Is Your Diet Missing These Five Anti-Inflammatory Superfoods?

What’s great about these superfoods is how easily they can be added to your daily diet. In fact, you probably are already enjoying at least one of them.  So here are five favorite anti-inflammatory superfoods. 

What Is A Superfood?

Superfoods can be your daily diet’s superheroes. They deliver outsized protection because they are nutrient dense. Filled with vitamins and minerals, superfoods are often high in fiber and healthy fats. Most importantly, they are loaded with antioxidants. These antioxidants are the warriors your body needs in its ongoing battle against free radicals. 

Free radicals are the sworn enemy of a healthy and prolonged lifespan. The byproduct of ordinary cellular metabolism, they are created whenever oxygen molecules divide. An article in the Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry explained that free radicals are defined “as an atom or molecule containing one or more unpaired electrons… capable of independent existence. The odd number of electron(s) of a free radical makes it unstable, short-lived and highly reactive.” These free radicals circulate throughout your body looking for other atoms and molecules with which they can bond. In order to achieve stability, these highly reactive molecules nab electrons from other atoms or  molecules. This action creates a brand new free radical “beginning a chain reaction cascade which finally damages the living cell” as the article further explains. 

When a free radical bonds with a healthy atom or molecule, it’s called “oxidative stress.” Oxidative stress is an aging accelerant. It wrinkles the skin and creates inflammation in the body.  

Free radical creation is unavoidable. That’s because these terrible titans are produced whenever we digest food. They are also created when we experience stress. The more stress we experience, the more free radicals are created. Chronic stress is like a free radical factory, producing these destructively unstable atoms 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Our environment is often a breeding ground for these unstable atoms. Cigarette smoke (even secondhand), pollution, and sun exposure stimulate free radical creation. Lack of exercise encourages free radicals to colonize healthy cells. You might be inactive but free radicals are motivated and driven. 

Left to grow and flourish, free radicals are opportunistic destroyers. Worldwide the killer conditions that have been linked to inflammation in the body are responsible for half of all deaths. Indeed, free radicals initiate numerous inflammatory diseases including cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. That’s why it’s so important to achieve balance between the wandering free radicals and antioxidants. Antioxidants seek out rampaging free radicals and neutralize them by donating their own electrons. This shuts down the free radical’s drive to scavenge one from a healthy cell. 

One of the best ways to do this is by eating natural anti-inflammatory  superfoods that are filled with antioxidants. 

Not all free radical creation is negative. Like inflammation, it’s part of a healthy immune system response. Transitory inflammation heals injuries and infections. Problems only arise when inflammation in the body is ongoing and chronic. When this occurs, free radicals are being constantly created and your body doesn’t have sufficient antioxidants to neutralize them. Highly processed foods like microwavable meals, store-bought desserts, and luncheon meats contribute to the problem. 

The superfoods role in neutralizing free radicals has gained outsized importance in the 21st century as diet-related diseases like type 2 diabetes have affected a growing percentage of the global population. As one 2010 article on antioxidants, free radicals, and “functional foods” points out, “Research suggests that free radicals have a significant influence on aging, that free radical damage can be controlled with adequate antioxidant defense, and that optimal intake of antioxidant nutrient may contribute to enhanced quality of life. Recent research indicates that antioxidants may even positively influence lifespan.”

This belief has been consistent born out by research – and superfoods are among the best sources of antioxidants. As registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD, told the Cleveland Clinic, “Superfoods help promote health by increasing your immune function and decreasing your chance of disease prevention or progression. Superfoods are those that offer exceptional health benefits, beyond what you’d expect based on just their nutritional profile.

If you’re concerned about inflammation or just your overall health, a good place to start is with a simple at-home test from Kyla. Start by downloading Kyla’s app, then complete a simple questionnaire. You can also do it online. This will help you select the best at-home test for you. Many companies charge hundreds of dollars for tests that look for inflammation markers in the blood. Kyla’s tests also reveal your heart, kidney, and liver health, blood sugar and hormone levels along with if you’re deficient in vitamins B6,B12, or D – vital for energy. Yet this test is just $99. It may be covered by your insurance.

After receiving your test kit, follow some simple instructions and collect your sample. Then mail it back to Kyla postage free. Soon you’ll not only receive the results, including information on inflammation in the body. You’ll also be able to participate in Kyla’s Anti-Aging program which offers the latest longevity research combined with a personalized, goal-oriented program. This will help you develop a strategy designed to extend your lifespan by reducing your health risks. That includes a comprehensive strategy designed to reduce inflammation – like adding these five superfoods to your diet.

