Immunity is competitiveness. The epidemic situation has made more people pay unprecedented attention to health, which has aroused the enthusiasm of the whole people for health preservation. The concepts of "chronic inflammation" and "anti-inflammatory diet" are very popular. What is chronic inflammation? How to eat an anti-inflammatory diet?

1 what is chronic inflammation?

Inflammation is a defensive response of our body's immune system to external stimuli. For example, when our body tissues are injured or infected by viruses and bacteria, the immune system is quickly activated, devouring invading pathogens, removing necrotic tissues in the body, etc., and inflammatory phenomena such as "redness, swelling, heat, pain and itching" appear.

This is Acute Inflammation, which is like a "blitzkrieg" inside the body, a "duel" between the immune system and viruses and bacteria, and a "decisive victory or defeat".

Acute inflammation comes and goes quickly. When the immune system can't handle it, we often use drugs and various anti-inflammatory drugs.

Chronic inflammation is a low-level chronic inflammation in which various cytokines (interleukin, tumor necrosis factor TNF-α and interferon γ-INF, etc.) are produced excessively or continuously under pressure or stress.

Chronic inflammation is more like a protracted and scattered guerrilla warfare. Although it will not cause fatal damage to the body in a short time, it will gradually develop and damage the immune system in a few months or years, and it will increase the risk of various chronic diseases.

2 how "deadly" is chronic inflammation?

Although it is called "chronic" inflammation, its lethality to health is not bad at all.

In 22, the research team of Harvard University published a study in the Journal of American Heart Association, and followed up 21, participants for 24-32 years. The results showed that cardiovascular health was related to inflammation in the body.

The research conclusion also points out that people who adhere to the pro-inflammatory diet have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease by 38%, coronary heart disease by 46% and stroke by 28%. The intake of food with anti-inflammatory effect can improve cardiovascular inflammation.

in April, 221, a retrospective study of 15 meta-analyses covering 38 health outcomes of 4 million people around the world found that pro-inflammatory diet could increase the risk of 27 chronic diseases and premature death. There is strong evidence that pro-inflammatory diet is related to heart attack, premature death, intestinal cancer, pancreatic cancer, respiratory cancer and oral cancer, and depression.

Chronic inflammation of the body is also related to many chronic diseases, such as common obesity, type 2 diabetes, respiratory diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and so on.

Chronic inflammation is like a "spy" lurking in the body all the year round, which poses a great hidden danger to health. Therefore, reducing pro-inflammatory diet and adhering to anti-inflammatory diet can better protect health.

3 Common pro-inflammatory diets around us

According to the effects of eating different foods on body inflammation, we divide the daily diet into "pro-inflammatory diet" and "anti-inflammatory diet".

Red meat, processed meat, viscera, refined sugar and grains, sweet drinks, fried foods and foods rich in trans fatty acids are more likely to cause chronic inflammation in the body.

Common foods rich in trans fatty acids: margarine cake, crisp bread, egg yolk pie, ice cream, instant coffee, egg tarts, snacks, biscuits, cookies, puffs, milk tea, pudding, instant cereal, chocolate substitute for cocoa butter, hot chocolate drink, fried instant noodles, salad dressing, popcorn, fried potato chips and so on.

Foods rich in nitrite increase the risk of digestive tract cancer: bacon, sausage, ham, duck neck, salted fish, pickles, canned food, overnight leftovers, etc.

Foods that produce carcinogens (benzopyrene, heterocyclic amine, acrylamide) when cooked at high temperature: grilled fish, fried dough sticks, fried chicken, roast duck, kebab, stinky tofu, roast chicken, roast goose, barbecued pork, bacon skewers, French fries, crispy pork belly, etc.

foods/drinks with high content of free sugar/added sugar: candied fruit, honey, sugary cola, fruit juice, various sugary drinks, sugary processed foods, etc.

4 How to practice anti-inflammatory diet?

Anti-inflammatory diet is not an independent dietary pattern, but the choice of ingredients and processing methods to avoid chronic inflammation or reduce inflammatory damage.

So many dietary patterns that meet the anti-inflammatory dietary standards can also be called anti-inflammatory diets, such as Mediterranean diet, DASH diet, Okinawa diet, traditional Nordic diet and traditional Mexican diet.

There are also six kinds of ingredients with good anti-inflammatory effect:

Vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables such as kale, cabbage and broccoli;

fruits, especially berries such as cranberries, strawberries, blueberries and grapes;

foods rich in dietary fiber such as whole grains and beans;

Foods rich in polyphenols and flavonoids such as green tea and soybeans;

spices, such as turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, sage and garlic;

foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, linseed oil, seaweed oil, grape seed oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, almonds, etc.

