Inflammation is a serious problem if it gets excessive in your body. Many people are unaware that it is the starting point of many severe diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease. The best way to manage this issue can be as simple as consuming anti-inflammatory foods and exercise regularly.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is your body’s healing system against injury and infection. The white blood cells in your body get activated to enter your blood and tissues in order to protect you from invaders. When we alert the white cells with too much junk food, our body gets filled up with overabundant inflammation. And that is similar to having an abundant amount of corrupt Police enforcement in the system. Nobody wants that!

Common signs of high inflammation

• Gastrointestinal complications
• Insomnia
• Depression
• Chronic fatigue
• Body pain

Foods that reduce inflammation

Do not go overboard with the following food just because they are anti-inflammatory. Every food product has its pros and cons.

• Turmeric
• Leafy greens
• Tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Bananas
• Almonds
• Salmon
• Blueberries
• Ginger

Turmeric – The talented Mr. Anti-inflammatory

Turmeric is highly popular in India and Asia. It is widely used for making curry and healthy drinks. Most people in the western part of the world are unaware that it helps to reduce inflammation and body pain in return. The main element inside the turmeric that blocks the inflammation is curcumin.

Where else turmeric is used? Manufacturers give the yellow-orange color to vegan cheese spreads and nacho dips. I wish they also did this for the cheddar cheese but most use annatto instead. Moreover, annatto (achiote) has some significant health benefits too, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties. It is also good for your heart and eyes.

How to consume turmeric?

Turmeric is so versatile that you can include it in both sweet and sour recipes. Use in soups, desserts, stews, and even when making ice cream.

5 ways to consume turmeric regularly

• Soups: Turmeric red lentil soup, Ayurvedic turmeric broth detox soup, golden turmeric cauliflower soup
• Curry: Almost all Indian curry dishes
• Salads: Add ginger, turmeric, broccoli, and leafy greens to any salad
• Desserts: Turmeric jelly – Turkish Zerdecal Dessert) Sfouf cake (fully vegan – without eggs and butter), turmeric lemon tart
• Drinks: Golden milk, turmeric herbal tea

Anti-inflammatory drinks

The most famous anti-inflammatory drink is the highly popular golden milk. It is prepared by boiling milk and adding turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and honey to milk (dairy or non-dairy—­up to you). You can read more on golden milk from here.

• Lemon juice and turmeric
• Golden milk
• Parsley and ginger
• Baking soda added water
• Sour cherry juice

What is a safe amount of turmeric to take daily?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is okay to consume 1.4mg (0-3 mg/kg) of turmeric per pound of body weight daily. Always be cautious, though. Coming from the ginger family, you should be careful with the dosage when consuming this miraculous root vegetable.

As the old saying goes, excess of everything is bad, more of everything can be harmful. You know there is an old story about Buddha, as someone asked him ‘’What is poison?’’. And, he answered ‘’Everything in your life you have excess than you actually require is poison…’’. Nevertheless, Mr. Twain had a slightly different view!

Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.

Mark Twain

For instance, if you consume too much calcium and turmeric together, they have the potential to bind together that might form kidney stones. It is best to have balanced nutrition than relying on some ingredients overly. Aim to create your own healthy nourishment from an abundant variety of wholesome fruits, spices, and legumes.

What causes excess inflammation in the body?

Same old usual suspects, of course. You know them well! They always show up to harm your body. Unfortunately, most fast food is just a combination of these. I wish they did not taste so good!

Foods that cause inflammation

• Trans fats; hydrogenated oils
• Heavily processed refined carbohydrates; white flour, white pasta, potato chips, added sugars, white rice, cereals, etc.
• Excessive alcohol
• Sugar
• High fructose corn syrup
• Processed meat
• Sweetened juice (including fruit juice)
• Sweetened cereals

Healthy alternatives:

• Brown rice
• Legumes
• Whole grains
• Quinoa
• Nuts

Respect and love your body

Always strive for whole foods. They have so much love and health to offer you. On the contrary, refined foods are nothing but just a bunch of processed foods. They are scraped from their most nutritional benefits. Eating too much of them can result in overeating and eventually obesity.