Ever got hit, and the body part getting swollen? That’s inflammation. It is our body’s natural reaction to any injury. Inflammation is a step towards preventing any infection or damage by expanding the blood vessels of the affected area. This way, your body can supply more oxygen, antioxidants, nutrients, and protein to the area to fight off foreign invaders.
So inflammation is a good reaction, right? But chronic inflammation can also be painful and can also cause serious health issues like asthma, abdominal pain, Alzheimer’s, heart diseases, diabetes, joint pain, or even arthritis. In many cases, inflammation is triggered by food items. This is why the aware population is now actively seeking an anti-inflammatory diet.
What is an anti-inflammatory diet?
When it comes to an anti-inflammatory food list, plant-based foods should always get the first mention. An anti-inflammatory diet includes more vegetables, as plant based foods have antioxidants. Natural plant-based food and similar ingredients used in other products can help overcome inflammation naturally with minimal to no side effects and long-term benefits.
Before we talk about what anti inflammatory foods and ingredients you must choose, know about the inflammatory foods to avoid:
- Processed meat like sausages, hot dogs
- Red meat
- Processed vegetable and seed oils like corn oil and soybean oil
- Processed dairy products
- Fried food items like chips and french fries
- Beverages with sugar-sweeteners
- Refined carbohydrates found in cakes and white bread
- Alcohol
These unhealthy foods also lead to weight gain and can escalate the chances of heart risks and diabetes with chronic inflammation.
How can plant-based diet help?
Simple lifestyle changes by opting for plant-based natural food items and ingredients can lower chronic inflammation as they are rich in antioxidants, phytochemicals, and Omega-3.
Alongside this, a plant-based anti-inflammatory diet can also improve metabolism, assist in weight management, improve your GUT health, reduce stress, maintain hormonal balance, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases related to the bones and heart.
Overall, having a natural lifestyle also improves your sleep quality, uplifts your mood and helps improve focus. With such benefits, experts now recommend anti-inflammatory vegetables and ingredients to all age groups.
Must-have food items in an anti-inflammatory diet
Chronic inflammation is harmful and can last for months or years, leading to various severe health issues. To deal with it naturally, it’s best to opt for anti-inflammatory ingredients with no side effects and long-term benefits. But where should you start from?
Most people look for an anti-inflammatory diet for beginners, but it’s not mandatory. You can even start by incorporating plant-based ingredients in your regular meals, such as:
- Healthy fats from olive oil and almond oil
- Nuts and seeds
- Leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and broccoli
- Spices like turmeric and ginger
- Nato Beans
- Fruits like blueberries, strawberries, cherries, pomegranates, guava, black grapes, and lemon
- Whole grains like brown rice, and oatmeal rich in fibre
- Green tea
If you’re looking for anti-inflammatory diet recipes, then here’s a sample meal plan for your day:
Breakfast
Start your day with a power-packed superfood smoothie with lots of anti inflammatory ingredients like fresh ginger, kale, cardamom, turmeric, flax seeds, and cherries. You can also stuff spinach filling along with other anti-inflammatory ingredients in bell peppers for the ultimate anti-inflammatory powerhouse. Caesar salad is also a healthy source of fresh greens that can reduce inflammation.
Lunch
Keep an eye out for green salads mixed with olive oil and vinegar. An anti-inflammatory lunch calls for yoghurt, unsweetened iced tea and lots of water. Turmeric is a great anti-inflammation ingredient, so you can also have turmeric iced tea. You can also opt for healthy pasta recipes loaded with fresh greens. Vegetable soup is also an experts’ favourite.
Dinner
Instead of munching on chips as snacks, look for anti-inflammatory alternatives like bell pepper stripes with guacamole, mangoes, guavas, carrots, etc.
This can lead to a fulfilling dinner of chicken curry, broccoli, and cauliflower. Finish off with some dark chocolate and red wine.
With this, you will have a complete day’s meal full of a natural anti-inflammatory diet. Still, your meal plan may lack some essential nutrients. Replenish the scarcity with anti-inflammatory, plant-based supplements from trusted sources like Authentic Biotics so that your daily routine is full of nourishment with the goodness of healthy botanicals.
Tips to maintain an anti-inflammatory diet
Once you get into the practice of having an anti-inflammatory diet, it is quite exciting to continue it. However, you must keep a few tips in mind if you plan on going strong with an anti-inflammatory meal chart.
- Use healthy cooking methods to make the most out of your plant-based diet.
- Since deep-fried food items are out of the list, this also rules out deep-fried vegetables.
- When you shop for pasta and bread, make sure to get 100% whole wheat pasta and bread.
- If possible, go for brown rice instead of plain, white rice.
- Getting enough sleep complements your healthy diet, so make sure to hit the bed for ample amounts of time.
- Build a habit of regular exercise to reduce your risks of chronic diseases and inflammation.
- Start a healthy routine of taking supplements from trusted brands like Authentic Biotics to give your body all the nutrients it needs for a healthy lifestyle.
Summing Up
Living a natural lifestyle has more pros than cons. This lifestyle requires intervention and knowledge, but with ample support from experts, you can design your living in sync with nature.
At Authentic Biotics we are continuously trying to source and formulate authentic products from sustainable and natural botanicals. The plant-based ingredients ensure that the natural supplements don’t have any side effects and provide long-term benefits to the body.
Check out the vast range of plant-based health supplements to improve your immunity, brain health, and bone and joint health.