Inflammation has become a much talked about topic regarding health and fitness, and with good reason, since following an anti-inflammatory diet can boost your health and athletic performance. Often, the inflammatory response occurs because there is something in your diet that you are allergic to and do not even realize it. Sure, there are many ways to reduce inflammation in the body besides diet, such as getting enough sleep and reducing mental stress, but diet still seems to have the most impact when treating inflammation.
If you experience any of these symptoms below often, you may be struggling with chronic inflammation. However, if left untreated, chronic inflammation can also lead to other adverse health outcomes beyond the symptoms below, which we will discuss further. It may be challenging to know if these symptoms could be caused by chronic inflammation alone, but following an anti-inflammatory diet for a while couldn’t hurt.
- Fatigue
- Joint pain and stiffness
- Headaches
- Weakened immune system
- Poor sleep
- Lack of energy
- Bloated belly
- Poor digestion
- Weight gain
- Constipation
Beyond the above symptoms getting in the way of achieving your athletic and fitness goals, there are other ways that inflammation hurts your athletic training. When discussing how inflammation affects athletic performance, it is necessary to differentiate between chronic and acute inflammation. Acute inflammation is a good thing when it comes to repairing and building muscle. An acute inflammatory response occurs after athletic training sessions as your body breaks down muscle tissue and ultimately rebuilds stronger muscle tissue, thus, muscle growth.
Chronic inflammation, however, can lead to many poor health outcomes if left untreated, like high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and more. Chronic inflammation can also cause weight gain, contribute to muscle loss, and stifle muscle recovery and growth. In addition, chronic inflammation can contribute to chronic muscular and joint pain, which are obviously terrible symptoms to deal with when trying to maintain an athletic training regimen.
- Processed meat, such as lunch meat slices, bacon, hot dogs, and sausage
- Highly processed food in general – the further a food looks like something found in nature, the more highly processed it is. Also, when you read the label, if the ingredients look more like a science experiment than food ingredients, the item in question is very processed!
- Pasta and bread made with white flour (choose whole grain wheat products instead)
- Foods high in added sugars include candy, juices, desserts, and many sauces (read your labels because even BBQ and stir fry sauces can contain a lot of added sugar).
- Trans and saturated fats are often found in margarine, fried foods, and fast food.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids can be found in fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and omega-3 fatty acid supplements.
- Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds in plant-based foods that can reduce chronic inflammation. Polyphenols can be abundant in fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, tea, coffee, beans, nuts, and seeds.
- Speaking of spices and herbs, try to use spices and herbs whenever possible instead of sauces and other condiments that may contain high amounts of saturated fats, sugar, and artificial or processed ingredients. Certain spices, such as turmeric, are also especially good at fighting chronic inflammation due to certain compounds within the spice.
- Also, consider using extra virgin olive oil to make salad dressings and other condiments instead of store-bought highly processed condiments, mainly since extra virgin olive oil contains specific antioxidants that can help reduce chronic inflammation.
- Antioxidant vitamins C, E, and A help to reduce chronic inflammation. Want to ensure you are getting enough of these essential antioxidants? Tapout Hydration Drink contains all three antioxidants in one deliciously refreshing drink!
TAPOUT Performance Hydration and Recovery Drinks have been designed to activate your body's natural energy reserves, improve performance during competition and training and promote quick and healthy recovery after exercise.
TAPOUT comes in four flavors:
- Citrus
- Cherry Lemonade
- Orange
- Peach Mango
Our Citrus flavor has 120 calories to replenish natural energy and give you a boost under difficult training conditions. It also has 240mg of natural sodium, and a blend of electrolytes and vitamins. As you work out, these vitamins and electrolytes are used by your body or lost in sweat. That's why each TAPOUT contains:
- Vitamins A, C, E
- The Vitamin B Complex
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Chloride
If you're looking for a sports performance drink that replenishes these electrolytes and vitamins but prefer a no-sugar drink, TAPOUT Orange and Cherry Lemonade contain the same scientifically derived formula with zero sugar and only five calories.
No matter which flavor you choose, you can be assured that you're getting great taste from a sports drink made with no artificial colors, flavors or ingredients.