Chronic, 全身性炎症是一种严重的健康问题，可以通过饮食来恶化或改善. Here’s what chronic inflammation is, 以及你吃的食物如何让你远离炎症引起的慢性疾病.

What is inflammation?

If you’ve ever cut your finger, bruised a toe or had a throat infection, 你可能至少经历过炎症的四种迹象中的一些:发红, swelling, pain and heat. 急性炎症是身体对疾病的自然反应, injury or infection and usually resolves on its own.

但是还有另一种炎症——影响整个身体的炎症——叫做 systemic. Systemic inflammation can become chronic; it can persist for months, or even years.

慢性全身性炎症是导致以下疾病的一个因素:

• Obesity
• Metabolic syndrome
• Prediabetes
• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
• Some forms of cancer
• Arthritis
• Alzheimer’s disease

Inflammatory Foods

What causes inflammation? 它可能是由暴露于环境毒素、挥之不去的病毒、衰老或慢性压力造成的. But what you eat contributes, too.

What foods cause inflammation? Unfortunately, a lot of them. 专家特别建议避免食用这些容易引起炎症的食物:

• Red meat, such as steak and hamburgers
• 加工过的肉类，如腊肠、熏肉、香肠和午餐肉
• 商业烘焙食品，如点心蛋糕、馅饼、饼干和布朗尼
• Bread and pasta made with white flour
• 油炸食品，如炸薯条、炸鸡和甜甜圈
• 添加糖含量高的食物，如糖果、果冻和糖浆
• 含糖饮料，如苏打水、瓶装或罐装茶饮料和运动饮料
• Trans fats, found in margarine, microwave popcorn, refrigerated biscuits and dough, and nondairy coffee creamers

Cooking methods can make a difference

When you want to reduce inflammation, baking, 蒸或快炒比油炸或烧烤更可取.

在烤架上烹饪肉类，尤其是红肉，会产生与癌症有关的化合物. 烤架上的肉会把脂肪滴到火焰上，释放出这些化合物, which can end up in the food on your plate. 烤蔬菜或低脂鱼则不然, which are safe (and delicious) on the grill.

当你时间紧迫的时候，不要因为求助于微波炉而感到难过. 微波通过激活水分子来烹饪和加热, 事实上，它比在高温下煎炸或烧烤更健康.

Also, 请记住，如果你不小心使用酱汁和调味品，鱼和蔬菜等健康食品的好处可能会被逆转. 许多这些调味品和额外成分都含有大量的炎症成分，如糖、反式脂肪和钠.

Processed Foods: Read the Label

检查预制或加工食品的成分表是很重要的. Many prepared foods contain hidden sugar. It can be hard to tell, since sugar tends to assume aliases: By some estimates, 在商业食品中添加的糖有50多种名称, such as “cane crystals” and “crystalized cane juice,，糖浆和许多以“ose”(糖的化学简写)结尾的成分名称。.

Reading food labels is important. For instance, 任何将部分氢化油列为配料的食物都应该避免，因为它们是反式脂肪.

Anti-inflammatory Foods

While there isn’t one specific anti-inflammatory diet, 专家说，整体健康的饮食模式可以帮助你摆脱炎症，保持健康. 他们特别推荐了一些有助于减轻炎症的食物:

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

这些强大的抗炎物质之一存在于鲑鱼等脂肪丰富的鱼类中, herring, mackerel, sardines, tuna, striped bass and anchovies. 你可以通过吃鱼或服用鱼油补充剂来获得好处.

Vegetarians and vegans have options, too. Another form of omega-3 is plant based. 吃坚果和种子，用菜籽油烹饪可以提供这些营养和维生素E, another inflammation fighter.

Vitamin C

抗坏血酸，也被称为维生素C，是一种强大的抗氧化剂. 抗氧化剂有助于解决细胞的磨损和撕裂，从而引发炎症.

你可以在水果和蔬菜中找到维生素C，它们是健康饮食的基础. 除了众所周知的维生素C来源，如柑橘类水果和果汁, 美味的灯笼椒也富含维生素，可能产生更少的卡路里.

Polyphenols

There is a reason why the Mediterranean diet 其他健康饮食计划强调色彩丰富的植物性食物，全谷物和橄榄油.

多酚是这些食物中自然产生的化合物，可以保护身体免受炎症.

你可以从你最喜欢的提神饮料中获得多酚能量:咖啡、茶甚至 dark chocolate are rich in these beneficial compounds.

Gut-Healthy Foods

肠道内健康的有益菌群(菌群)有助于抑制炎症. 要培养健康的肠道菌群，就要多吃富含益生菌和益生元的食物.

但请记住:并非所有发酵食品都含有益生菌. 检查标签，确保成分中列出了活的微生物. 酸奶和白干酪的包装上会注明活性培养物.

以膳食纤维形式存在的益生元就像有益细菌的食物. Jerusalem artichokes and foods rich in inulin, such as asparagus, bananas and chicory, help keep the beneficial flora healthy and plentiful.

How to Reduce Inflammation: One Meal at a Time

In terms of well-known diets, 地中海饮食在帮助人们控制炎症方面可能是最有益的. It emphasizes omega-3s, vitamin C, polyphenols, fiber-rich foods and other known inflammation fighters.

For those who want to start gradually, 一种策略是替代:寻找引起炎症的食物的替代品. For example:

Inflammation: You Can Fight It

商业上有这么多炎症性食物，一开始吃东西来降低炎症似乎很有挑战性, but over time, small changes can turn into lasting habits.

While no one food reduces inflammation, building a healthy, 整体饮食模式可以帮助你降低炎症性疾病的风险，改变你的健康.