Inflammation can be good or bad. When your body has been injured or is sick, it is how your body protects itself. Inflammation can promote healing in the body. However, long term inflammation can have a negative impact on your health. Chronic inflammation can result in chronic disease as well as being bloated, puffy and overweight. Research has shown that inflammatory foods play a big part in chronic inflammation. Inflammatory foods have been linked to obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders.
Let’s take a look at the foods that cause inflammation in the body.
Refined Sugar - refined sugar, high fructose corn sugar, and glucose all increase inflammation in the body. Studies have shown that a diet high in refined sugar can counteract the effects of anti-inflammatory foods you are eating. Fructose has been found to be the worst type of sugar for inflammation. Foods such as breakfast cereal, pastries, cookies, cakes and candies are high in refined sugar.
Vegetable Oils - oils such as corn oil, and vegetable oils are highly refined and cause inflammation. Think about it: what vegetables are oily? In order for them to be able to extract any oil from corn or vegetables, it must be highly refined in order to do so. This is why fried foods can be highly inflammatory. It is typically because of the oil they use.
Refined Carbohydrates - pastries, pasta, bread, and cakes all cause inflammation. Refined carbs are turned into sugar (glucose) in the body and can spike your blood sugar level. When your blood sugar levels spike, it increases the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in your body. Too many refined carbs can also cause insulin resistance which leads to weight gain.
Processed Meats - eating too much red meat and processed meat can also cause inflammation. Processed meats are commonly cured using nitrates, which cause inflammation and have been linked to causing cancer. Studies have been shown that eating too much red meat can also raise inflammatory markers in the body.
Fast Food - fast food is a highly inflammatory food due to it containing processed ingredients. It is typically full of salt, sugar, hydrogenated fats and all of these ingredients cause inflammation. Not only does fast food cause inflammation, but gives you a high-calorie meal that can cause weight gain without having any valuable nutrition for your body.
Artificial Trans-Fats - hydrogenated fats are highly inflammatory to the body. It is made in a lab by adding hydrogen to a liquid fat in order to make it a solid. Trans-fats are typically found in commercially made french fried, pastries, peanut butters, margarine and it is added to processed foods to extend the shelf life. Trans-fats have been linked to inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, diabetes type 2, inflammation of the arteries, and high cholesterol.
Excessive Alcohol - Drinking in moderation has shown to have some benefits (resveratrol in red wine, for instance). However, drinking too much alcohol has been linked to leaky gut (an inflamed and perforated digestive system). It also affects the liver in how it is able to metabolise fats, hormones, toxins and more, which can lead to weight gain and more inflammation.
Inflammation in your body can be driven by the foods that you are eating. Each person has a unique digestive system. Even some healthy foods may cause inflammation for you. This is why I teach my clients to use a Food Diary. Keeping track of how your body responds to specific foods is key to finding out which foods cause you inflammation. To stay as healthy and to be able to lose weight, avoid these inflammatory types of food. You can keep inflammation down in your body by minimizing as many of these foods as possible.