What do heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and most other chronic diseases have in common? They all begin with inflammation: a critical and natural response mechanism in our bodies that can turn against us when we are continuously exposed to an onslaught of toxins, stress, inflammatory foods, pollutants and allergens.
Often this process of chronic inflammation occurs “under the surface” without any obvious symptoms until serious damage has been done and you are faced with disease. The good thing is that there are ways to cool the fires of inflammation.
Isn’t it amazing to know that you have the ability to take control of your own health? We have some very powerful tools at our disposal in the battle against illness and in boosting the quality of our lives. These tools come in the form of food and lifestyle choices and can be used to prevent and/or reverse chronic inflammation. Read on for 5 easy steps you can take starting today.
How do you know if you are dealing with inflammation?
Chronic inflammation can carry on in the body for years without any obvious major symptoms. There are however a few clues that may indicate trouble.
- Ongoing, irritating pain
- Allergies, asthma
- High blood pressure and/or blood sugar problems
- Ulcers and/or digestive trouble (such as IBS)
- Fatigue or lethargy
- Skin problems
- Red, bloodshot eyes
- Abdominal fat (visceral fat)
If you notice any of these over a period of time, it may be wise to ask your physician for a C – reactive protein test. CRP is a marker that measures inflammation in the blood.
What to do: 6 easy steps to cool inflammation
1. Change your diet.
* Eliminate pro-inflammatory foods such as:
- Sugar
- Refined flours
- Processed foods (anything that comes in a box or bag unless it has only a short list of whole, natural ingredients)
- Industrial processed vegetable oils (read more in my article “Why Vegetables Oils Are Not a Good Choice”)
- Non-organic, factory farmed animal protein, which contains high amounts of omega 6 (which is pro-inflammatory)
* Increase your intake of anti-inflammatory foods such as:
- Rainbow colored fruits and vegetables, preferable organic to limit your exposure to pesticides.
- Properly prepared whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.
- Plant- or fish based protein (which is naturally high in the anti-inflammatory omega 3) and/or high quality, organic pastured eggs, grass-fed meat or organic free-range chicken.
- Anti-inflammatory herbs and spices such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, oregano and green tea.
- Healthy fats such as ghee, coconut oil and olive oil for use in the kitchen and fish oil as a supplement.
* Be aware of possible food intolerances and remove these foods from your diet
The two main allergens include gluten and dairy. Read more in my articles “About Gluten and Your Gut” and “All About Dairy“.
* Hydrate
Drink plenty of clean water. Not only will this keep you hydrated and cool but it will also help flush out toxins. Check out this article for tips on how to stay optimally hydrated.
2. Heal your gut
Your gut houses approximately 70% of your immune system. Not a surprise if you think about how the wall of your digestive tract is a barrier between the outside world and the inside of your body. Your digestive system has to make sure that everything harmful is kept out and if something does find its way into the blood stream there is an army of immune cells waiting to launch an attack.
The health of your gut depends on two main factors: the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier and the health of the beneficial gut flora (aka microbiome) that are housed in your gut and that play a critical role in keeping you healthy and managing your immune system.
Any issues with these two factors will compromise your health at the very root and contribute to chronic internal inflammation. Both of these factors are often connected: imbalances in the gastrointestinal microbial ecosystem can lead to changes in the integrity of the gut barrier as well as higher levels of potentially problematic bacteria and other micro organisms that release lipopolysaccharides. Lipopolysaccharides are an endotoxin that contribute to inflammation locally in the digestive tract as well as systemically when a disrupted gut barrier allows these endotoxins to migrate into the blood stream.
You can read more about the 5 steps to gear up your gut here.
3. Move
We are not meant to lead sedentary lives. We are meant to move. How you move does not really matter. As long as you include some form of physical activity into every day like walking, swimming, yoga, etc. I have written more on this and on ways to get inspired to find the best exercise routine in my article “Move”.
Exercise reduces your risk for many chronic health problems including inflammation. Studies have shown that CRP levels (C-Reactive Protein, the body’s inflammation marker) are lowered through regular exercise.
4. De-stress
Just like exercise has been linked to lower levels of CRP, stress has been linked to higher levels of CRP, i.e. more inflammation in the body. Stress raises the level of cortisol and prolonged high levels of cortisol affect our immune system which in turn can allow inflammation to get out of control.
All of us deal with stress. It is part and parcel of our modern lifestyles. We can identify the sources of stress and learn to avoid some of them but most are a given part of our lives. What we can change is how we deal with them.
I strongly believe that the most important and effective step you can take to reduce stress is to implement a daily awareness and breathing practice. When you connect with that inner space that is calm and peaceful on an everyday basis you will automatically become more centered, balanced and in tune with your body and the signals it sends you. You will learn to tap into that space even when you are faced with difficult and stressful situations. If nothing else, just do this. I promise it will make a difference.
Check out my article “Inner Balance” for more on this topic as well as “Adrenal Health.”
5. Detox your environment
Minimize your exposure to environmental toxins and chemicals. I know this is often difficult to control, especially if you live in a big city, but there are certain steps you can take to “clean” up your work- and/or living environment such as using “green” and natural cleaning products, using plants and air filters to remove pollutants from the air, using natural soaps and other personal care items, etc. Additionally, there are oxygen producing and air cleaning plants you can keep in your home.
6. Supplement
There are a number of good supplements that support your body in the process of cooling inflammation. They are as their name suggests “supplements” and they will be effective when used along with the above mentioned diet and lifestyle changes.
- Fish oil – Fish oil capsules contain EPA and DHA fatty acids. Choose capsules with anti-inflammatory dosages which are typically between 360 and 1,260 mg of EPA and 240 and 840 mg of DHA
- Bromelain, an enzyme which is derived from the green stems of pineapple plants, is useful for reducing inflammation.
- Probiotics – In addition to including fermented foods in your diet, it is recommended to supplement with a high quality probiotic supplement, especially if you are dealing with inflammation and/or a compromised digestive system. I have written an article on how to choose a good probiotic supplement, which you can find here.
- Other supplements – some additional supplements that are high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties are curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin, Green Tea Extract (EGCG), Vitamin D3/K2, and Alpha Lipoic Acid.
If you need support with tackling a chronic health issue in a systematic manner, please set up a free discovery call here.
Be well!
Monique
