Recently, the number of cookbooks, recipes and articles for an inflammation diet has increased dramatically. It's about time. Inflammation started getting worse about 100 years ago. However, an inflammation free diet is only one of two steps that need to be taken.
First, a little background. Inflammation is the bodies natural response to an unwanted intruder - virus, cuts, pollution etc. This is called an inflammatory response. It is important to us as we would die quickly without this process. For instance, if we cut our knee, then a host of white and other blood cells are dispatched to the area to isolate and cure the problem.
Great, but what happens if once the issue is resolved, the body keeps on fighting the now non-existent problem? The excess blood platelets have no where to go so they coat the artery walls causing "hardening." Inflexible arteries restrict oxygen flow everywhere. This leads to strokes and heart attacks.
A short list of other problems would include arthritis, skin problems, vision issues and all sorts of brain related diseases ranging from ADD to Alzheimer's.
How did this happen?
You may have read that all this is caused by an imbalance of omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids. Omega 3s are the nutrients that tell the immune system to stop sending the no longer needed blood cells and chemicals to a cured problem. If our cell membranes contained an equal amount of these two groups, we would be the picture of health. This is where the inflammation diet comes in.
The purpose of this diet is to raise the amount of omega 3s and lower the levels of omega 6s in the bodies cells. However, it is not that easy. Here are your basic sources for these two families of essential fats.
1] Omega 3s - cold water fatty fish, leafy greens like spinach, certain types of nuts like walnuts, animals who eat leafy greens, animals who eat animals that eat leafy greens [wild game].
2] Omega 6s - seed based oils [safflower, corn, sesame] and everything that is made with these oils - processed foods, baked goods and salad dressings. Also some dairy products like butter. I could keep going but you see the point. We are overloaded in 6s.
What do we do?
As I suggested earlier, an inflammation diet is a two step process. They should be started at the same time. The first step is add omega 3s. Read the sources again. Most people find it almost impossible to consistently eat fish or spinach every day. This is why the demand for fish oil supplements has exploded. A quality product provides both the quantity and consistency that is needed.
Step number two is at least a small lifestyle change. The second purpose of an inflammation free diet is to reduce the number foods that cause it. If this is not done, there will be problems no matter how many fish oil supplements you take.
If you live in the West, here are some numbers for you. You are likely to get fifteen [15] times as much omega 6s as 3s. Get that ratio down to four-to-one and your health will start improving
Summing up, the next three steps are to 1] investigate fish oil supplements 2] rethink your approach to what you eat and 3] visit my website.
Author Resource:
Get my free five-part mini course on the benefits of omega 3, including critical information on why you should take omega3 fish oil .
To sign up for the course and get more tips on the importance of omega 3, visit my website: http://www.omega-3-guide.com/
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