Inflammation is important for a healthy body to experience, but chronic inflammation is a whole other story.
When it comes to acute inflammation, your body is using it as a tool to protect the body. With chronic inflammation, you’ll experience some terrible problems including neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases, joint pain, acne, allergies, and even intestinal issues.
What’s even worse is that there are numerous causers of inflammation, but it is possible to treat or avoid chronic inflammation through a proper diet. These 10 super foods will help you fend off the chronic inflammation that plagues your life:
1 – Tea
As hard as it might be to believe, tea is known to have a serious impact on inflammation. Whether it is black, white, or green, tea has anti-inflammatory properties that are beyond outstanding. There are plenty of antioxidants in these teas, making them perfect for fighting off inflammation. The next time you’re feeling a surge of inflammation coming on, brew some tea and see what it can do to alleviate the pain
2 – Walnuts
Cracking open some walnuts during a time of inflammation may seem strange, but trust us when we say these nuts have anti-inflammatory benefits that will surprise you. These bad boys possess high concentrations of omega-3s that are plant-based, polyphenols, and antioxidant phytonutrients that all work together to provide inflammatory relief.
3 – Kale
Everyone rants and raves about the health benefits of this leafy green, but its anti-inflammatory properties are well documented. Similar to how other vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, arugula, wasabi, and bok choy are, kale has a high concentration of sulfur. With this sulfur, your liver goes through dual detox cycles as opposed to a single one. This benefits you because when your liver goes through its second run-through, the body is being stimulated to put more phase II enzymes. These enzymes help the body by breaking down toxins in a way that is comparable to how digestive enzymes tear through food. Therefore, kale assists in lessening the toxic load in your body, reducing inflammation in the process.
4 – Cherries
If you’re a chronic gout sufferer, you already know all the good that cherries can do when it comes to fighting off inflammation. This is a fantastic fruit that leads the fruit world in anti-inflammatory properties. These fruits possess some seriously powerful anti-inflammatory properties in the form of unique compounds. These bad boys possess high concentrations of anthocyanin 1 and 2. In essence, these fruits use the power of two anti-inflammatories in one shot, allowing inflammation fighting properties that are beyond amazing.
5 – Sweet Potatoes
Shockingly enough, these nutrient-dense super foods are not only good for your skin, immune health, and heart, but they also fight inflammation. The fact that these contain high levels of vitamins E and C as well as the carotenoids, beta- and alpha-carotene, give them incredible anti-inflammatory properties.
6 – Ginger
Known for being used in Asian-style cooking, ginger is not solely a stomach-soother. This stuff helps with inflammation to a point that the root is world-renowned for its healing powers. Chronic inflammatory issues including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis see a lessened impact on the body when ginger is introduced into a person’s diet. Although the component of ginger that had these anti-inflammatory properties has not been identified, it is believed that the root’s active compound gingerol has the positive impact on patients across the globe.
7 – Basil
Not just a super tasty spice used in Italian cooking, Basil has healing powers as well. The herb possesses a high concentration of antioxidant phytonutrients, allowing it to help with inflammation. Eating this herb fresh does wonders for inflammation, making it a true super herb.
8 – Salmon
What has fins and helps with inflammation? That’s right! This pink fish is an incredible source of omega-3 fatty acids and when comparing it to plant-based sources of this stuff, it cannot be beat. The body is not able to process the plant-based omega-3 anywhere near as well, making it so salmon has earned a place in the anti-inflammatory foods section. This is fatty acid that fights against inflammation.
9 – Soy
Beans typically have plenty of anti-inflammatory botanical compounds, or phytonutrients. With that being known, soy is known to assist in lessening the inflammation marker C-reactive protein, helping the heart in the process. This is due to the fact that higher levels of C-reactive protein are known to contribute to coronary artery disease.
10 – Raisins
As most people know, berries contain a lot of antioxidants. The raisin is also known to assist with inflammation. Eating these as a snack can lessen a marker of inflammation called TNF-alpha, making it so raisins might be your new favorite snack if you’re suffering from chronic inflammation.
Knowing the foods that can help with inflammation is important when trying to treat chronic inflammation. Every effort counts when dealing with this kind of issue. With that being known, it’s important to use foods that contain anti-inflammatory properties to their fullest, lessening your inflammation whenever possible.