{"id":7914,"date":"2025-03-11T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7914"},"modified":"2025-03-11T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T14:30:00","slug":"anti-inflammatory-diet-calming-the-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7914","title":{"rendered":"Anti-inflammatory diet: calming the fire\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-03-11T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<p>The Latin word for inflammation translates to \u201ca kindling, a setting on fire.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8040910\/#:~:text=Aulus%20Cornelius%20Celsus%20(25%20BC,swelling%20with%20heat%20and%20pain.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ancient Romans<\/a> defined inflammation by four signs: redness, swelling, fever and pain\u2014a definition that holds true today. Think back to the last time you recovered from a cut, burn or infection. That\u2019s inflammation working to protect your body.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When faced with an injury or illness, the immune system activates and starts the healing process by sending extra blood with nutrients and immune cells to the affected area. This reaction is essential to protecting tissues and maintaining health. However, when inflammation doesn\u2019t respond as it\u2019s supposed to, it can lead to problems.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK493173\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chronic, low-grade inflammation<\/a> is associated with conditions including:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Heart disease\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Type 2 diabetes\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Arthritis\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer\u2019s)\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Cancer\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Autoimmune diseases\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While many factors are involved and some are out of our control, our diet can help manage chronic inflammation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Anti-inflammatory diet is one way to calm inflammation<\/h2>\n<p>The standard American diet is typically high in saturated fats, omega-6 fatty acids and refined carbohydrates. These can contribute to chronic inflammation over time. Moving toward an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/Anti_Inflammatory_Diet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">anti-inflammatory diet<\/a> is one way to start calming inflammation. This includes replacing these foods with monounsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids and more colorful, fibrous foods.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/myplate-prod.azureedge.us\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-06\/Tipsheet-2-Focus-On-Fruits.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fruits<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/myplate-prod.azureedge.us\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-06\/TipSheet-3-Vary-Your-Vegetables.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vegetables<\/a> are anti-inflammatory superstars containing fiber, antioxidants and polyphenols. Try filling half your plate and include as much variety and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/EatARainbowOfColor2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">color<\/a> as you can.<\/li>\n<li>Fiber foods include legumes, fruits, vegetables and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/CookingWholeGrains2018.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">whole grains<\/a>. These can lower pro-inflammatory molecules and help regulate blood glucose levels following a meal.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranshealthlibrary.va.gov\/Search\/3,84241\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs)<\/a> include olive oil, nuts and seeds. When replacing foods high in saturated fats, such as meat, butter, and cheese, MUFAs can help lower inflammation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ods.od.nih.gov\/factsheets\/Omega3FattyAcids-Consumer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Omega-3 fatty acids<\/a><strong> <\/strong>are found in fatty fish, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranshealthlibrary.va.gov\/Search\/203,a607065\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fish oil supplements<\/a>, nuts and seeds, and some plant oils. Increasing omega-3 fatty acids and reducing omega-6 fatty acids from vegetable oils (such as fried foods) can reduce pro-inflammatory molecules.<\/li>\n<li>Magnesium has shown a strong anti-inflammatory response. <a href=\"https:\/\/ods.od.nih.gov\/factsheets\/Magnesium-Consumer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Food sources<\/a> include legumes, nuts, leafy greens and whole grains.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are just some of the components of an anti-inflammatory diet. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/Mediterraneandiet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mediterranean Diet<\/a> is one example of how to incorporate more of these inflammation-fighting foods.<\/p>\n<p>Research also consistently supports the anti-inflammatory benefits of more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/PlantBasedDiet2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">plant<\/a>-forward diets. Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/docs\/Cookbooks\/PracticalPlantBasedCookingMAY2023.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">VA\u2019s Healthy Teaching Kitchen plant-based cookbook<\/a> for recipe inspiration.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re interested in this or any other nutrition-related topic, contact your local VA to speak with a registered dietitian.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/138639\/anti-inflammatory-diet-calming-the-fire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Think back to the last time you recovered from a cut, burn or infection. That\u2019s inflammation working to protect your body.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Anti-inflammatory diet: calming the fire\u00a0 - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Think back to the last time you recovered from a cut, burn or infection. 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