Inflammatory Foods and Habits

Some of the pro-inflammatory foods and habits that could cause stress on our immune system are listed below. Indulging in these foods or habits could negatively alter our immune system functioning and results in inflammation in various systems of our body.

Subsequently this kind of inflammation which is low grade and chronic which is caused by our lifestyle choices results in metabolic disorders like obesity, diabetes, high BP, elevated triglycerides, heart ailments, brain disorders, autoimmune diseases etc.,

Inflammatory Foods:

1. Sugar and foods rich in sugar like desserts, pastries, chocolate bars, soft drinks, fruit juices, biscuits, sweets, many breakfast cereals etc. Just be aware that other forms of sugar like coconut sugar, palm sugar, brown sugar, jaggery etc., may be relatively better than sugar as they have some trace minerals. However, the negative impact that they all have in our bodies is more or less the same. So having sweets and sugary foods in moderation is important.
2. Preservatives, flavoring agents, artificial sweeteners, coloring substances, MSG added to packaged foods. They are found not only inflammatory but also carcinogenic as per some researches.
3. Refined oils and reusing oil multiple times for frying food.
4. Trans fats – Found in deep fried food like French fries, chicken fries etc., ultra-processed packaged food products, frozen foods.
5. Refined carbohydrates like refined flour(a.k.a. refined wheat flour or all-purpose flour or Maida), many breakfast cereals which are sprayed with sugar syrup.

Inflammatory Habits:

1. Lack of exercise and being sedentary
2. Irregular eating habits and frequent snacking between meals
3. Drinking Alcohol
4. Smoking
5. Insufficient sleep
6. Stress and anxiety

~Praveen Jada

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