1. The Anti-Aging Avocado 

Other than the last entry on this list, few superfoods are as popular as avocados. Turns out putting it on toast is healthy as well as hip. This nutrient-dense fruit has 20 vitamins and minerals – including vitamin E, which isn’t found in most fruit. A micronutrient, vitamin E is a vital component in any anti-inflammatory diet. 

Avocados are also filled with phytonutrients – a chemical found in plants that protects them from insects, fungi, and germs. As Jessica Muth, RD, outpatient dietitian at the Avera Cancer Institute in Sioux Falls, South Dakota points out, “Phytonutrients benefit your body in similar ways as they benefit a plant particularly in disease prevention.” Eating fruits and veggies with phytonutrients is a great way to neutralize free radicals.

Eating avocados can also strengthen your immune system and prevent inflammation in the body. This superfood has a high fat content but more than half comes from monounsaturated fat (both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are healthy sources of fat and great energy boosters). Because avocados are not just high in fat but are also high in fiber, after eating an avocado we feel full longer. If you have trouble controlling your blood sugar, slow digesting foods like avocados are ideal. 

Additionally, fat aids in absorption of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Because the fat in avocados helps your body absorb these fat soluble vitamins, adding them to another nutrient dense food is like a double-shot of vitamins. Fellow superfood spinach is rich in A, E, and K, for example, so adding a bit of sliced avocado to a spinach salad will give you an extra vitamin boost.  

Surprisingly, one study showed that adding avocado to a burger reduced the body’s inflammatory response. Within an hour of eating meat, there’s usually significant inflammation in the body. Yet despite the additional calories and fat, there was less inflammation from the avocado burger than from the non-avocado burger. 

With almost twice as much potassium as a banana and less calories ounce for ounce than peanut butter, mayo, sour cream or almond butter, avocados are an ideal low-calorie substitute. That’s why vegan bakers who eschew dairy often substitute avocados for butter when baking.

2.  The Surprising Truth About (Dark) Chocolate And Cocoa 

Cocoa, like other plants, is rich in polyphenols including flavonoids. This natural product not only gives the plants protection from damaging microbes and the sun but it is also responsible for the diverse colors designed to attract pollinators. Some 9000 different flavonoids have been discovered. Not only are they one of the most diverse natural products on Earth but as a recent article on flavonoids in Food Chemistry explained, “As an essential part of the human diet, they have been found to be strong antioxidants with several health-promoting characteristics involved in prevention of chronic diseases including cancer, obesity and diabetes.” 

Flavonoids presence in cocoa provides both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities. Derived from ground up cacao beans, it’s beneficial whether served as hot chocolate, dark chocolate, or cocoa powder. Studies have found that its regular consumption can reduce inflammation in the body. 

However, milk chocolate not only does not confer the same benefits but in one study regular consumers gained more weight than those who ate dark chocolate. Dark chocolate eaters were also far less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. The difference in chocolates may account for this. Although dark and milk chocolate have a high amount of fat, milk chocolate has more added sugar and far less cocoa. By definition dark chocolate has at least 50 percent cocoa solids. Milk chocolate is less than 50 percent cocoa solids while white chocolate consists only of cocoa butter, sugar, and milk.

This doesn’t mean a chocolate bar a day will keep the doctor away – no matter what color it is. Just a single square – around one ounce — daily will confer the necessary benefits without adding excessive amounts of sugar to your diet. Finally, if you have dogs, be extra cautious with this product. Many dog owners avoid bringing dark chocolate into their home because consumption by dogs can be potentially fatal.

3.  Mild Or Spicy Peppers Are A Genuine Superfood

Whether added to a dip or a salad as the perfect accompaniment to grilled meats, peppers are a true superfood. For one thing a single cup of bell peppers delivers between 166-263% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin C, a proven antioxidant. Color matters, with orange bell peppers delivering the highest concentration of the vitamin. No matter the color,  bell peppers provide more of the RDA ounce-per-ounce than oranges. Green bell peppers, for their part, have an antioxidant capacity of 78%. What this means is because the antioxidant compounds are so concentrated, just eating a cup or two of this veggie provides an outsized antioxidant benefit. 

