Inflammation is the human body’s attempt to protect itself. It is simply a biological response of the body to remove harmful substances; this includes pathogens, irritants or damaged cells. But in a lot of the cases this may go bad and can even be the cause of severe illness and health issues. An anti-inflammatory is a substance that reduces such inflammation i.e. redness, swelling or warmth. There are numerous natural substances that have these attributes and are very good for you as well. As these do not cause any side effects, unlike their synthetic and strong counterparts.
Following is the list of the best natural anti-inflammatory that can easily be added to your diet. Generally a diet that delivers an abundance of fruits and vegetables helps prevent inflammation in the body.
- Fruits: Regarded as one of the best natural anti-inflammatory, because they are rich in carotenoids and anti-inflammatory flavonoids. Brightly colored fruits like berries, oranges, pink grapefruit, plum, pomegranates, peaches, nectarines, red grapes, apples plums, cherries and pears are very good to add to the daily diet.
- Vegetables: Dark leafy green vegetables that have been lightly cooked are rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant attributes too. Such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, cabbage, onions, squashes, peas, beets and carrots. Even raw salad greens that are simply washed and eaten are good for this purpose.
- Kelp: These are known to have fucoidan, with is a complex type of carbohydrate- which is a super anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor. Kelps are high in fiber so they slow down the process of fat absorption too thereby helping in weight loss. Make sure you eat only the organic variety though- that is free chemicals. Kelps like aroma, wakame, kombu and Limu moui are great sources of fucoidan.
- Spices: One must add spice to every meal of the day, they are one of the best natural anti-inflammatory’s. These are more effective and far safer than the hard drugs that people usually have to reduce inflammation. Some spices that possess this quality are ginseng, garlic, red hot peppers, ginger, turmeric and curcumin.
- Legumes: These are low glycemic foods that are full of magnesium, potassium, soluble fiber and folate. Some legumes that must be consumed for this purpose are soy nuts, edamame, tempeh, tofu and even soy milk. These give the body isoflavones that along with protects an antioxidant the body against cancer.
- Essential Fats: Having at least 5-6 servings of Omega 3 fatty acids per day and other healthy fats is very important. Some sources of healthy fats that can be added to the diet are Chia seeds, flax seeds, algae, nuts, and phytoplankton. Flax seeds are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which is an omega 3 fatty acid with potent anti-inflammatory properties. Soy products, walnuts, vegetables, fruits, wheat germ and beans are also all rich in ALA. Black currant, hemp, evening primrose and borage are rich in gamma-linolenic acid or GLA; which is also a natural fatty acid.
- Tea: Yes, tea too is known to be one of the best natural anti-inflammatory’s; oolong teas, green tea and white tea all have catechins, which have the qualities to reduce inflammation.
- Dark chocolate: Chocolate that has 70% cocoa or higher is a good anti-inflammatory too. But this must be eaten sparingly.
- Mushrooms: These have compounds that aid in increasing the immune system of the body. They should always be cooked and then eaten, some good ones to be eaten for this purpose are enokidake, shiitake, oyster and Maitake.
All these are great natural ways to reduce inflammation and are far safer and better for the body than the strong drugs that are commonly recommended by doctors.
