Nutrition & Our Metabolic Pathways Part 2

How we can optimise our nutrition to better support the pathway of inflammation in our body.

The foods we eat can either promote inflammation or help reduce it. Today's dietary and lifestyle choices all too often do the former and perpetuate the cycle of chronic inflammation, causing chronic disease.

“Majority of people today consume a diet that is too high in inflammatory agents like sugar, bad fats, fried foods, processed and fast foods, alcohol, refined carbohydrates and additives.”

Majority of people today consume a diet that is too high in inflammatory agents like sugar, bad fats, fried foods, processed and fast foods, alcohol, refined carbohydrates and additives. These foods set the stage for inflammatory disease like diabetes type 2, heart disease, cancer and autoimmune diseases. These foods can inflame our arteries, our gut, brain, liver, skin and more. The typical western diet today is too high in pro-inflammatory fats like omega 6 and too low in anti-inflammatory omega 3. The body can make omega 6 and 9 but not omega 3. A delicate balance must be struck between the consumption of these two essential fatty acids (EFA's). Pro-inflammatory EFA's are found in vegetable oils and seed oils like sunflower, corn, safflower, soy and canola. They are therefore also found in mayonnaise, salad dressings, ready-meals, pastries, most condiments and processed foods.

Choosing foods that are anti-inflammatory will have a profound effect on your health. Most of these foods come from wholefood sources. Fruits, vegetables, non-irradiated spices, wild caught seafood and fats rich in omega 3, certain nuts and seeds, all have the inflammation-fighting components we need. We all need to increase our daily intake of these healing foods to optimise their anti-inflammatory effects.

Some inflammation-fighting hero foods are turmeric, omega 3, berries, celery, collagen, cayenne and ginger, to name just a few.