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Learn One Important Anti-Inflammation Step that You Can Take to Prevent Disease
Anti inflammation can be achieved by changing a few things in your diet and your lifestyle. And you should make an effort to work on it since inflammation is the root of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain, cancer, diabetes, and many others. As you may have noticed, these diseases have been on the rise for several decades by now but, have you asked yourself what are the reasons for this deterioration of our health? Let's review first what inflammation is and then we'll see today one major step you can take to prevent this damaging health condition.
What is Inflammation?
Inflammation is a response of our immune system to injury, irritation, or infection. Through inflammation our body attempts to remove the cause of the injury by producing pain, swelling, redness and heat. The pain has the purpose to let us know about the injury and the swelling to protect the damaged part by preventing its movement. Inflammation is classified as acute or chronic.
Acute inflammation
It is the initial response of the body to injury. It usually happens over a few days. We need acute inflammation to take place in order to heal the damage experienced by our organism.
Chronic inflammation
Prolonged inflammation, known as chronic inflammation, is a never ending response of the body to injuries or infections. Although inflammation is needed to heal injury, chronic inflammation can lead to serious chronic diseases. In fact, more and more studies are coming out proving that inflammation is linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes as well as Alzheimer's and several kinds of dementia.
Acute inflammation
It is the initial response of the body to injury. It usually happens over a few days. We need acute inflammation to take place in order to heal the damage experienced by our organism.
Chronic inflammation
Prolonged inflammation, known as chronic inflammation, is a never ending response of the body to injuries or infections. Although inflammation is needed to heal injury, chronic inflammation can lead to serious chronic diseases. In fact, more and more studies are coming out proving that inflammation is linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes as well as Alzheimer's and several kinds of dementia.
Factors that Cause Inflammation
Several things cause inflammation; among them we find:
Physical injuries
Toxins and chemicals in our air, water and food
Poor nutritional habits
Bacterial or viral infections
Allergies
Medications
Diseases of the immune system
Physical and emotional stress
Farm practices
As you may have guessed by now, reducing chronic inflammation seems to be crucial to prevent a wide range of chronic illnesses that have the potential of shortening our lives.
Physical injuries
Toxins and chemicals in our air, water and food
Poor nutritional habits
Bacterial or viral infections
Allergies
Medications
Diseases of the immune system
Physical and emotional stress
Farm practices
As you may have guessed by now, reducing chronic inflammation seems to be crucial to prevent a wide range of chronic illnesses that have the potential of shortening our lives.
Modern Farm Practices Keep Me Awake at Night
As a dietitian, one of my major concerns when it comes to inflammation is the quality of animal products we eat nowadays. In particular, it worries me how cows, sheep, goats and chickens, just to name a few, are fed and the consequences this type of feeding is having on our health. And I am not referring here to the amount of hormones and antibiotics these animals are gulping down; we'll talk about this subject some other time.And why is this subject keeping me awake? Because the way our livestock is fed creates an unbalance in their fats that, as we are going to see, is having a major implication in our health.
How Livestock Was Once Raised
Many years ago, cows went out to dine in the field and had a feast chewing grass; as for the chickens, they were quite content stuffing their faces with grass, worms, or anything they could get a hold of out there. These "foods", grass, worms, and the like, provided farm animals the right balance between Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats, also known as fatty acids, which should be 1:1 or at the most, 1:4. Thus, when we ate their meat, milk, butter, cheese, eggs, etc., we also ingested the Omega 3-Omega 6 balance that farm animals got from eating according to nature, a way that promotes health in our organism.
But what is happening nowadays? Because of the large demand for cattle, chickens, etc., livestock is fed with mixtures of corn, soy, and who knows what else, that have lots of Omega 6 and barely any Omega 3 fatty acids. As a result, when we eat products coming from animals fed this way, we end up with very little Omega 3 fats and a lot of Omega 6. This unbalance of fats causes inflammation.
But what is happening nowadays? Because of the large demand for cattle, chickens, etc., livestock is fed with mixtures of corn, soy, and who knows what else, that have lots of Omega 6 and barely any Omega 3 fatty acids. As a result, when we eat products coming from animals fed this way, we end up with very little Omega 3 fats and a lot of Omega 6. This unbalance of fats causes inflammation.
Are There Any Anti Inflammation Solutions to this Imbroglio?
There are many anti inflammation solutions, such as changing the way livestock is feed, but it does not seem probable this change will happen for the time being. In the meantime, to cover our flanks when dealing with something as precious as our health, I have to advocate for organic animal products, although I know they cost more.
Organic livestock are left loose in the fields, eating grass, warms, and anything they find around. If animals eat grass, their meat, milk and eggs will have the perfect equilibrium of Omega 3 and Omega 6, near 1:1. But if they eat junk food and we keep eating their meat and products, the resulting disequilibrium in our body could reach up to 1:40 or more. Again, a disproportion of Omega 3 versus Omega 6 can lead to inflammation and as a result, to chronic disease.
Organic livestock are left loose in the fields, eating grass, warms, and anything they find around. If animals eat grass, their meat, milk and eggs will have the perfect equilibrium of Omega 3 and Omega 6, near 1:1. But if they eat junk food and we keep eating their meat and products, the resulting disequilibrium in our body could reach up to 1:40 or more. Again, a disproportion of Omega 3 versus Omega 6 can lead to inflammation and as a result, to chronic disease.
Final Thoughts on Anti Inflammation Procedures
Although I don't make a cruisade in my writings about buying organic, when it comes to animal products we should give priority to organic; any other way could generate diseases that not only may shorten our lives but they may cause us or our love ones, a lot of pain and grief.Scientific studies have associated the Mediterranean diet with a healthy heart. To learn the ins-and-outs of the Authentic Mediterranean Diet and the Mediterranean Cuisine, check out my book; It would help you apply these Mediterranean principles into your life and those of your loved ones. It will also help with anti inflammation.
Wherever on earth you are, have a great and healthy day!
Emilia Klapp, BS, RD
Product Section
Live longer by following a healthy Mediterranean lifestyle
Experience has shown that Mediterraneans have kept a healthy heart for centuries and have lived longer lives than people in many other countries. Many scientific studies have also corraborated these findings by studing their lifestyle. Now is within your reach to learn how Mediterraneans do it.
Here's my favorite link:
Great Anti Inflammation Links
- About Emilia Klapp
- Emilia Klapp has a bachelor in Nutrition Science. She is certified as a Registered Dietitian by the American Dietetic Association and the author of the book Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet.
For more information on an Authentic Mediterranean Diet and to get a FREE list of the Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Foods, click the link above.
Suggested Reading
Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet
Learn How Mediterraneans Have Kept a Healthy Heart for Centuries
Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet: Learn How Mediterraneans Have Kept a Healthy Heart for Centuries
Amazon Price: $18.95 (as of 12/04/2009) 
MediterraneanHeart's Weblog
A guide on how the Mediterranean Diet and lifestyle helps you prevent and control chronic disease, including heart disease.
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by emilia921
My name is Emilia Klapp. I was born and raised in Spain and I currently share my time between Los Angeles, California and Madrid, Spain, where I am at... (more)
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