By David Smith
A lot of our common ailments, diseases and issues that we face on a physical and mental level most often and easily are attributed to just a few basic things, what we eat and what we do, also known as diet and exercise. Now we could sit here for days reading about all sorts of different ways this all works but instead we’ll focus on one thing at a time.
Often times you will hear doctors, drug companies and your mother tell you it is important to take two Advil a day, for the rest of your life. They will tell you that it helps reduce your risk of heart attack, which in some aspects is true, yet why should you need to reduce your risk of heart attack when there is no need for the risk to exist in the first place?
Advil is an anti-inflammatory pill; inflammation is the swelling and expanding of tissues within the body and happens for many different reasons. When you get a mosquito bite, you form a bump and the skin turns red, inflammation. You injure your knee and it swells up, Inflammation. Headache? Inflammation. Inflammation is your body’s response and way to help you repair and recover from a variety of different reasons including injury and disease. However like everything else, to much inflammation can also be bad for you, often attributed to heart attack, stroke, diabetes, chronic migraines/headaches, acne to name a few.
A lot of our common ailments, diseases and issues that we face on a physical and mental level most often and easily are attributed to just a few basic things, what we eat and what we do, also known as diet and exercise. Now we could sit here for days reading about all sorts of different ways this all works but instead we’ll focus on one thing at a time.
Often times you will hear doctors, drug companies and your mother tell you it is important to take two Advil a day, for the rest of your life. They will tell you that it helps reduce your risk of heart attack, which in some aspects is true, yet why should you need to reduce your risk of heart attack when there is no need for the risk to exist in the first place?
Advil is an anti-inflammatory pill; inflammation is the swelling and expanding of tissues within the body and happens for many different reasons. When you get a mosquito bite, you form a bump and the skin turns red, inflammation. You injure your knee and it swells up, Inflammation. Headache? Inflammation. Inflammation is your body’s response and way to help you repair and recover from a variety of different reasons including injury and disease. However like everything else, to much inflammation can also be bad for you, often attributed to heart attack, stroke, diabetes, chronic migraines/headaches, acne to name a few.
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| Fish Oil |
Again this all stems back to diet. The typical American diet
consists of a lot of foods that are pro-inflammatory; they promote and directly
contribute to inflammation with in the body. This leads to chronic inflammation
that again, increases your risk. Instead of taking 2 Advil a day for the rest
of your life, take a good look at your diet and find a balance, decreasing the
consumption of pro-inflammatory foods while increasing the consumption of
anti-inflammatory foods. Check it out:
Pro-inflammatory Foods
•Omega-6
Fatty Acids
§
Vegetable Oil
§
Grapeseed Oil
§
Sunflower Oil
o Saturated
Fats/Trans Fats
o Refined
Grains
o Sugar
o Dairy
Products
o High
Sodium foods
Anti-Inflammatory Foods
•Omega-3
Fatty Acids
§
Fish Oil
§
Olive Oil
§
Peanut Oil
o Whole
Grains
o Dark
Chocolate
o Dark,
leafy vegetables
o Nuts
(unsalted)
§
Peanuts
§
Almonds
o Fruits
§
Tomatoes
§
Berries
o Water
Remember to find a balance and focus on increasing intake of
the anti-inflammatory foods, not all the pro-inflammatory foods are bad but it
is important to find balance and moderation on all levels within the diet. This
will help reduce, if not eliminate many risk factors as well as help deal with
many chronic conditions that are common among the population.
www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/omega6-fatty-acids
www.realfarmacy.com/top-10-inflammatory-foods-to-avoid-like-the-plague/
David Smith is the owner of Stonewall Fitness,
holds a degree in exercise science from Metropolitan State University
of Denver and holds several fitness certifications including ACSM
Personal Trainer and Group Fitness.
Visit me: www.stonewallfitness.com
Like me: www.facebook.com/stonewallfit
Follow me: http://stonewallfit.tumblr.com
Visit me: www.stonewallfitness.com
Like me: www.facebook.com/stonewallfit
Follow me: http://stonewallfit.tumblr.com