Hot chili peppers contain even more vitamin C – a whopping 240-404% of the RDA per cup. Green chili peppers have the most but even red chili peppers offer far more vitamin C than an orange. Hot chili peppers are also packed with other vitamins like A, E, and B, along with minerals such as magnesium, iron, and calcium. The downside is only those with the strongest tongues (and stomachs) enjoy eating significant quantities of chili peppers. 

Each type of pepper provides individual benefits. Chili peppers can reduce inflammation in the body and even help reverse aging thanks to their abundant quantities of ferulic acid which a recent review of multiple studies concluded that it has, “…  a wide scope of impacts against different infections like malignant growth, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.”

Chili peppers are loaded with sinapic acid, which has its own unique benefits. One recent examination of its role in healthy aging noted that, “Sinapic acid and its derivatives, particularly 4-vinylsyringol, are interesting natural compounds that has potential to express various health benefits, that is, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimutagenic, antiglycemic, neuroprotective, and antibacterial activities.”

Not everyone can tolerate chili peppers. If you don’t like spicy food, bell peppers are a sensible alternative. In fact, they should be an important component of your anti-inflammatory diet. That’s because bell peppers are a great source of quercetin. As one study of the antioxidant concluded, “Evidence in various studies seems to connect abdominal obesity, type 2 diabetes, and chronic low-grade inflammation. Researchers have begun to view type 2 diabetes more in terms of inflammation as more confirming evidence has been found. [Fat] tissue appears to create changes in cellular composition… Through an increase of antioxidative activities…quercetin has shown itself to be a strong anti-inflammation weapon. These positive results have been found in both animal and human studies and support the use of quercetin in fighting inflammatory disease.”

Both bell and chili peppers are a true superfood. Add some of them to your dishes today.

4.  A Superfood With Superpowers: Broccoli

Perfect as a side dish, added to a salad, or as a chip dip alternative, broccoli has unique benefits when it comes to preventing inflammation in the body. Every time you chop or chew this veggie, you’re conducting your own healthy home chemistry experiment. That’s because this cruciferous vegetable contains an abundance of sulforaphane. This powerful antioxidant culls molecules that drive chronic inflammation – cytokines and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). Describing broccoli as the “green chemoprevention!!,” one recent study even touted its “potent cancer-fighting properties.” 

When found in broccoli, the sulfur-rich compound sulforaphane is in its inactive form, called glucoraphanin. Glucoraphanin can only be activated when the myrosinase enzymes are released. This happens when broccoli is damaged. So if you’re in the habit of swallowing broccoli whole, you may want to reconsider. That’s because the best way to release the myrosinase enzymes is to chop or cut the broccoli. Chewing has a similar effect. 

There’s ongoing controversy about how many nutrients are destroyed in cooking. If you don’t like raw broccoli, keep in mind that cooking times modestly affect nutrient retention. So blasting for a few minutes in the microwave is preferable to boiling or cooking. Although raw broccoli may have more nutrients, cooking destroys dangerous bacteria. Plus, frozen broccoli contains all of the nutrients from when it is first picked. During transport, fresh broccoli slowly loses some of its nutrients. That’s why buying from local growers or getting it frozen helps you get the most out of this superfood. 

Other similar superfoods include its fellow cruciferous veggies cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kale.

5. Coffee: America’s Favorite Superfood  

Coffee is one of the most universally loved beverages. From latte-toting teens to shift workers opting for a black cup of Joe, the U.S. is fueled by coffee. The average American puts away nine pounds of coffee annually! It’s also the most commonly consumed antioxidant. Yes, coffee is a superfood. 

Like cocoa, coffee is abundant in flavonoids. This contributes to its anti-inflammatory benefits. One recent study of coffee and tea concluded that drinking two or three cups of coffee per day was responsible for, “…beneficial effects on metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, heart failure, stroke and cardiovascular mortality.” Although excessive consumption can cause insomnia and anxiety, moderate consumptions confer a host of antioxidant benefits. It’s even been shown to help prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Plus, unlike dark chocolate, coffee is very low calorie – although adding cream, milk, and sugar changes this equation. Black and green tea have similar anti-inflammatory properties. 

The key to a prolonged lifespan is combining a wide variety of healthy superfoods with a supportive lifestyle. That includes regular exercise, social activities, and adequate sleep. Enrolling in Kyla’s Anti-Aging Program, will put the secrets to a long and healthy life at your fingertips. This free program takes a holistic approach to your health. It’s not just about living longer, it’s about living better. Downloading the Kyla app today will put you on the road to wellness tomorrow.

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