases
The anti inflammatory diet is not a new type of eating plan. It is just a new term coined by experts. They called it "anti-inflammatory" because it is based on their findings that chronic silent inflammation inside your body leads to ill-health and to many medical conditions. Such health conditions include the simple acne to life-threatening diseases such as breast and colon cancers.
Inflammation occurs inside your body when it is threatened by attacks from foreign substances. Your white blood cells will release chemicals to protect you from infection. These chemicals become harmful when too much of it are released frequently.
An unhealthy diet is believed to be the major contributor to inflammation. Therefore, it makes sense to address the condition with an anti-inflammation diet that consists of anti-inflammatory foods.
Unlike other popular diets, the anti-inflammatory way of eating does not restrict you from having fats, oils, carbohydrates or protein. You can have them as they are necessary for the optimal functioning of your body. But the key to prevention is you must eat the healthy versions of fat, protein and carbohydrates.
Look at your plate. It's anti-inflammatory if its contents are mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains and sources of healthy fats. Foods that are anti-inflammatory by nature are found to fight and even heal inflammation inside your body. The diet has other healthy benefits such as weight loss, which again helps protect you from hormone-related cancers.
What are the benefits of an anti inflammatory diet?
Choosing this diet gives you many health benefits such as . . .
1. Prevention of Chronic Inflammation
Some of the known inflammatory diseases are arthritis, nephritis and myocarditis. They are caused by inflammation. However, it is only last 2003 that experts have found compelling evidences that point to silent and chronic inflammation as the root causes of degenerative diseases. Degenerative diseases include heart attacks, diabetes, cancer and stroke. They affect millions of people.
There are certain foods that are pro-inflammatory. They are delicious but they are dangerous. They are also those that your body doesn't need. Get rid of the pro-inflammatory foods and choose those that don't trigger your white blood cells to produce inflammation-inducing chemicals. Anti-inflammatory foods have phytochemicals and antioxidants that are beneficial to your cells.
2. Healing of Inflammation
You have heard of anti-inflammatory drugs. You may have been prescribed with one by your doctor and you may have tried taking it.
But do you know you have an option besides those synthetic anti-inflammatory drugs? Eating healthy, anti-inflammation foods can also help remove or heal persistent and out of control inflammation in your body.
3. Calming and Boosting the Immune System
Inflammation is the immune system's normal reaction to injury or infection. Sometimes, the immune system remains activated even without the presence of invading bacteria anymore.
Your immune system then attack your body resulting to tissue damage. The inflammation may go on indefinitely at very low levels that it doesn't produce any symptoms to warn you that something wrong is going on.
Eating foods that are rich in anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant properties can calm and boost your immune system.
4. Providing Healthy Balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids
More Omega-3s should be part of your meals because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Do you want a good example of a healthy diet? Look at how Mediterraneans eat. You will notice that Omega-3 is the major source of fats of their diet.
Obesity, heart diseases and cancer are rare among people who practice the Mediterranean way of eating.
Your food can either be a source of prevention of or the cause of your illness. It's up to you how you eat -- with foods that encourage inflammation or with an anti inflammatory diet.
