Detox

How a Detox Diet Can Drive Inflammation Out Of your Body
July 22, 2009 | By Sandy Halliday In Detox, Healthy Eating |

We normally associate the word inflammation with pain, swelling and redness and joint stiffness but did you know that many of the common diseases that people suffer with these days are related to chronic inflammation?

Researchers have found that chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, some cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, eczema, psoriasis, asthma, diabetes and many others are related to underlying inflammation in the body. Even aging is due to an inflammatory process in the skin. So you are probably wondering what this has to do with a detox diet?

First let’s have a look at what exactly inflammation is.

Inflammation is a normal response of the body to fight an infection. For example if you get an infection your body produces a fever a part of the process to kill the bacteria or virus that is causing it. And inflammation is part of the healing process. If you have an injury your body produces inflammation as part of the process that repairs and heals it. We could not do without it

But in some cases a low grade inflammatory process is constantly switched on. When this happens you become more susceptible to disease and the aging process. You may have low grade inflammation for hears without knowing it because the body can control it to a certain extent for a while. Then one day you start to get niggling symptoms and realize that something is not right.

What causes chronic inflammation?

Many factors, including stress, emotions, diet and lifestyle, contribute to inflammation.

* Stress causes an increased output of cortisol from the adrenal glands which fuels inflammation.

* Lack of sleep places a stress on the body and an increase in cortisol

* Too much fat, sugar, protein, processed and junk foods, sodas and caffeine

* An imbalance of organisms in your gut causes your immune system to overreact.

* Toxins from food, water, your environment and personal care products

* Food sensitivity or intolerance and food allergies cause low grade inflammation

* Leaky gut – an increase in the permeability of the intestinal lining can result in toxins leaking from the bowel resulting in inflammation.

* Obesity – the fatty tissues of the body secrete hormones that regulate the immune system and inflammation, but in the case of an overweight individual this can become out of control.

* Dehydration makes inflammation worse

You are probably beginning to see now how a detox diet can help drive inflammation out of your body. When you cleanse your bowel and body of toxins, heal a leaky gut, restore the balance of gut organisms, reduce stress and avoid foods that contribute to inflammation you dramatically reduce and prevent inflammation.

Inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods

There has been a lot of research on which foods contribute to inflammation and which foods are anti-inflammatory. The food you eat has a direct impact on the inflammation in your body.

Inflammatory foods

* Sugar, all types (white sugar, brown sugar, confectioners sugar, corn syrup, processed corn fructose, turbinado sugar, etc)

* Processed (refined) foods including processed meats

* Junk food & most fast food, fried food

* Excess red meat and fatty meat

* High saturated fat foods

* Food additives

* White bread

* Ice Cream

* Snack Foods

* Oils such as vegetable and corn (unless cold pressed)

* Hydrogenated, trans fats and heated polyunsaturated oils

* Soda, caffeine and alcohol

Anti-inflammatory foods

* Fresh whole fruits, vegetables

* Dark green leafy vegetables

* Bright multi-colored vegetables

* Cold water low mercury oily fish

* Green tea

* Olive oil (good quality)

* Lean poultry

* Nuts, especially very fresh walnuts, legumes and seeds

* Low glycemic load foods

* Pure Water

* Spices, especially Turmeric and Ginger

The Detox Diet & Control of Inflammation

If you have been reading about detox diets you will recognize that the inflammatory foods are the ones that are excluded on a detox diet and the anti-inflammatory ones are the ones that are included. While poultry is not always included on a detox diet it is part of the maintenance diet.

If you have any of the health conditions that are associated with low grade inflammation, want to get off anti-inflammatory drugs or have been eating a pro-inflammatory diet and want to prevent inflammatory disease in the future a detox diet is the ideal solution.