The Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods.

Inflammation is your body’s way of protecting you from harmful stimuli or potential injury. Inflammation can appear in many forms, including pain, heat, swelling, redness, and a slowing down or complete halt of an organ’s function

Inflammation may be either acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is the initial protective response of your body tissues and is most likely to be transient. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is prolonged and can become severe.

Your diet plays a huge role in decreasing or increasing inflammation in your body. If you consume sugary foods, processed foods, or if you are regularly dehydrated, your body is more prone to inflammation while trying to heal itself.Inflammation may be caused due to an imbalance of fungi and healthy bacteria in your body. It can also happen as a result of food allergies, toxic environment, stress, and bad diet.

Here are some foods that may help reduce the chances of inflammation or relieve any existing symptoms.

Oats:

You can use oats by making a bowl of oatmeal or a jar of overnight oats and top with fruit. Oats help your body fight inflammation and may help reduce any current inflammation that your body is dealing with.

Blueberries:

Blueberries can significantly reduce inflammation if consumed on a daily basis. Blueberries are rich in flavonoids, polyphenol, resveratrol and Vitamin C, all of which are well known for reducing inflammation. Blueberries consist of anti-oxidants which can easily turn off and block all forms of body inflammations.

Ginger:

Ginger is used in a variety of organic medicines because of its anti-disease, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. You can add it as a spice in your foods, drink ginger juice, or blend it with honey and drink as a health shot. The most pleasant way to consume ginger, however, is a daily cup of hot ginger tea.

Dark Chocolate:

Dark chocolate is one of the healthier varieties of chocolate. You can add some to your oats or combine it with fresh fruit to help reduce inflammation.

Turmeric:

Turmeric is also widely used in organic and all-natural medicines. You can add to food as a spice or stir in a pinch to your milk or smoothie. Turmeric helps slow the production of the two most inflammatory enzymes, 5-LOX and COX-2.

There are a variety of foods you can add to your diet to help reduce or avoid inflammation. These are a few of the easiest and most accessible. If you are experiencing severe, chronic inflammation, however, be sure to consult a physician before making significant changes to your diet.

- Beth brings a clean-living mindset to craft mixology. She is a nutritionist, speaker, and co-writer of the critically acclaimed “Clean Cocktails, Righteous Recipes for the Modern Mixologist”, which has been in featured in OPRAH, Parade, Forbes, Inc., Nylon Magazine, Tori Burch, and Better Homes and Gardens plus she has had appearances on The Dr. Oz Show, The Chew, and The Tonight Show. Upgrade your cocktails or mocktails by taking out all the harsh chemicals and sugars then replace them with natural ingredients so you can indulge while maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Become your own mixologist today by getting her latest cookbook at your local bookstore or on amazon.