When anti-inflammatory diet is implemented in daily meals, details such as the classification, quantity and proportion of ingredients, cooking methods, etc. should also be considered.

First of all, we should pay attention to vegetables. Many Chinese people have a serious shortage of vegetables. According to the statistics of 218, 68% of adults have an average daily vegetable intake of less than 3g, while only 29% have dark vegetables, and only 6.3% have an average daily vegetable intake of more than 5g g..

The anti-inflammatory diet suggests that adults should consume 3~5g of vegetables every day, and half of them are dark vegetables. Different colors and types of vegetables should be enriched.

Secondly, we should pay attention to the food collocation in protein. In China, the proportion of adult livestock meat intake is relatively high, while the intake of poultry meat, fish and shrimp meat and eggs is relatively small. According to the statistics of 218, the average intake of adult livestock meat is 74.5g/d, poultry meat is 15.3g/d, fish and shrimp meat is 27.8g/d, and eggs are 28.3g/d..

Anti-inflammatory diet suggests lean meat of 1-15g per day, preferably fish and shrimp meat, followed by poultry meat, reducing the proportion of livestock meat, eating one egg per day, bean products corresponding to 25g soybeans per day, and about 3ml of dairy products.

The choice of staple food is also very important. In China, the intake ratio of refined grains and products is generally high, while the intake ratio of other grains, miscellaneous beans and potatoes is low. According to the statistics of 218, 8.3% of adults' daily intake of whole grains and miscellaneous beans is less than 5g.

For anti-inflammatory diet, it is recommended to match the thickness of staple food to avoid excessive grain processing. Every day, 2-3g of cereal, including 5-15g of coarse grains and miscellaneous beans and 5-1g of potatoes, should also be classified as staple food, and some starch-rich ingredients, such as lotus root, chestnut and water chestnut, are not recommended as vegetables.

When cooking edible oil, increase ω-9 monounsaturated fatty acids (olive oil and camellia oil) and vegetable oils with high ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (linseed oil and perilla seed oil) appropriately, reduce vegetable oils with high ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and reduce oils with high saturated fatty acids.

use extra virgin olive oil or camellia oil for quick frying, stewing, boiling and cold salad; Flaxseed oil and perilla seed oil for cold salad; Coconut oil, lard or blended oil for high-temperature cooking.

natural spices can be used as seasoning, such as turmeric, onion, pepper, star anise, cinnamon, basil, rosemary, coriander, onion, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, sage, garlic and so on.

Reduce refined seasonings, such as bean paste, peanut butter, Chili sauce, vinegar sauce, oyster sauce, salad dressing, etc.

you can eat 15-2g of nuts every day, preferably original nuts/seeds, such as walnuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds and peanuts.

However, it is not recommended to eat deeply processed nuts such as salt and pepper, milk flavor, sugar stains, crispy skin and deep frying. Buy small bags that are sealed and packaged, do not buy loose scales or broken shells, and keep them sealed to prevent the oil in nuts from rotting and producing harmful substances.

the daily fruit is about 2g, and berries, such as blueberry, strawberry, cranberry, grape, kiwi fruit, raspberry, blueberry, pomegranate and carambola, are preferred.

You can also eat some fruits with moderate sugar or GI: cherry, grapefruit, mulberry, grapefruit, apple, orange, cherry, apricot, pear, peach, plum, nectarine, loquat, bayberry, mango, papaya and so on.

Fruits with high sugar content or GI should not be eaten excessively, such as bananas, fresh dates, durian, lychee, persimmon, cantaloupe, pitaya, watermelon, pineapple, mangosteen, rambutan, passion fruit, guava and so on.

6 Healthy Lifestyle Resists Inflammation

Regular and moderate aerobic exercise, such as moderate-intensity aerobic exercise with an average of about 3 minutes a day, is helpful to improve the body's immunity and reduce the occurrence of body inflammation to some extent.

Scientific weight control can avoid hormonal and immune system disorders, reduce the occurrence of chronic inflammation, and make BMI and body fat rate return to the normal range through various adjustments such as balanced diet, moderate exercise, high-quality sleep, reducing sedentary, and emotional management.

Relieve stress. Constant tension and pressure will make the body in a state of stress for a long time, and increase the level of inflammation. By entertainment, social interaction, exercise and regular sleep, we can relieve stress, adjust mood and maintain an optimistic attitude, which will help to reduce the level of inflammation in the body.

getting rid of bad habits, such as smoking, drinking, staying up late, etc., will increase the level of chronic inflammation in the body, and gradually get rid of these bad habits through family companionship, supervision, promotion and reward.