How To Reduce Inflammation In The Body

If you want to rid your body of inflammation you need to start thinking about what you're putting into your body. But to truly win your battle against inflammation, you’ll need to change other aspects of your lifestyle as well. Here are 5 tips How To Reduce Inflammation In The Body.

I wasn't always taking good care of my body. A few years back, my unhealthy lifestyle almost cost me my health. I was morbidly obese for years, eating junk, stressing too much and moved too little. I neglected my health to the point that I almost ruined it completely. Only when some serious conditions started to pop up - I started experiencing constant pains all over my body, in my abdomen, head, joints, my back, my skin was in awful condition too - that's when my alarm sounded on. It was A WAKE-UP CALL for me. I got worried and I decided to change my life completely.

I found out that the cause of all this pains and aches, this awful condition is something called chronic inflammation and that our daily choices are at the root of that condition. As I moved from all these unhealthy life and turned to more balanced one, filled with HEALTHY real foods, I started to feel better. The aches and pains started to weaken. Chronic inflammation decreased and my body began to heal.

If you're somewhere on that path and want to learn more about this horrible condition, then it's good you're here reading this. In this post, I will cover some basics about chronic inflammation and how to reduce its impact on your health.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is actually a good thing. It's the natural protective response of our immune system to something harmful like injury, bacteria or viruses. For example, if you cut your finger, your immune system will respond by sending white blood cells to repair the wound. These cells then trigger an acute, or temporary inflammatory response to aid the healing process. The process works similarly if you have an infection like the flu or pneumonia. So in these case, inflammation is essential - without it, injuries wouldn't heal and simple infections could be deadly.

But when inflammation sticks in our body for too long, it starts damaging our body and becomes potentially dangerous for our overall health. That is chronic inflammation, and in one word it's BAD. Chronic inflammation has been linked to almost every major disease - - like heart diseases, stroke, arthritis diabetes, autoimmune diseases, allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, even some cancers.

Chronic inflammation is triggered by many factors, but most of them are really within our control and can be avoided or replaced. Common causes of chronic inflammations are for example:

• poor food choices - like eating processed foods, too many factory farmed animal products, refined sugar and sugary drinks, trans fats and certain unhealthy saturated fats, excess use of alcohol
• unhealthy gut system
• food allergies
• chronic infections - like bacteria, viruses, yeast, parasites
• stress and exhaustion
• inactive lifestyle

When does chronic inflammation starts to be seriously dangerous? Well over time, if it's not treated, this chronic inflammation that's been going on in your body wears out your immune system which then may lead to developing various health issues and chronic diseases.

How To Reduce Inflammation In The Body

Chronic inflammation may sound scary - well it kinda is when you think about all these diseases, but don't be discouraged to actually do something about it. Because you surely CAN do something about it. With just a few simple lifestyle changes you can reduce inflammation in your body and regain your health.

Here are some simple choices that will make a big difference. This will help in keeping inflammation down or under control, so you can start living pain-free.

1. EAT HEALTHY FOODS

If you want to get rid your body of inflammation you need to start thinking about what you're putting into your body. Some foods make inflammation worse - like fried foods, refined sugar, white bread, pastry, and other foods that contain refined carbohydrates, soda, and sugary drinks, margarine and highly processed cooking oils. But there are also plenty of tasty anti-inflammatory foods that can make things better and help the body heal itself.

You should fill your plates with fatty fish loaded with anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids, vegetables like broccoli, kale and cauliflower and other green leafy veggies, whole grains like brown rice, quinoa and bulgur, nuts, berries, and legumes - to lower levels of inflammation. These foods will fill your body with the vitamins, minerals, cancer-fighting antioxidants, and fibers that our body needs to recover. Also, spices like ginger and turmeric posses powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Include them in your daily meals too.

When you plan your meals and make a shopping list, remind yourself that fresh is always the best option. Fresh and seasonal fruits and veggies - organic if possible - have nutrients at their highest. And keep these healthier choices in mind when dining out, too.

You may want to read this:

• How to Start Meal Planning in 3 Simple Steps
• 5 Simple Diet Tweaks That Will Improve Your Health
• Seasonal Produce Guide: Eat healthy throughout all season

2. KEEP YOUR GUT HEALTHY

Healthy immunity starts with the healthy gut. In other words, if your gut is in bad shape, your immune system is in some serious trouble. So you should put your maximum effort to heal your gut and keep it in nice balance if you want to hold your inflammation under control.

Our gut is affected with bad diet and lack of good bacteria. A great way to start healing your gut is by taking daily probiotic or probiotic-rich food - like kefir, fermented foods, kombucha, yogurt, miso.

Check out some of these probiotic-rich recipes:

• Peanut Butter Greek Yogurt Parfait
• Orange Mango Turmeric Smoothie Bowl
• Grapefruit Ginger Smoothie

3. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

Unfortunately, we are surrounded by toxins. In some cases, they can't even be avoided. Pesticides, heavy metals, air pollution, toxic chemicals in beauty products and home cleaning products, mold, etc. Exposure to these toxins have a huge impact on chronic inflammation. Keeping our body well hydrated is one of the key strategies to make sure the body is able to effectively detox itself from toxins.

Also, your cells require adequate hydration to function properly. In general, the more hydrated you are, the less inflammation will be present in your body. So keep your glasses full and your body well hydrated. Remember - water is the best!

4. TAKE TIME TO REST AND RELAX

It's not just the bad diet and toxins that affect our health and cause inflammation. Emotional health and stress play a big role in inflammation too. When we are stressed out our body produces the hormone cortisol which is like inflammation BFF. So lowering your anxiety and avoiding stuff that stresses you out is a great way to reduce inflammation. Try yoga, meditation, long walks, short walks - any walks. Do less technology and socialize more with people you love.

Also, don't forget to rest. Most doctors recommend 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation ruins your immune system and fires up inflammation.

You may want to read this:

• 5 Ways To Keep Your Mind and Body Healthy
• Ways To Live Healthy With A Busy Schedule

5. LOSE WEIGHT AND MOVE MORE

The human body is designed for motion. This applies to just about every organ in our body - the bowels, urinary tract, circulation, muscles. Keeping our body in motion is what keeps the body healthy. When we become stagnant, totally couch-bound, then problems arise and we often get tons of inflammation.

Obesity is another cause of inflammation. So losing weight and adding exercise to your daily routine is not only important for overall health but also it helps to fight that nasty inflammation.

You don't have to run marathons. 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week tames the flames.

Check this out and get your ass moving:

• 5 Ways To Lose Weight By Walking
• How To Start Walking For Weight Loss And Better Health
• 5 Weight Loss Tips That Really Works

----

We all should thrive for health and wellness - meaning we all should choose to eat healthy every day, exercise more, relax and unwind. This is the key to healthy life. Even though inflammation and all the diseases associated with chronic inflammation sound scary, remember you can influence inflammation by following these simple strategies. You just have to decide that is time to take better care of your health.

How do you keep your body free from inflammation?  What are your favorite anti-inflammatory foods? Let me know in comments below. 

Xoxo, Natalie