Wednesday, July 30, 2008

What is Inflammation?

When you hear the word inflammation, what comes to mind? Many people associate inflammation with some type of physical injury or stress to joints, muscles, or tendons. But did you know that the foods you eat each and every day can cause the same type of inflammatory response in the body as an injury? It's true! And what's worse is that a diet perpetually loaded with certain foods will, over time, cause many degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, cardiovascular problems, arthritis, cancer, and many others.

People don't associate diet with disease because the effects take years to notice, but a diet rich in these food items can indeed cause the body to develop many health issues that are avoidable if better attention is paid to eating a healthy diet.

The eating habits of those in developed nations are particularly conducive to causing this type of inflammation. What makes up the bulk of our diets? In the U.S. , typically 10 percent of our calories come from dairy products (processed dairy), 20 percent comes from refined sugars, 20 percent from refined grains, 20 percent from refined oils, and 20 percent comes from industrial meat and meat products - those products which come from factory farm environments where the animals are eating corn, soy, and grains instead of grasses. Two 2 percent comes from consumption of alcohol. All told, only 10 percent of our intake comes from fresh fruits and vegetables.

Although popular rhetoric states we should be eating lower quantities of meat and more grains for health, we are finding through research that quite the opposite is true. It may come as a surprise to learn that a diet rich in grains and legumes (especially the processed, packaged variety) are in fact a leading proponent of major inflammatory response in the body which leads to disease. People don't associate diet with disease because the effects take years to notice, but a diet rich in these food items can indeed cause the body to develop many health issues that are avoidable if better attention is paid to eating a healthy diet. Being proactive about diet and health before problems start is the best way to keep yourself on track and stay as healthy as possible - so don't wait until there is a problem to change your habits!

For more information about inflammatory responses in the body, visit Angel Healing Center.

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