Inflammation is a natural part of your body’s process as it is designed to protect your body from harm. When there is an inflamed part of your body, it means that healing is taking place. However, there are instances when chronic inflammation occurs because of a disease. If this is the case, following an anti-inflammatory diet may help you feel better overall.

As the name suggests, the anti-inflammatory diet is designed to remove foods that are causing inflammation in your body. This diet is often rich in antioxidants which are known to combat free radicals that are causing damage to your cells and making you susceptible to different diseases.

Which foods should you avoid in this diet? Here are a few that you should take into consideration.

Processed foods

Processed foods generally make our lives, and cooking, convenient since all that you have to do is to toss the food in a pan and cook it or pop it in a microwave and heat it up for a few minutes. But if you take a closer look at the list of ingredients used in these products, you will see a long list of preservatives, additives, and what not that are actually causing inflammation in your body. Best to avoid them as much as possible to reduce inflammation in your body.

Refined flour

Pizza, pasta, crackers, bagels, these are all foods that we are just so fond of and possibly, can’t live without either. Unfortunately, these foods are made from refined flour that is not really good for your health as it can trigger inflammation. The problem with refined flours is that they have been stripped of their nutrients as well as fiber that are both essential to your health. The faster the glucose in these foods are processed, the higher your blood sugar goes up which can cause inflammation.

Vegetable oil

There is a common misconception that the use of vegetable oil when cooking, such as palm oil, safflower oil, corn oil, and the like are good for you. The problem with these oils is that they are high in omega-6 rather than the heart-friendly omega-3 hence there is a huge chance that you are exposing yourself to inflammation when using these oils for cooking. And if you have been paying attention to the ingredients in the products that you are purchasing, you will find that most of them contain vegetable oil in them. How shocking!

Dairy

Who would have thought that dairy can be a source of inflammation in the body? Although eating yogurt from time to time can help restore your gut’s healthy environment, eating dairy products such as cheese, milk, and butter may trigger inflammation. There are studies that show that those who consume full-fat dairy can experience poor gut environment because it disrupts the microbiome there. If you notice that you tend to bloat after eating foods containing dairy, it is best to avoid them for now to determine if they cause inflammation on your part.

Artificial sweeteners

Consuming foods that contain artificial sweeteners such as soda, and those diet-type of drinks are not really helping you fight off inflammation. What happens is that the more you consume these drinks, the more you put yourself at risk to glucose intolerance. Researchers have determined that when there is an increase in bad gut bacteria, you are putting yourself in danger of inflammation and at risk of Type 2 diabetes.

These foods are just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. If you want to protect yourself against inflammation, avoiding these foods can do you a world of good.