The Surprising Ways an Unhealthy Diet Causes Inflammation in Your Body
Do you ever feel bloated, tired, or suffer from digestive issues after eating? You’re not alone. In fact, with our modern fast-food diets, it’s becoming increasingly common to experience inflammation throughout the body.
The most obvious reasons for inflammation include injuries, infections, or allergies, but many of us may not realize that our diet can contribute to this issue on a daily basis. Consumption of processed foods, refined sugars, and unhealthy fats can trigger inflammation in your body, leading to a halt in your body’s ability to function at its best.
What exactly is inflammation?
Inflammation is your body’s natural response to defend itself against harm. The primary function of inflammation is to eliminate the initial cause of cell damage, clearing out damaged cells, pathogens, allergens, and irritants that are affecting the body. When inflammation occurs, it introduces antibodies to the site of damage to ward off any further damage that can lead to acute, temporary pain and swelling.
What does an unhealthy diet do?
Processed foods such as chips, pizza, and sweets are enriched with sugar, preservatives, chemicals, and fats, which can exacerbate inflammation. Overconsumption of sugary drinks and alcohol can also lead to intestinal inflammation and a damaged gut microbiome.
Sugar and unhealthy fats can lead to insulin resistance where the body’s tissues stop responding ordinarily to insulin resulting in high blood sugar and constraining your body’s capabilities to absorb the required nutrients. Inflammation becomes enlarged in this situation and insulin resistance starts which leads to long-term health complications such as heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and autoimmune diseases.
The quality of the carbohydrates you eat also affects inflammation. Refined carbohydrates and sugar are more inflammatory than healthy, fiber-rich foods like fruits, whole-grain or legumes.
Small diet tweaks make a difference
The good news is that making small changes to your daily diet can have a significant impact on reducing inflammation. Trade in refined sugar for natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. Replace unhealthy fats like butter or vegetable oil with alternatives like olive oil or avocado oil. Swapping out some refined grains with whole-grain or legumes can also have a positive impact.
Eating whole, fresh foods and avoiding processed, pre-packaged foods can also be beneficial. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and limited processed foods rich in unhealthy fats, sugar, and sodium can be a game-changer.
Conclusion
In summary, an unhealthy diet can increase inflammation in your body and limit your body’s ability to function well. Taking just a few small steps towards eating a healthier and balanced diet can reduce the impact of the inflammation in your body. Instead of focusing on individual meals, try making long-term lifestyle changes to your eating habits. This will not just help you control inflammation, but support your overall health.
