Did you know that you can help to keep heart disease under wraps with certain foods enriched with anti-inflammatory properties?
Food habits, stress management and daily exercise are ways to reduce inflammation to a great extent and studies have shown that selecting an anti-inflammatory diet can reduce symptoms of inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, type 2 diabetes, asthma, cancer and many more.
The following food groups can play a vital role in controlling inflammation. These Anti-inflammatory foods are enriched with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and immune boosting properties and hence slow down the inflammatory process.
Some examples are:
- Fruits and vegetables – Eight to ten servings of fruits and vegetables for better anti-inflammatory effects.
- Dark green leafy vegetables – Dark green leafy vegetables are a rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that protect against various chronic illnesses.
- Whole grains – Whole grains are intact grains with low glycaemia index. Eating whole grains prevent a sugar spike which is a main culprit for insulin resistance and incidence of diabetes.
- Seafood – Salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel contain a high amount of omega-3 fatty acid, a best anti-inflammatory agent.
- Herbs, Spices and Nuts – Enriching your diet with herb, spices and nuts are tasty ways for anti-inflammatory effects
- Green tea – Flavonoids content of a green tea act as a powerful antioxidant and prevent free radical induced oxidative damage to cells.
- Fiber – Eating 30 gm of fiber from whole grains, fruits and vegetables help to reduce inflammation.
Follow a Mediterranean diet plan
Anti-inflammatory foods noted above are nothing but a part of a Mediterranean diet meal plan which is scientifically proven diet for healthy body. This particular meal plan emphasizes
- Eating plant based food like fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes
- Replacing butter with olive oil
- Using herbs and spices instead of salt for flavoring
- Eating fish and poultry