A Harvard Gut Doctor Avoids These 4 Popular Foods at All Costs to Beat Inflammation

Rein in the inflammation to protect yourself from chronic diseases.

Inflammation is necessary as it protects your body from infections and aids rapid healing of wounds and scabs.

But excess chronic inflammation is a critical condition as it can be life-threatening because it can cause cancer and diabetes.

Chronic Inflammation can damage tissues and organs and can even change the DNA of a healthy cell. It can change the brain structure and can make you more susceptible to depression.

Dr. Jacqueline Wolf, a Harvard professor of Medicine and a gastroenterologist knows that we can’t control inflammation in its entirety.

However, she acknowledges the research that has proven that your diet is a major factor for inflammation. Here are the four foods that she avoids at all costs to keep inflammation in check.

1. A Mis-Guided Belief That’ll Wreck Your Gut

A high-fat diet is the root cause of many lifestyle diseases. And much awareness has been raised about its ill effect on the body and mind.

But one such food that’s high in saturated fats is still considered healthy and believed to be a part of a well-balanced diet. Red meat is a crowd favorite when it comes to inflammation.

As a lifelong vegetarian, I cannot make any comment on it, but Dr. Wolf believes that fatty meats can alter gut bacteria which can trigger inflammation.

Meats that are high in saturated fat have been under suspicion for too long, most studies caution the reader about its health effects.

However, this study concluded that red meat is not a biomarker for inflammation when accounted for BMI. It found that red meat is healthy enough, but beware this study was funded by The Beef Checkoff program, which aims to raise the demand for beef in households.

So, it is wise to be skeptical of red meat and monitor your consumption for a healthier gut.

Here’s what you can do:-

• White meat like chicken and turkey are low in saturated fats.
• Flounder, cod, and scallops are high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in saturated fats. Pick white fish over oily fish.

2. The Cheap Option Will Cost You Your Health

Food is now a hindrance because cooking has become a chore that no one has the time to do. A meal is a necessity that you want to get over with as quickly as possible because you have a hundred other things to do.

So, food needs to be easy, quick, and hassle-free. Enter Pre-packaged and ready-to-eat options that

These alternatives are laced with additives that are wrecking your gut health by causing inflammation at a mass level.

Ultra-processed foods and pre-packaged snacks are the harbingers of empty calories that give you nothing but inflammation. So, you know better than to avoid them.

They are stripped of all the goodness of nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants. The goodness is processed to bits and you’re left with a shell of the food it used to be.

High consumption of sweet treats, refined grains, and fried foods will lead to excess inflammation in the gut.

But it’s hard to give them up when they’re available at a click of a button. You can only resist the temptation for so long. But we’re also told that indulgence is necessary for the soul.

Finding the right balance between restriction and indulgence can be tough but the French can teach you how to indulge without guilt.

Here’s what you can do:-

• Whole grain options are healthier options as they are full of antioxidants.
• Fruits, vegetables, and spices are full of polyphenols and restrain inflammation.
• Beans are also a great option as they are rich in phytonutrients.

3. The Empty Calories We All Cherish Dearly

Our fast-paced meals are accompanied by another unhealthy component which has now become a go-to for accelerated type-2 diabetes.

A single can of soda that you drink leisurely with your lunch contains 10 teaspoons of refined sugar which is 80% of the daily recommendation.

Soda is high in calories and sugar with zero nutritional values. It’s linked to many chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, and Rheumatoid arthritis.

A diet high in sugar is associated with greater inflammation so much so that sugary drinks can even cause Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

I haven’t drunk soda in more than a decade, it’s not an exaggeration, I have written an extensive article on how a simple mindset shift can help you quit soda once and for all.

It wasn’t an easy decision but once I got past the craving phase it got better. It was a simple decision to switch to a healthier option.

Here’s what you can do:-

• Green tea is the most anti-inflammatory tea, you can add to your diet.
• Coffee has been proven to decrease inflammation.
• Oolong tea and Earl Grey tea are also great options.

4. Choose The Elixir Of Longevity

Junk food gets its notoriety because of unsaturated fats and one ingredient to blame for it is cooking oil.

You have to be very picky when you choose cooking oil because most of the options out there are full of saturated fats that will increase inflammation and lead to high cholesterol.

Fast foods are prepared in cheap oil to keep the cost low hence the adverse effects.

Dr. Wolf warns about coconut oil and palm oil, as they are considered healthier options but in reality, they are full of saturated fats.

Any oil that becomes solid or semi-solid at room temperature is high in saturated fat, which is a lead cause of inflammation.

So, ditch these two oils completely to switch to the oils that are actually healthy.

Here’s what you can do:-

• Switch to the healthiest oil for cooking — Olive Oil.
• Another anti-inflammatory oil you can use is Flax Oil.

Conclusion

Inflammation is a major factor for many chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart attack.

You can’t control inflammation, but a healthy diet rich in antioxidants can help you control inflammation levels.

Here are the four foods that you need to avoid according to a Harvard gut doctor.

• Cut back on junk food and limit it to once a week.
• Opt for healthier and less fatty meat options.
• Cook everything in olive oil to reduce inflammation.
• Quit sodas and energy drinks as they’re empty calories.

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