In Chile, almost half of the population suffers from chronic and degenerative diseases that silently affect health, weakening the immune system and promoting the onset of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and chronic fatigue. A key factor in this problem is the modern diet, dominated by ultra-processed products high in sugars, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives that not only lack essential nutrients but also promote inflammation in the body.

Despite the growing evidence regarding the link between diet and health, public policies have prioritized disease treatment over prevention, and nutritional education remains scarce. It is essential to become aware of the impact of what we eat and to choose a diet based on natural foods, rich in nutrients and anti-inflammatory compounds.

This article analyzes the causes of the problem, the foods that contribute to inflammation and those that can help fight it, in addition to proposing strategies to improve our health through proper nutrition and the use of essential supplements.

It is alarming! Almost half of Chileans suffer from chronic or degenerative diseases that silently affect their health, with chronic inflammation even reducing the ability to defend against viruses and bacteria, covering learning and behavioral problems in children, or chronic arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, type 2 diabetes, or other diseases that have recently been affecting adults and a portion of the child population, causing disabling illnesses and in some cases death.

We must ask ourselves if everything we eat fits the definition of food. The reality is that a large amount of what we ingest is nothing more than ultra-processed products that provide no nutrients to the body, and the worst part is that they steal or block the few that we have eaten.
Food technology has not only created longer-lasting foods or foods more accessible to people, but it has also produced a large amount of artificial molecules and products high in unhealthy fats, sugar, salt, and chemical additives, presented attractively by advertising that encourages children and adults to buy and consume them, often causing an addictive desire for frequent consumption, but which are responsible for dire health consequences. One only needs to look at television advertising where children are incited to consume products from major companies, which have extremely high concentrations of sugar, displaying creamy textures in an attractive way that seem to jump off the screen and are launched at the consumer to create a great need to purchase.
But, if all health authorities are aware of the scourge of obesity, which even leads to greater consequences when contracting COVID-19, or the damage from chronic diseases, we ask the question:

The answer is clear: NOT enough importance is given to people's nutrition!!
In addition to the absence of nutritional education plans in schools and at a general level. People do not always relate certain pathologies to the quality of their diet and think that the biggest effect is aesthetic, specifically worrying about being overweight or obese; however, we must point out that almost everything that happens to our health is strongly related to what we eat. We can be thin and sick. Health policies have been oriented mainly to treat diseases and very little to prevent them, but whose responsibility is it? IT IS EACH OF OURS, as we must be aware that health is in our hands and that our first obligation as human beings is to strive to be healthy to contribute to our families and society.

Return to nature, prioritize larger purchases at farmers' markets and minimal ones at supermarkets, prefer less processed foods, include mostly natural plant-based foods of varied colors, rich in micronutrients, water, fiber, prebiotics, and phytochemicals that protect the body from disease and ensure a healthy microbiota. (The microbiota is a relevant microbial organ in the human body, as our bodies are made up of 50% microorganisms and 50% human cells. The good function of almost all organic systems, including the nervous system, immune system, respiratory system, the brain, and others, depends on the health of this organ). Our plates should be filled with varieties of fruits and vegetables of all colors, seeds, algae, mushrooms, sprouts, fermented foods, legumes, dried fruits/nuts, good extra virgin oils, organic grass-fed meats, fish, and of course: WATER.

Regarding packaged products, let us learn to read labels and select what we eat. Let us teach our children to choose foods that serve to nourish their bodies, and let us not bring home what we know will harm them for life.

• Processed foods. The human body does not have the capacity to digest and metabolize artificial chemicals like dyes and preservatives that we find in processed “foods”. The body is not able to recognize these ingredients as food (and in fact, they are not!) and reacts by activating the immune system.

• Refined flours and sugars. These ingredients, like white table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and all white foods like bread and pastries, cause a blood glucose spike, which in turn raises insulin levels in the blood, creating a constant roller coaster of this hormone and triggering an immune reaction, and therefore inflammation. If the consumption of these foods is constant, then we will subject the body to chronic inflammation.

• Milk and its derivatives. These foods can cause an inflammatory response because they are recognized as invaders, as the human body is not able to process such a large amount of casein (milk protein) or lactose (milk sugar).

• Gluten-containing grains. Wheat, rye, barley, spelt, and kamut are grains with gluten. Gluten can clearly be an allergen for our body, causing an inflammatory reaction by the immune system.

• Vegetable oils. They are very rich in omega-6, and abusive consumption unbalances the ratio between them and omega-3s, leading to an inflammatory reaction in the body. That is why it is recommended to cook with the minimum amount of oil possible.

Bibliography

Foreword by Linus Pauling (1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and 1962 Nobel Peace Prize).

US National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. “Low grade inflammation and coronary heart disease: prospective study and updated meta-analyses”

US National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health “Early inflammation and dementia: a 25-year follow-up of the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.”

British Journal of Anesthesia. “Mechanisms of inflammatory pain”

UC San Diego News Center. “How Eating Red Meat Can Spur Cancer Progression”