Watch out for these everyday habits fuel inflammation, foods to avoid

Eating this daily? You might be triggering chronic inflammation.

You are what you eat and since foods are considered important for life, you should eat what your body needs but with more and more exposure to all types of western food culture, our eating patterns have changed. Inclusion of certain food items can cause inflammation and these foods are called pro-inflammatory foods.

Warning: These common foods and everyday habits are causing inflammation in your body.(Unsplash)

The hidden dangers of your diet

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Nandakumar R, Senior Consultant – General Medicine at SRM Global Hospitals, said, “Inflammation is the body's response to injury or infection, but chronic inflammation can lead to serious health issues. Many daily habits unknowingly contribute to it. Let us take a look at few of them and indicative solutions.”

1. Poor Diet Choices - Processed foods, refined sugars, and trans-fats promote inflammation. Therefore, eat whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and omega-3-rich fish.

2. Lack of Physical Activity - A sedentary lifestyle increases inflammation. Every day, engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise.

3. Chronic Stress - Prolonged and unaddressed stress elevates cortisol, worsening inflammation. Practice meditation, deep breathing, or journaling to handle stress and its ill effects on health.

4. Insufficient Sleep - Lack of proper sleep or inadequate sleep means your body is not rested well enough to repair and restore energy. Get rid of gadgets during night and get 7-9 hours of quality sleep as a routine.

5. Smoking and Excess Alcohol - These two habits are potent enough to make any person sick and also contribute to inflammation of our tissues. Simply quit smoking and control alcohol intake.

6. Dehydration - Water is the elixir of life and plays a major role in healing our body. Starving our body of water leads to slower metabolism and prolonged inflammation. One must drink adequate water to stay away from inflammations.

7. Excess Sugar Intake - Sugar spikes blood glucose, increasing inflammation. Too much of blood sugar also means slower healing of our body. Control sugar to control inflammation.

Stop eating these now!

According to Vijayashree, Dietitian at MGM Healthcare, “Ultra processed foods (foods that have been processed more than other foods and contain many additives), which are often high in calories, fat, salt and sugar increases risk of inflammation. Examples of ultra processed foods are - sweetened drinks like carbonated beverage, fries, crispy fries, packaged cakes and biscuits, ice cream and chocolate, some ready-to-eat meals and packaged meat pastries, chicken nuggets.”

Healthy Diet: A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can help reduce inflammation and manage symptoms. Avoiding processed foods, excess sugar, and caffeine may also be beneficial. (Unsplash)

She cautioned, “Consumption of regular intake of refined grains, including white bread, buns, samosa, puffs, noodles, pasta and breakfast cereals like cornflakes can also increase inflammation. Smoked foods which are exposed to carbons also increases inflammation. In some people, processed milk, paneer, red meat in larger quantity can also cause or increase inflammation. Other important foods that you should not include regularly are those that come in packets like chips and other namkeens as they can also cause inflammation, especially in children. These foods also cause lifestyle diseases like obesity, diabetes etc.”

Bringing her expertise to the same, Dr Pearlsy Grace Rajan, Senior Consultant Internal Medicine at Rela Hospital in Chennai, asserted that habits play a vital role in many aspects of a person's life - physical and psychological and also determine our health. They can trigger or reduce inflammatory responses in our body hence, one should watch out for these everyday habits that fuel inflammation -

• Unhealthy Diet: Eating food high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, like fried foods, red meat, and processed meats, can trigger inflammation.
• Sedentary lifestyle: Can lead to chronic inflammation.
• Smoking and Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Can cause chronic inflammation and increase the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal diseases and malignancies.
• Stress: Triggers the release of pro-inflammatory chemicals.
• Sleep deprivation or disrupted sleep patterns: Can contribute to chronic inflammation.
• Obesity: Can lead to chronic inflammation, as fat cells produce pro-inflammatory chemicals.

Remember, if you have good health, you have everything.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.