Most people are quick to dismiss that inflammatory foods are bad only for individuals who are suffering from joint pain and swelling. Actually, they are also contraindicated for people who are trying to lose weight. In this article, you will come across the top inflammatory foods that you should avoid if your goal is to slim down.

Before we take a look at inflammatory foods that you should start dodging at all costs in order for you to be able to shed off those excess pounds, let’s first take a quick look at the reason why inflammation is a weight saboteur.

Inflammation is actually a good thing. It’s because of it why your body is able to bounce back from a physical injury or heal from an ailment — it helps ensure that your immune cells get to where they are needed. However, it is a completely different matter if inflammation is taking place within the body constantly. Instead of allowing you to heal, it is wreaking havoc on your health in all kinds of ways.

There are many different health concerns that can stem from inflammation, experts say, and many of them are quite serious. One of the problems that may strike due to chronic inflammation is unnecessary weight gain. Such is a problem that can bring more problems in the long run — being obese or overweight come with complications.

Many different reasons exist why inflammation happens, and one of those is the consumption of inflammatory foods — foods that can cause inflammation to take place within you.

Here are some of those inflammatory foods that you should avoid if you want to slim down:

Sugary Stuff

Everyone knows that foods that are loaded with sugar can cause weight gain as it supplies the body with tons of calories. However, there’s one more often overlooked reason why sugary treats can cause weight gain, and that’s the fact that they can cause inflammation to take place in the body.

Anything With Artificial Sweetener

If you think that switching to stuff with artificial sweeteners in them is a smart idea, better think again! Studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can cause bad bacteria in the gut to proliferate. The problem with those bothersome microbes in the gut is they can release inflammatory compounds.

Deep Fried Treats

Clearly, anything that’s dripping in oil because they’re deep fried is packed with saturated fat that can make anyone gain weight without trouble. Scientists add that cooking foods at high temperatures, such as deep frying them, causes pro-inflammatory compounds to come into being.

Dairy

We all know that milk, cheese and other dairy products are excellent sources of muscle-building protein and bone-strengthening calcium. Unfortunately, they contain fats that can trigger inflammation, experts say. If you feel bloated after ingesting dairy food products, it’s a clear sign that they’re bad for you.

Processed Meats

There are a couple of reasons why the addition of processed meats to your diet can make you gain unnecessary weight. First, it supplies your body with saturated fat that can certainly make your waistline expand. Second, some of the chemicals in them can cause inflammatory response.

Gluten-Containing Foods

Especially if you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, it’s a good idea for you to steer of anything that contains gluten if you want to slim down or maintain optimum health. Otherwise, gluten in the food you eat can cause the lining of your intestines to become inflamed.