Whenever there’s an alien toxin in your body—be it through injury or infection—your body’s natural immune response is inflammation. Inflammation can mean redness, swelling, pain, fever, discomfort, or the affected part of your body becoming hot — all of which can help you identify that there’s a toxin present in your body, and then take measures to treat it.
But did you know that inflammation could also be a sign of something far more serious?
According to Dr Pawan Kumar Goyal, senior director of internal medicine at Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, inflammation is of two types — acute and chronic. He says, “While acute inflammation is easier to treat since its stimuli is immediate, chronic inflammation can remain persistent for a long time, damage healthy tissues, and contribute to the development of diseases like arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers and nervous system disorders. Even diabetes can have an inflammatory origin.”
The good news though is that a healthy lifestyle, exercising, and practicing yoga can help you fight inflammation to a great extent. “Diet plays a major role in fighting chronic inflammation, especially consuming foods that have antioxidants in them,” Dr Goyal says.FE spoke with nutritionists to understand what kind of foods can help you reduce inflammation in your body.
Plant-based diets
Plant-based diets are your best bet to fight any kind of inflammation, says Dr Kiran Soni, head of the nutrition and health department at Greater Noida’s Yatharth Hospital.
She says, “If you have inflammation anywhere on your body, switching to a plant-based diet helps reduce it significantly since they have soluble fibres and minerals. For a healthy diet, you should have 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day — ideally 300 grams of vegetables and 200 grams of fruits.”
Dr Deepti Khatuja, chief clinical nutritionist at Gurgaon’s Fortis Memorial Research Institute, agrees with Dr Soni. She adds that having a rainbow plate of multi-coloured seasonal and locally produced fruits adds a lot of rich diversity to our diet.
“Fruits like papaya, guava, apple, mango, and grapes are good sources of beta keratin which is a precursor nutrient of vitamin A. They are also good sources of vitamin C, B complex, and potassium which help boost our immunity,” says Dr Khatuja.
Citrus fruits like lemon, limes, gooseberry, oranges, and bell peppers also help reduce inflammation due to their antioxidant properties.
So, how exactly do antioxidants help? The doctors tell FE that our body has some molecules of free oxygen (or free radicals), which cause oxidative stress damage. When we eat foods that have antioxidant properties, they neutralise the free radical and contribute to the growth of the immune system, thus fighting inflammation.
Flesh foods
But, says Dr Khatuja, relying on only a plant-based diet could actually mean that your body is not getting enough of vitamin D, and might lead to a deficiency which would then have to be supplemented from outside.
So, to get an adequate amount of vitamin D, both Dr Soni and Dr Khatuja suggest adding flesh foods to your diet. Fish and eggs are both good sources for this.
Prebiotics & probiotics
The other foods then that help in reducing inflammation are those rich in omega 3 like mustard oil, seed oil, soybean oil, and nutmeg, and foods rich in vitamin A like olive oil. High fibre foods like legumes and green leafy vegetables also activate the gut flora which gives a boost to our body’s immunity.
Interestingly, even fermented foods like curd, idli, kimchi salads, and non-oily freshly prepared pickles help release healthy microorganisms that maintain the normal physiology of our body.
Certain herbs and spices are also good for an anti-inflammatory diet because they are rich in antioxidants — like turmeric. Additionally, whole grains, pulses, lentils, nuts, seeds, and legumes (like chickpeas, gram, and beans) contain nutrients that generally improve your immunity.
In essence, experts emphasise that no one superfood is the key to reducing inflammation. The idea is to ensure that your body gets the right amount of vitamins A, C, E, D, minerals like zinc, magnesium, and selenium, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to stay healthy!
