Anti-inflammatory foods may seem like an obscure concept if you haven’t heard of managing inflammation in this way . Especially when you try to think of what they may be, you may find yourself wondering what the criteria is to be included in the anti-inflammatory foods list. The answer to that varies from person to person. Often times it depends on whether there are food allergies involved. Here are a number of things that I learned about in classes offered by my retail health food employer. I personally include these foods in my diet to calm my own inflammation for more of a pain free existence and can feel the success, but you have to be willing to make an effort to make these foods a regular part of your diet.
Food Allergies
Inflammation can be a result of a reaction in the body to foods that it is sensitive to. Often, if you stay away from the types of food that cause you to react in negative ways, you’ll find that your inflammation markedly improves. It may help you to pay close attention to the symptoms that accompany your inflammation. Is your digestive tract acting up? Do you have headaches? Pay attention to these, or any other types of symptoms that seem to align with your food allergies. Then avoid those foods and eat more of the types that are of the anti-inflammatory variety.
Green Tea
Green tea is a great beverage to use daily when you’re looking to subdue inflammation. The flavonoids in the tea are helpful compounds in the reduction of the inflammation that leads to other types of disease. Drinking a few 8 oz. cups daily will be a good source of these valuable anti-inflammatory constituents. Personally, I wouldn’t be without green tea in my arsenal of alternative ways to combat my own inflammation. It does work.
Papaya
In a class given by my retail health food employer, I was surprised to find out about the anti-inflammatory properties that go along with papaya. The papain in papaya is known for it’s ability to calm and soothe inflammation, along with the vitamin C and E that is inherently included in this food. Vitamin E will help heal along with the papain. Eat this food fresh, not dried for the most anti-inflammatory benefit. The dried version has had sulphur dioxide added to it and part of managing inflammation is keeping things as unprocessed as possible to avoid reactions to additives from the body..
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
For me, a day without extra virgin olive oil is a day without anti-inflammatory benefits that I can feel. The polyphenols in this oil help to protect the body’s heart and blood vessels from inflammation as well as inflamed arthritic joints, especially from the rheumatoid type that can be so crippling. In the class I attended, I found out that the processed version of olive oil, won’t be the type of olive oil that has the intrinsic anti-inflammatory benefit, so stick with the extra virgin olive oil to include all the anti-inflammatory constituents.
Source: Personal experience
