Today, I wanted to speak about some foods that I refrain from eating due to the amount of inflammation I have found they give to my body. The rules of healthy eating and foods to avoid typically apply to everyone, so I thought this would be a valuable topic. I believe that you should eat foods that taste delicious and that do not significantly impair the body. My entire diet revolves around this idea. I focus on eating vegetables, fruits, meat every now and then, desserts occasionally, tons of water, and healthy beverages like kombucha and coconut water. And for those that care about eating desserts, there are many healthy alternatives to Doritos and traditional ice cream that are delicious. However, today I will give some insight on the foods you should try to avoid as much as possible. I will be using bulletproof’s article “6 Inflammatory Foods To Avoid And What To Eat Instead” and my experiences for the information in the article.
.Fried Foods
The first thing you should try to avoid is fried food, especially food that is fried with unhealthy and fatty oils. If you still think it is necessary to eat fried food, find restaurants or cook with healthy oils instead. It is better to avoid them entirely, but if you insist, other options do no harm to your body to the same extent. The oil generally used inflames the inner lining of your heart and blood vessels, making you more prone to diabetes and heart attacks.
Sodas
Sodas are a ubiquitous beverage despite being packed with insane amounts of sugar that are horrible for your body. Processing too much sugar puts tons of strain on organs like the liver that help process the sugar. If people are not exercising/moving to work, the calories and sugar off, the sugar turns into fat, leading to people becoming more obese. Many sources and the inflammation in my body show me that eliminating soda is a fantastic way to help your body since it will intake far less refined sugar.
Refined Carbohydrates
Refined carbohydrates include white bread, pastries, pasta and pizza dough. Unlike vegetables and fruits, refined carbohydrates do not provide fiber and other nutrients that are essential for the body. The starch found in fruits and vegetables helps the digestive system and its bacteria digest nutrients properly. Additionally, refined carbohydrates take less work for the digestive system, which means you are not expending more energy to digest refined carbohydrates. The reduced ability to digest nutrients and the increased energy from foods create inflammation and make you more prone to obesity and other severe diseases like cancer.
Ultra-processed Meat
One of the most enjoyable things for me as a kid was to order meat lovers pizza that had pepperoni, salami, and other meats. Sadly, highly processed meats are often preserved with nitrites and nitrates. Nitrates also convert to nitrites in the digestion process. When they are cooked in the presence of protein sources like meat, they can create stress and inflammation in the body. Also, these types of meats are devout of other good nutrients that organic, organic, pasture-raised meats have. The inflammation makes us more susceptible to developing diseases, and too much meat can increase your risk of a heart attack.
Butter (make sure the type of butter you purchase has healthy fats!)
Butter has been known to have a type of fat called trans fats. This type of fat is the worst for your health and is made when people turn liquid oils into solid fats. This type of fat increases the inflammation in your body. Most people could not eliminate butter from their diet, but making sure you find butter that is produced with healthy ingredients will do wonders for you to reduce in taking of foods that cause inflammation.
Alcohol (try to reduce alcohol intake)
Alcohol causes DNA damage to the body’s cells, which leads to an inflammatory response in the body. Also, damage to the liver can cause inflammation and a host of other adverse effects that explain how alcohol is terrible for the body. When you intake alcohol, it causes inflammation, and the immune system needs to focus on flushing the alcohol out of your system. Forcing your immune system to work hard makes you more prone to developing illnesses and reduces your ability to combat other inflammatory-related things in your body at the same time. Luckily, people are making alternatives to alcohol that are tastier and have less alcohol. In addition, there are many non-alcoholic beverages people are making to create a similar taste to alcoholic ones. Your best bet is to try a healthier alternative and eliminate or reduce alcohol altogether.
Gluten
I want to mention gluten because after becoming gluten-free, I had more energy and my stomach issues became almost non-existent. Dave Asprey’s book Super Human explains that many things found in wheat or gluten is a type of lectin, an anti-nutrient found in grains and legumes that saps nutrients from your body, causes inflammation, and impairs the functioning of the body in various ways. I can attest that going gluten-free was one of the best health decisions of my life, and I would encourage you to begin eliminating gluten from your diets as much as possible.
Final Remarks About Inflammatory Foods
Avoiding the inflammatory foods listed above will help reduce your inflammation in the body and leave you feeling energized and healthier. Even if you do not eliminate these from your diet, I will encourage you to limit them as much as possible. If you feel that eliminating all these foods seems daunting, it is easier than it sounds, and I promise that your body will not regret your decision.
