Inflammation is your body’s natural defense against dangers illness from bacteria, viruses, irritants, toxins and physical trauma.
Body wide chronic inflammation has shown in studies to play a principal role in the development of conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, inflammatory bowel disease, dermatitis (eczema), rosacea, psoriasis among many others.
There are natural ways to mitigate the pain induced by chronic inflammation.
And this natural source is eating the right foods on a daily basis that can give more frequent days with less pain or no pain at all.
Doctors are increasingly embracing the idea that the food we eat may be as good as any disease-fighting, immunity-boosting drug.
These foods include:
Cilantro
Cilantro has been proven in research studies to target inflammatory pathways in the body and significantly reduce inflammation.
Cilantro leaves are rich in vitamins, including vitamins A, C and K.
The volatile oils found in the leaves and its seeds are high in flavonoid antioxidants, including kaempferol, terpinene, tocopherols (vitamin E), and quercetin.
They are also rich in phenolic acids.
These antioxidant compounds in cilantro have been found to all be associated with reducing inflammation and have neuroprotective effects.
Eat more cilantro. Start by making these recipes (click on image to get recipe).
Ginger
International Journal of Preventive Medicine published that ginger has the potential for treating a number of ailments including degenerative disorders, like arthritis and rheumatism, among others.
Ginger has shown in studies as well to work as an antioxidant by preventing the production of proteins known as cytokines, which signal inflammatory immune responses.
Ginger also can help reduce inflammation as a result of its high levels of gingerols.
Eat more ginger by starting with these recipes. Just click the image for recipe you wish to try.
Turmeric
With an earthy aroma and a deep orange-yellow color, turmeric powder is a staple of Indian cuisine.
Curcumin the main active ingredient in turmeric is a potent antioxidant with significant anti-inflammatory properties.
A study published by the National Library Of Medicine suggest that curcuminoids or curcumin could help reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis, the painful condition caused by the breakdown of the cartilage cushion between joints.
Biophysicist Ajay Goel says of turmeric, “It’s probably, to the best of my knowledge, the most potent naturally occurring anti-inflammatory.”
The National Institutes of Health states that research on the chemical compound is “limited,” but the institute acknowledges that turmeric “may help with certain digestive disorders and arthritis.”
Turmeric is a common ingredient in most curry recipes. Click the images below to find the curry recipes this site offers.
Fresh Black Pepper
Piperine is responsible for black pepper’s rich flavor and helps inhibit drug metabolism.
For example, the liver gets rid of foreign substances by making them water-soluble so that they can be excreted, and piperine can inhibit this process so that curcumin is not excreted. This explains how piperine can help to make curcumin more bioavailable.
This also includes cilantro and ginger.
When including cilantro, ginger and turmeric in your recipes, be sure to grind fresh pepper corns over the plated food before serving.
The active piperine is in the pepper corns outer skin and is released when skin is broken. But the oil does become inactive or oxidizes within about 10 minutes.
So it is important to use fresh ground pepper corns to receive the nutritional benefits of cilantro, ginger and turmeric.
Another way to increase the bioavailability of cilantro, ginger or turmerics anti-inflammatory compounds is to consume this with a source of fat, such as avocado, nut butters and nuts, fish, coconut or olive oils.
Consuming these foods with fresh ground black pepper or a source of fat will help their health benefits directly be absorbed into the blood stream.