Total: Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the body’s natural process of healing. It is a natural defence mechanism that activates when anything foreign in the body is recognised or an injury happens.
When inflammation is prolonged (chronic inflammation) your body is in defence mode for longer than it should be. This can lead to diseases such as, arthritis, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. In fact, inflammation is the beginning of all disease processes in the body.
“We know the benefits that good kai can have for our bodies and our overall health, and there is a common consensus that food can be used as medicine.”
Even though inflammation is normal and healthy we don’t want inflammation to go on and on. Eating food that have anti-inflammatory properties can help to keep us well, in the same way some foods can add to inflammation, contributing to disease.
Foods that can cause inflammation – sugar, white bread, fried food, fizzy drinks, processed meat, dairy and artificial preservatives.
The foods that cause inflammation are often linked to heart disease and diabetes, which we call lifestyle diseases because they happen because of the way we live our lives – what we eat, how much activity we do.
Foods that reduce inflammation – tomatoes, fatty fish – salmon, tuna, olive oil, leafy/green vegetables, fruits, nuts, fresh ginger, onion, garlic, spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, clove, cayenne, pepper and rosemary.
The foods that reduce inflammation, mainly fruits and vegetables, are rich in antioxidants and contain polyphenols, a protective chemical found in plants. They help to protect your body by activating your immune system to fight off any infection or disease and they also help to promote the production of ‘good’ bacteria in the gut. FastTrack- Kai Ä Nuku takes inflammation seriously. The programme does not include any inflammatory foods and focuses on all the foods that are known to be anti-inflammatory.
FastTrack- Kai Ä Nuku is 90% plant based which means we understand the importance of an abundance of fruit and vegetables in the diet but also recognise that fish and other seafood have many beneficial properties to offer in lowering inflammation in the body.
Research article links:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation
