20 Foods That Cause Inflammation

My article in oneindia.com:   Inflammation is not a synonym for infection. Inflammation is a response of our body against any foreign invasions. It is characterised mainly by increased blood flow to the tissue causing increased temperature, redness, swelling, and pain.  Inflammation will initiate the healing process by removing the stimulus. There are many reasons for inflammation. Here, we are discussing some foods that may cause inflammation. Generally, we may not even guess that we have chances of inflammatory response from the food we eat. Take some time to have a close look at your food habit and diet.  

If you suspect that a particular food is causing any intolerant response, try to avoid it completely for about two weeks and monitor the reaction of your body. Then, reintroduce it to confirm your findings. Some foods that we consider healthy can also trigger an immune response depending on the amount taken, the health status of the individual and existence of any allergic reactions. This doesn’t mean that you have to avoid all these foods. Watch your body and find out how your body reacts to allergic foods and take necessary steps to resolve it. Here are some most popular foods that may cause inflammatory response.

1.      Sugar and refined starch
Any type of sugar including HFCS, sucrose, lactose or foods such as white bread causes a rapid increase in blood sugar. This, in turn, causes insulin levels to rise, triggering an immune response.

2.      Vegetable oil: Vegetable oils high in omega-6 fats may cause an imbalance between the omega-6 fatty acids and the omega-3 fatty acids in the body. This imbalance will finally result in inflammation.

3.      Dairy products: Human body does not process high levels of protein casein or lactose present in dairy products. This causes an inflammatory response when body considers it as foreign substances.

4.      Red meat: Eating red meat produces a chemical called N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). The body develops anti-Neu5Gc antibodies resulting in an immune response that could potentially lead to chronic inflammation.

5.      Wheat, rye, and barley: These grains contain the common allergen, gluten. The response of your body against this foreign allergen results is an immediate inflammatory immune response.

6.      Trans fats: Deep fried foods, fast foods or baked foods prepared with partially hydrogenated oil contains trans fat which results in increase of LDL. This will cause inflammation.

7.      Alcohol: Regular consumption of alcohol in high amount has been known to cause inflammation of the oesophagus, larynx and liver.

8.      Refined grains: Refined grains are devoid of fibre and vitamin B and have a high glycaemic index. When consumed regularly it can hasten the onset of certain degenerative diseases like cancer, coronary diseases and diabetes.

9.      Artificial food additives: Food additives like aspartame and monosodium glutamate (MSG), results in inflammatory responses. This will be more severe in the case of persons who are suffering from inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.

10.  Processed corn: Corn derivatives such as high-fructose corn syrup, corn starch, corn oil are used commercially because it is cheap. This increases blood sugar, leading to an increased insulin and inflammatory response.

11.  Peanuts: Peanuts are one of the most common food allergens. Your body will consider the naturally occurring molds in peanuts as a foreign substance and this will result in inflammatory response.  

12.  Eggs: Saturated fat is high in eggs. This also contains a substance called arachidonic acid. While some arachidonic acid is essential for health, increased consumption will cause inflammation.

13.  Deep fried foods: Foods cooked at high temperature like french fries, hamburgers produce glycotoxins. High temperature cause browning effect, where sugars and certain oxidized fats form glycotoxins when they react with proteins. This cause inflammation.

14.  Soft drinks: This has a high glycemic index. These foods cause excess production of insulin, resulting in inflammation.

15.  Nuts: Even though nuts have  lots of benefits, the histamine in nuts can attack your joints and resulting in inflammation, if you suffer from osteoarthritis.

16.  Tomatoes:  If you are sensitive to solanine, tomatoes will cause chronic inflammation. It will result in arthritic joints sore, tumours and increased risk of heart disease.

17.  Full-fat, sugary yogurt: Yogurt itself is healthy. But yogurt with added sugar and fat will cause inflammatory responses. Greek yogurt can be a good choice.

18.  Junk foods: All junk foods with high concentrations of sugar such as high fructose corn syrup, refined baked goods and snacks triggers inflammation.

19.  White bread: It contains high amount of  refined carbohydrates which can lead to inflammation. Replace white flour bread and pasta with  high-fibre, 100% whole-grain varieties.

20.  Pre-seasoned foods and seasoning mixes: Sodium-added spice mixes causes a high sodium to potassium ratio resulting in an inflammatory response. Season your side dishes with fresh or dried herbs such as thyme, basil, sage, and rosemary,