Last updated on June 15th, 2023
Inflammation is how the body protects itself against harm, like infections or injuries. Sometimes, inflammation can be a good thing because it helps the body recover from a wound or helps get rid of toxins. But when inflammation persists throughout the body for a long time, it can lead to many serious health conditions.
One way doctors recommend reducing inflammation is through a healthy lifestyle, which includes diet. Your dining program can be a huge help to seniors in your community who may have chronic inflammation. But the first step for you is understanding what inflammation is, what it causes, and then which foods can increase and decrease it.
What is inflammation?
First things first. There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation typically occurs on the outside of the body when someone cuts their finger or scrapes their knee. The area gets red and swells up, and then the inflammation goes away when the injury is healed.
Chronic inflammation is when the body is inflamed for longer periods of time and this typically happens inside the body. Chronic inflammation is the body’s response to an imbalance, infection, or an untreated chronic condition. The danger of chronic inflammation is that it is usually a silent condition; you may not know someone has chronic inflammation until things get really bad. Chronic inflammation can prevent wound healing and strength building, two important factors for those seeking rehabilitation or maintaining the good health they have worked hard to achieve.
Chronic inflammation is associated with several conditions, like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Inflammation is a topic that your senior living community should especially be aware of because most seniors develop “inflammageing,” which is “a condition characterized by elevated levels of blood inflammatory markers that carry high susceptibility to chronic morbidity, disability, frailty, and premature death.”
But diet, as well as other healthy habits like exercise, can play a large role in reducing chronic inflammation in seniors and help your residents live happier, healthier lives.
Foods that increase inflammation
If you’re already serving your seniors a healthy, balanced diet, you’re on the right track. Foods that are anti-inflammatory are the typical foods that most health experts recommend; fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and fish.
The foods you should avoid (or use sparingly) that can cause or increase inflammation include:
Foods with excess added sugars
Foods like bread, crackers, certain salad dressings, and sweets can increase inflammation because added sugars can cause weight gain, raise bad cholesterol which increases the C-reactive protein that can cause inflammation, and create Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), which can cause inflammation if somebody has too many.
Excessive red meat or processed meats
These types of foods (bacon, hot dogs, sausage, etc.) are very high in saturated fat, which can increase inflammation in the body.
Excessive foods rich in omega-6s
People need a healthy balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. But, eating too much omega-6, which are found in foods like canola oil, mayonnaise, and peanut oil, can throw off that balance and may contribute to chronic inflammation.
Concentrated refined carbohydrates
Although these can be part of a healthy diet, refined carbs, like white rice, white bread, and pasta, can break down as simple sugars when eaten and lead to increased inflammation, so they should be provided and eaten in moderation
How to create an anti-inflammatory menu
As mentioned above, foods that reduce inflammation are the typical, healthy foods that most experts regularly recommend. One way to serve a more anti-inflammatory menu is to have more food options that align with the “Mediterranean diet” lifestyle. Several studies have shown that a Mediterranean diet can be protective against many diseases associated with chronic low-grade inflammation like cancer, diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, and cognition disorders. In fact, following a Mediterranean-style diet was shown to reduce the odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 34 to 61 percent.
The Mediterranean Diet is based on the diets of people who live in the Mediterranean basin. It’s full of olive oil, fruits, vegetables, cereals, nuts, fish, yogurt, cheese, poultry, and eggs. Some Mediterranean dishes you could serve in your dining room include marinated grilled vegetables, yogurt parfaits, chicken quinoa bowls, vegetable frittatas, and baked fish.
But the Mediterranean diet isn’t the only way to reduce inflammation. A simple, healthy diet loaded with fruits, vegetables, fiber, balanced omegas, and a few other healthy swaps can go a long way for your residents’ health. For example, consider baking certain foods instead of frying them or swapping fresh fruit for a baked fruit dessert. For more of some more of our favorite healthy food swaps, check out this blog post.
Your long-term strategy
Diet isn’t the only factor in reducing inflammation. It’s also important that your residents are getting regular exercise, sleeping enough, and reducing stress in general. Reducing inflammation won’t happen instantly after one healthy meal, but a long-term, anti-inflammatory dining strategy will be beneficial to your community’s health for years to come.
Culinary Services Group can help your dining team come up with tasty meals that work for an anti-inflammatory diet. If you’d like to talk to our team about menu planning and reducing inflammation at your senior living community, contact us here.
