Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Spring 2010)
TOPIC: Don't Fan the Flame
Anti-inflammatory foods can help prevent disease
by aubrey hoover

What you can’t feel can hurt you.

Some health problems influenced by the foods you eat cause few, if any, readily apparent symptoms. Chronic inflammation is one such problem.

Chronic low-grade inflammation can lead to serious health problems such as atherosclerosis, a process that can cause cholesterol-clogged arteries and set the stage for heart attacks, most strokes, peripheral artery disease and other circulatory-system problems.

Inflammation of body tissues is a natural response to injury, such as burning your skin, breaking a bone, spraining an ankle or catching a virus. Temporary inflammation, accompanied by pain, swelling or redness, occurs while your body mounts a defense against the injury and repairs the damage.

But unhealthy, chronic inflammation can also occur, sometimes tied to preventable sources such as the foods you eat regularly. Chronic inflammation happens when your defense system stays in gear even when there is no injury or foreign substance to fight off. Such inflammation can cause damage to otherwise healthy tissue in people of all ages, including children.

The good news? You may be able to limit the impact of chronic inflammation through the simple act of making healthier food choices.
Foods that douse inflammation

Specifics vary from diet to diet, but in general anti-inflammatory diets suggest the following:

  • Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and nuts.
    Minimize saturated and trans fats.

  • Eat a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish and fish oil.

  • Watch your intake of refined carbohydrates
    such as pasta and white rice.

  • Choose whole grains such as barley, quinoa and brown rice.

  • Eat lean protein sources such as legumes (beans), fish and chicken; cut back on red meat and full-fat dairy foods.

  • Avoid refined foods and processed foods.

  • Spice it up. Ginger, curry and other spices can have an anti-inflammatory effect.

The anti-inflammatory diet is quite similar to the Mediterranean diet, whose health effects are well documented. For more information, see “Secrets from the Mediterranean” (summer 2009 Compass, www.healthdistrict.org/compass/archive.htm).

Source: WebMD (www.webmd.com) and Dianne Moeller, R.D., Health District of Northern Larimer County.
“What you eat can either aggravate inflammation or help squelch it,” says Dianne Moeller, registered dietitian at the Health District of Northern Larimer County.

Current research is looking into the anti-inflammatory properties of certain foods — including fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and fish oil, and certain herbs and spices. Consuming these foods may help reduce inflammation.

But don’t stop there. You may also benefit from reducing or eliminating inflammatory foods, such as those containing high amounts of refined carbohydrates, partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats), animal fats and refined sugars. These unhealthy foods can add unwanted body weight (fat cells) too — yet another source of inflammation.

“Anti-inflammatory eating basically means eating a largely plant-based diet rich in a variety of whole, unprocessed foods,” Moeller says. “It also means limiting fast foods, convenience foods, and packaged and processed foods.”

Changing your diet may not make you feel much different on the outside, but you’ll be doing yourself a world of good inside, where it counts.