Persistent pain in the joints or abdomen, along with poor sleep quality, should not be ignored, as they could be signs of chronic inflammation, nutritionist blogger Jessie Liao (廖欣儀) said.
People frequently misattribute ailments caused by chronic inflammation to just being tired, when poor nutrition is actually at fault, she wrote on Facebook.
If chronic inflammation is left untreated, it could lead to chronic diseases affecting the cerebrovascular system, liver and kidneys, she said.
Chronic inflammation could be caused by consuming too much sugar, a lack of exercise, stress from work or at home, insomnia, dietary imbalance or obesity, she said.
Inflammation can be prevented or significantly reduced with a diet of unsaturated fats, fresh fruits, vegetables and quality sources of protein, such as lean meat or beans, Liao said.
Greasy meat and foods that contain saturated or trans fats should be avoided in favor of food and oils containing unsaturated fats, such as omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9, she said.
omega-3 is found in fish and flaxseed oil, as well as walnuts, while omega-6 is found in soybeans, as well as grapeseed, corn and sesame oils, and omega-9 is found in olives, tea seed oil, avocados, almonds and cashews, she said.
People should avoid overconsuming “good” fats, as too much or not enough would throw off the body’s normal functions, she said.
A diet well-balanced with fatty acids could be prepared using equal amounts of sesame and olive oils for cooking, eating walnuts at every breakfast and consuming two fish meals per week, she said.
Three servings of vegetables and some fruit should be consumed daily, as they are rich in antioxidant phytochemicals and vitamins, Liao said, adding that fiber might help increase the population of beneficial gut bacteria.
High-quality protein is necessary to keep the immune system healthy, she said.
Tofu, soy milk, beans, chicken and seafood are good sources of high-quality protein that do not contain saturated fats, she said, adding that portion sizes should be adjusted based on the amount of exercise a person performs.
Former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) mention of Taiwan’s official name during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Wednesday was likely a deliberate political play, academics said. “As I see it, it was intentional,” National Chengchi University Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies professor Wang Hsin-hsien (王信賢) said of Ma’s initial use of the “Republic of China” (ROC) to refer to the wider concept of “the Chinese nation.” Ma quickly corrected himself, and his office later described his use of the two similar-sounding yet politically distinct terms as “purely a gaffe.” Given Ma was reading from a script, the supposed slipup
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The bodies of two individuals were recovered and three additional bodies were discovered on the Shakadang Trail (砂卡礑) in Taroko National Park, eight days after the devastating earthquake in Hualien County, search-and-rescue personnel said. The rescuers reported that they retrieved the bodies of a man and a girl, suspected to be the father and daughter from the Yu (游) family, 500m from the entrance of the trail on Wednesday. The rescue team added that despite the discovery of the two bodies on Friday last week, they had been unable to retrieve them until Wednesday due to the heavy equipment needed to lift