In last weeks nutrition blog I touched on nutrients and how the body is like a chemistry project.  This week I want to touch on one of the biggest concerns when it comes to health.  It is inflammation.  The inflammation that is associated with a sprain, such as twisting an ankle, is part of the bodys’ healing process and is a good thing.  But when inflammation happens inside the body it wreaks havoc.  Most people are unaware that this is even going on.  Many people go undiagnosed because the symptoms are very vague and subtle. 

I heard an analogy a while back that helps to illustrate this.  It’s like being in a quiet room and then the air conditioning comes on.  At first it seems very loud but over a short time you just tune it out and don’t even notice it.  That is how most of us react to inflammation.  We just think that as we get older we are just supposed feel a little more tired and run down.  There is more going on than meets the eye.  The best way to check inflammation levels is to have a C-reactive protein (CRP) test.  This test is a marker for inflammation in the bloodstream.  Health insurance should cover it but you will need to ask for it. 

The biggest cause of inflammation is from certain foods that we eat.  I will touch on a few of the biggest ones today and next week I will cover foods that help reduce inflammation.

Foods you want to avoid:

• Trans fats. Trans fats are created by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil (a process called hydrogenation). Consuming trans fats may damage cells that line blood vessels, causing inflammation.

To do: Check labels and avoid foods with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (or aliases, such as shortening or margarine). Most commercial baked goods, such as cookies and crackers, and many fried foods have trans fats.

One thing to be aware of is how the companies hide these fats from you.  By law there can be .5 grams of trans fat per serving and the label can claim it has 0 trans fat. The companies change their serving size to be within the limits.  This means that if there are 7 servings in a bag of chips that there is 3.5 grams of trans fat that does not have to be claimed. Sneaky.

• Omega-6 fatty acids. Needed for good health, omega-6s are found naturally in meats, poultry, shellfish, milk, eggs, vegetable oils and some seeds. They are harmful only when eaten out of proportion to omega-3s, another essential fatty acid. A good ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s is three to one. The typical American diet has a ratio of up to 20 to one — which allows omega-6s to crowd out omega-3s, changing the body’s metabolic processes and creating inflammatory chemicals.
• Processed sugar. Table sugar, candy, soft drinks and other sweets contribute to insulin resistance and extra pounds, both of which increase inflammation.  Another new sweetener that just came out is Maltitol. Watch out for this one also.

To do: Satisfy your sweet tooth with a wide variety of fruits. Note: If you have diabetes, talk to your doctor before increasing fruit intake.

Also avoid artificial sweeteners such as Splenda (Sucralose), Equal, NutraSweet, etc.

These are just a few of the foods that increases inflammation.  I encourage you to do your research.  It is your body and your health.  You need to take charge and be well-informed.  Dr. Joseph Mercola has a great website: www.mercola.com that provides a lot of solid research on a variety of health and nutrition issues.  I highly recommend that you check it out.

I will share more websites in the future that I feel will help you get the information you need.

Again, next week I will cover foods that will help reduce inflammation and allow the body to begin healing.

As always, if you have any thoughts or questions please post them by clicking the comment link and I will do my best to respond. Also if you ever hear of any information that goes against what I am posting please let me know so that I can make sure that my research is as correct and up-to-date as possible.