How To Fight Inflammation With Nutrition: 8 Main Principles

Today, the so-called "anti-inflammatory diet" has become widespread, which promises to rid the skin of constant rashes, restore its health and flawless appearance. However, in reality, such a diet does not exist, and with the help of it, a set of nutritional principles that help to prevent skin inflammation are incorrectly indicated. The main ones were sorted out together with Natalia Babanova, a nutrition and psychodietology consultant.

Where does the anti-inflammatory diet myth come from?

If 10-15 years ago, many people associated dietetics with lean food, lack of salt, liquid soups and boiled meat, today the world is ruled by a "healthy lifestyle" filled with gluten-free foods, keto diets, intermittent fasting, gyms to exhaustion, chia seeds, flaxseed oil, goji berries - the list is long. Women began to sit on diets regularly, self-diagnosing their food intolerances, prescribing vitamins, fasting for 18 hours, excluding fruits, carbohydrates, dairy products - and all this without consultation with specialists and specific test indicators.

As a result, today we are already talking about a new eating disorder - orthorexia, which is expressed in an obsessive desire for "healthy and proper nutrition", leading to significant restrictions in the choice of food (see also: "Orthorexia: the new secular disease"). As a result of such newfangled trends, the myth of an anti-inflammatory diet has appeared, which is supposedly a universal remedy for any inflammation.

If no such diet is available, how should you eat to minimize inflammation?

Studying modern Russian, European, American dietary patterns and foods recommended in the presence of a particular disease (for example, metabolic cider, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and gallbladder, gout, kidney and urinary tract diseases), it is absolutely possible to identify common basic principles that are suitable for absolutely everyone and suggest a "healthy lifestyle".

However, it's important to point out right away that healthy eating is not a rigid prescription, but rather an adaptable scheme in which we can enjoy foods that match our personal, cultural, traditional preferences and are suitable for a budget (see also: “How to compose healthy (and inexpensive) a diet for the whole family ").

8 tips to help keep skin inflammation-free

Eat regularly - every 3-4 hours. As a result of prolonged malnutrition, metabolism decreases, since the body includes a "survival reaction", it lacks the incoming energy. Add snacks, develop the habit of eating without a phone or book in hand, with the TV off, chewing food slowly and thoroughly.
In the prevention of inflammation, cereals play an important role, especially whole grains, which contain a large amount of dietary fiber, which slows down the rate of food digestion, and are involved in the prevention of many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, which reduce the risk of infections. and inflammatory processes. For adults, it is recommended to consume at least 25 grams of dietary fiber per day for proper bowel function. They should be added to the diet gradually, starting with a small amount.

Include in your diet: vegetables from different color groups (dark green, red, orange, legumes, starchy, and whole fruits - from 250 grams per day). There are many reasons to love fruits: they lower blood sugar, the rate of absorption of sugars, increase the work of enzymatic processes in the digestive tract, improve digestion, lower blood pressure, and increase food saturation.
A large daily dose of calcium enters the body with dairy products. It is important to note that calcium absorption is influenced by natural vitamin D, not fat content, so choose low-fat or low-fat dairy products, including milk, yogurt, and vitamin-fortified cheese / soy drinks (read also: 13 Foods with the Highest Concentration of Nutrients ").

To combat inflammation, it is extremely important to include a variety of protein products in the diet: fish (1-3 times a week, with 1 time necessarily fat), poultry, lean meat, seafood, legumes, nuts, seeds and soy products.

Reduce the consumption of table salt, replacing it with iodized salt (no more than 6 grams per day), saturated fat (up to 10% of calories per day), reduce sodium intake (vegetables, fish, canned meat, pickled cucumbers, pickled fish, meat, vegetables, mushrooms, sauces, spices, cheese, primarily processed ̆, olives, sausages, boiled sausages, ham, boiled pork, chips, salted nuts). Some canned foods can be rinsed with water before eating by rinsing off some of the salt. Also pay attention to the substances used as food additives, in the name of which sodium sounds (sodium glutamate - flavoring, sodium benzonate - preservative, sodium phosphate - baking powder, etc.). You should also limit your intake of trans fats, added sugar (up to 10% calories),alcohol (up to 1 drink for women and up to 2 drinks for men per day). When preparing food, remember that adding sugar, sauces, or preferring frying instead of baking or boiling will increase the calorie content of the food.

Keep the water constantly in sight. Do not get carried away with salt, this leads to an increase in intercellular fluid, an increase in skin edema and an imbalance in cellular balance, which also serves as a negative factor that worsens the condition with rashes.
To measure and diversify your food intake (breakfast, lunch, dinner), use: the palm method and the healthy plate method.

PS:

Be careful with nutritional supplements and vitamins: natural does not mean healthy. Be sure to consult with your doctor, having passed the appropriate tests, before starting to take this or that drug. Our body is the most perfect system, interfering with which you can very easily disrupt its harmonious state - take care of yourself and your health!