Video in Italiano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASRWwbHB4eo&t=40s
We are concerned about chronic diseases, health problems and sickness linked with ageing, we hope we will never get some of those illnesses for the rest of our life but even if, plenty of studies, articles explain mechanism of ageing process, of chronic diseases development and risk factors have been released, we keep carrying on exposing ourselves constantly to those risk factors. Unfortunately only hoping not to get something is not enough: we should be “response-able” for our health and wellbeing. We need to act and respond by choosing, most of the time, good practices, good options and turn it into an habit.
In this article I want to extract the essence of inflammation and oxidation and to provide some recommendation how to approach those two situations using food and particularly following an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory diet.
Inflammation is a defense mechanism that our body puts in place against trauma, wounds or external pathogens; moreover, it can also occur due to allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases.
Inflammation is therefore a useful process for our body, as it allows you to neutralize (if present) the agent that caused the damage, and reintegrate the normal condition pre-existing the harmful event.
Inflammation becomes chronic when the agents that cause the damage persist and therefore there is a persistent activation of the neuro-immuno-endocrine system. Typical symptoms of inflammation are: increasing temperature, swelling and redness locally, aching and functional weakening of the affected area.
Oxidative stress is a pathological condition caused by breaking down of the physiological balance, in a living organism, between production and elimination, by the antioxidant defense systems, of oxidizing chemical species, called free radicals.
Free radicals, if excessively produced, can react with protein, lipid and even DNA damaging cells normal functionality and causing significant pathologies such as atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, diabetes as well as accelerating aging process.
As well as chronic inflammation, oxidative stress can also lead to persistent activation of the neuro-immuno-endocrine system. Some of the causes of oxidative stress are: excessive exposure to radiation, smoking and alcohol, improper diet, metabolic disorders, excessive sports, psychological stress.
An anti-inflammatory diet is able to fight against inflammatory processes and oxidative stress by providing the right quantities of antioxidants, molecules capable of protecting the body from damage caused by free radicals, and reducing biosynthesis of cytokines, molecules produced by our body, which are very important for the development and proper functioning of the immune system. However, if they are produced in excess, it is possible that our body develops inflammatory or autoimmune diseases.
Here some recommendations how to start setting an anti-inflammatory diet:
If you are in an overweight condition, you need to reduce your calorie intake. Caloric restriction enables reduction of inflammation because it decreases biosynthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
To modulate inflammation, it is recommended to increase omega 3 / omega 6 ratio also reaching a value of 4/1. Introducing fish in your diet and reducing usage of vegetable oils in the kitchen (excluding extra virgin olive oil).
Furthermore, it is necessary to follow an antioxidant diet, i.e. introducing foods with antioxidant power such as fruits and vegetables containing vitamin E, vitamin C, lycopene, carotenoids, selenium.
Below is a list of foods with greater antioxidant power:
Black grape juice (1 glass) 5216 ORAC
Blueberries (1 cup) 3480 ORAC
Green cabbage cooked (1 cup) 2048 ORAC
Cooked spinach (1 cup) 2042 ORAC
Cooked beetroot (1 cup) 1782 ORAC
Blackberries (1 cup) 1466 ORAC
Cooked Brussels sprouts (1 cup) 1384 ORAC
Grapefruit juice (1 glass) 1274 ORAC
Strawberries (1 cup) 1170 ORAC
Orange juice (1 glass) 1142 ORAC
Weekly introduce ingredients such as ginger and turmeric, with high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger is excellent in drinks and grated in salads; turmeric is perfect on white meat and vegetables cooked in a pan.
In general, we should reduce foods from animal origin and saturated fats, refined cereals and foods with high glycemic index and eliminate added sugar; instead we should increase fruit and vegetables, foods containing antioxidants, whole grains and legumes.
Going into even more detail on how to set the diet, it is recommended to:
• Concentrate most of the kcal and carbohydrates introduced in the morning
• Divide your calorie intake into 5 meals
• After lunch, prefer low glycemic index foods -https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/1/glycemicindex.pdf
• Set an alkaline diet (negative PRAL – PRAL is Potential Renal Acid Load, - indicator used to calculate chemical balance of acidifying and alkalizing molecules of a food or supplement) https://www.clinicaleducation.org/documents/revised-summary-pral-list.pdf
At following link http://wix.to/20B5BrI, you will also find an example of an anti-inflammatory diet. In the diet, quantities are not provided, as the calorie intake is different from subject to subject.
For recipes, you can find some on YouTube, my channel Not Only Salad, playlist with recipes for anti-inflammatory diet. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDs70dLeyaNekxn63okuaRfdJFnLaPrRj
In conclusion, the final goal of the anti-inflammatory diet is to increase lean body mass and reduce excess of body fat, increase hydration, reduce biosynthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines and purify the body from free radicals. This in order to prevent chronic situations that can lead to development of diseases and premature aging.
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