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Chronic inflammation is more of a problem in Australia than many people realise. It plays a role in causing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other incredibly damaging and deadly conditions – and often, it’s a silent killer. That means it’s up to you to be on the alert and take things into your own hands! Here are ten foods to kick from your diet before they have the chance to do serious harm. 1. Refined Sugar Sugar is addictive and tough to quit but if you’d like to live to a ripe old age it’s absolutely vital that you get it down close to zero. It’s a highly inflammatory agent that wreaks havoc on your body and is very acidifying. If you’re not ready to go cold turkey, cut them out a little at a time. Start with soft drinks, which are not only packed full of sugar but cancer causing additives such as aspartame. 2. Hydrogenated Oil (Trans Fats) These are bad for you in a whole host of ways, and causing inflammation is just one. Fortunately, federal regulations have decreased the allowable amounts but a product can still say “zero trans fat” and contain it if they design their serving size small enough. So scan ingredients lists for the word “hydrogenated” to be sure. 3. Polyunsaturated Vegetable Oils These oils have a disproportionate level of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, and this imbalance can cause inflammation. Choose oils with a more equal ratio, like olive and peanut. As a general guide, aim for a ratio of 2:1:1 for omega-3:omega-6:omega-9. 4. Factory-farmed Meat Animals raised on feedlots and factory farms are typically fed as cheaply as possible, meaning their diets consist of soybeans and corn, which are inflammatory to their systems. Plus, they’re crammed full of hormones and antibiotics. Factory farming makes a terrible life for the animal and terrible nutrition for the consumer – if you want to eat meat, buy organic. 5. White Flour/Rice (Refined Grains) Although we don’t typically think of foods like white bread or rice as “sugar,” they actually process in much the same way – and like sugar, they can lead to inflammatory conditions. Cut out refined carbs in favour of complex whole grains that take longer to digest and don’t spike your blood glucose levels. 6. Dairy Products Over half of the world’s population is actually lactose-intolerant, which might be a clue that humans weren’t really designed for heavy dairy consumption. In Western diets, milk products are ubiquitous, which may be part of the reason there’s so much disease here. 7. Processed Meats There is a strong link between processed meat and cancer (likely resulting from chronic inflammation). Avoid any meat that’s been chemically treated, cured, smoked or salted. 8. Artificial Sweeteners Reaching for the Diet Coke instead of Coke Zero won’t do you any favours (they’re actually exactly the same), as chemical sweeteners are highly inflammatory. This should be one of the easier ones to avoid as there are so many better options such as raw honey, stevia, coconut sugar to name a few. You can also replace desserts with fruit for natural sweetness. 9. Alcohol A glass of wine or a beer now and then won’t be the end of the world, but if you know you’re susceptible to inflammation, it’s best to avoid at happy hour. Alcohol is acidic to your body and anything acidic leads to inflammation. A common misconception is that fruits like lemons are acidic when in fact they are one of the most alkaline-forming fruits. This is because regardless of the taste, it contains high amounts of alkaline forming minerals like potassium and calcium. For more on alkaline food, read my article here. 10. Processed Snacks Not only do the vast majority of popular snack foods contain unhealthy fats and empty calories in the form of refined carbohydrates, they also have no shortage of unpronounceable food additives that are doing who-knows-what to your body. (Cheetos may be delicious, but who knows what’s in that bright orange dust!) Replacing these foods with clean, whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is one of the best choices you’ll ever make for your health. Have you tried cutting back on any of these foods in the past? Did it make a difference to how you felt? For more natural health tips visit our blog at: http://www.alkalife.com.au/blog
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sweets, cancer, health, foods, alkalife, chronic inflammation,
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