Inflammation. You hear this buzzword everywhere. Celebrity doctors are talking about it, and health magazines publish articles on it.
But is all the talk about inflammation in the body warranted?
The quick answer is “YES”!
Inflammation is the silent troublemaker that is behind almost every significant disease. Health problems like heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and diabetes are all attributed to it. Also, it is linked to the storage of excess body fat.
But what exactly is inflammation?
Most people bring up images of sprained ankles, fat lips, and bruises when they think of inflammation. And they are partially right, but there is more to the story.
First, inflammation is a natural process that the body uses to fight injuries and infections. By signaling the immune system and notifying it of a issue, then the cells in the body are able to contain the area and protect it. Therefore, toxins can be limited from spreading to other areas of the body and injuries can begin to heal. Inflammation caused by trauma is called acute inflammation.
All that sounds great! Then what is the problem?
The problem is when our bodies stay in a state of inflammation even when there is no injury. That is referred to as chronic inflammation, and that is the real health concern. You see, chronic inflammation puts the body in a condition of constant stress.(1)
Actually, chronic inflammation is a result of continuous exposure to toxins. The average person is drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking, eating fast food, and sugary beverages. And I hate to break it to you, but they are all poisons.
With some care and attention, you can reduce the chronic inflammation inside your body and begin to avoid catastrophic diseases. Continue reading to find out the easy ways to fight inflammation and get your body into a healthy and thriving state.
Contents
How To Reduce Inflammation
Now that you know what causes chronic inflammation and why it is dangerous, some of the following ways will be common sense. But don’t stop reading, because there are some simple tricks that you can do today. And the quicker that you get going, the better it is for your body.
1. Reduce the Amounts of Prepared Foods
First off, processed foods are any items that do not exist as they do in nature. Generally, this is going to be anything with an ingredient list. For example, a carrot is not refined, while gummy bears are.
There are varying levels of processing. More processing is the least healthy and less processing makes the food a little better for you, they are both less nutritious than the whole food. Learning to understand an ingredient label is the key to understanding the difference. But that is an entire in-depth topic that we will not cover here.
For now, try to cut out some of the ones that you know are bad for you and replace them with whole fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and legumes. Also, limit the amounts of alcohol and sugary drinks that you consume and replace it with some fluoride-free water. By making small changes here and starting an anti-inflammatory diet, that will be a massive step towards lowering inflammation.
2. Get Healthy Fats Loaded with Omega-3 and Omega-7
Understanding what type of fats you are consuming will have an enormous effect on your health. Research has shown that by eating a proper ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids, you can fight inflammation.
Most bad oils that are found in junk foods are high in Omega-6. Because of the normal diet, we consume an abundance of these fatty acids. Therefore, to achieve the right balance, we need to increase our intake of Omega-3 and reduce the Omega-6s.
First off, begin by adding an Omega-3 supplement to your diet. You can check out the best vegan Omega-3 supplements at naturemadecures.com/best-vegan-omega-3-supplements.
Secondly, eat things that are high in Omega-3 such as grass-fed beef, free-range eggs, flax seeds, and walnuts. Check out this article for a more detailed list of items and benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids.
Also, new research has shown that a major benefit of Omega-7 is to help lower inflammation markers in the body. Specifically, mice that were given palmitoleic acid showed lower adipocytokines and interleukin levels. Also, there was a significant reduction in C-reactive protein. (2)
So, make sure to get a variety of these healthy fats.
3. Add Beneficial Herbs
Now that you are eating a whole food diet, you can easily throw in some herbs and spices. Not only are they great for flavoring your food, but they are also nature made medicines.
As the great shamans know, since we are made from the Earth and have evolved alongside the plants for many years, it provides everything that we need.
Ginger, cardamom, hot peppers, turmeric, peppermint, and cilantro are some spices that we already wrote some in-depth articles on that have amazing medicinal health effects.
For example, studies have shown that ginger can reduce inflammation by regulating calcium levels, increasing oxygen production, and by inhibiting COX-2 suppression. It is one of the best plants with tons of health benefits, and you can read more here.
Similarly, turmeric is excellent at reducing inflammation in the digestive tract and colon. But to get the most out of it you need to mix it with fat and black pepper to increase absorption. Click here to find out more.
And finally, one of the health benefits of cardamom is that it helps prevent heart disease by fighting inflammation.
4. Supplement with MSM
Have you ever heard of MSM? If not, check out the article about the health benefits here. It is a fantastic supplement.
In short, MSM is a version of supplemental sulfur in powdered or crystal form. Before our environment and our diet started suffering, we were able to get enough sulfur from the plants we eat every day. Now, the soil is depleted of sulfur, and it is hurting our health.
By reintroducing sulfur into our diet, it acts like the fountain of youth. But most importantly, it serves as an anti-inflammatory by allowing our cells to release toxins while absorbing essential nutrients and water.
5. Eat Less Animal Products
In typical Western societies, we over-consume meat. And to make matters worse, often the product we are eating is dangerous. Factory farmed flesh is usually high in hormones and chemicals due to the animals quality of life.
Sitting in stationary positions from being locked in cages and fed antibiotics and poor diets lead to unhealthy animals. And then we eat them without thinking about it. Their infections and diseased cells get transferred to us, and we get sick.
Not only that, but it is also hard for us to digest. For all of these reasons and more, it is a substantial cause of inflammation. By reducing our consumption of it and switching to healthy beans and vegetables, you will lower inflammation and help avoid things like heart disease.
Pro Tip:
Begin small by substituting out one meat-containing meal per week. Some good substitutes for it include legumes like beans and lentils. Not only do they affect your health, but they are cheaper too. So, for example, instead of having a hamburger eat a plate of beans. Or instead of eating ground beef chili, just put in more beans and go meatless. Doing this 1 time per week will make an enormous change.
6. Medicinal Mushrooms
Mushrooms are an overlooked food that can have a tremendous impact on your health. For example, the great Reishi mushroom is excellent at reducing inflammation. You know what it is also great at? It is helpful with increasing mental energy, boosting the immune system, and can even reduce the risk of cancer.
If you haven’t heard about the benefits of mushrooms, immediately head on over to naturemadecures.com/medicinal-mushrooms and learn more about these 4 unusual fungi. You will be glad you did.
7. Exercise
What good is a diet without exercise?
Our bodies are made for moving and doing incredible things. Climbing, running, and jumping are not only fun, but they are healthy too. Exercising increases our heart rates, which in turn causes us to sweat and let out built up chemicals. And if you guessed that helps lower inflammation and improve your improve your immune system, then you are right.
So, begin working out today. In “Younger Next Year”, Chris Crowley says that you should start with what you are capable of. If you can walk to the end of the block, then do that. Then slowly work up the amount that you do. The trick is just to begin.
If you need more motivation, read our article on 7 Reasons To Start a Resistance and Strength Training Program.
Conclusion
Inflammation is a silent killer. But when you are armed with the correct information, the road to a healthier you is within your reach. By adopting an anti-inflammatory diet and doing exercises, you will begin to notice positive changes in your health. You will feel better, look better, have some weight loss, and will be able to prevent and reverse diseases.
Let us know what steps you are committing to starting today in the comments.
References:
(1) Why You Should Pay Attention to Chronic Inflammation
(2) Lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects of palmitoleic acid: Evidence from preclinical and epidemiological studies. Lipid Technology. May 2015, Vol. 27, No. 5. Nancy Morse.