5 tips to fight chronic inflammation
Inflammation fights nasty - here are 5 tips to help you fight back!
By
April 15, 2024
Stuff you need to know about inflammation
Are you dealing with ongoing aches, brain fog, or just not feeling yourself lately? It's crucial to tune in because your body is sending out a clear message. These symptoms aren't just passing annoyances – they're your body's way of saying, "Hey, something's not right!" So, let's listen up and take action, because your body is speaking up for a reason.
What studies have revealed as the main cause of all this trouble? You guessed it – inflammation.
But don't worry. We're not helpless in this fight. Let's work together to uncover what triggers inflammation and arm ourselves with effective tools to combat it. Together, we can seize control of our health and revitalize our vitality.
So, what exactly is inflammation?
Inflammation, in simple terms, is your body's response to injury or infection.
Inflammation isn't just your body's way of reacting - it's a very complex response to different triggers and knowing how this works is key to staying healthy. In fact, many diseases, especially chronic diseases, reflect an underlying inflammatory process. Here are just some examples:
While ongoing research continues to explore the topic, studies have already revealed a clear connection between certain dietary factors and inflammation in the body.
These dietary factors involve consuming excess calories from ultra-processed foods - foods that are high in saturated fat, trans fats, and sugar.
You may be wondering what is classified as an ultra-processed food. This includes processed meats such as deli meat, pepperoni, sausage, and hot dogs to name a few. It also encompasses packaged foods, such as cereals, chips, microwaveable meals, cakes, and desserts to name a few.
Additionally, the highly refined carbohydrates found in these foods can initiate inflammation in the gut which in turn impacts gut health. A variety of factors can and will affect overall gut health:
It's safe to say that your lifestyle and food choices made play a significant role in either promoting or reducing inflammation in the body.
Let's define the different types of inflammation and their effects on the body
There are two main types: acute inflammation, which is short-term and aids in healing, and chronic inflammation, which persists over time and can be harmful.
How do you know if you're dealing with chronic inflammation? There are a few key signs and symptoms to watch out for. To summarize it, think widespread body pain, achiness in multiple joints, swelling, heat and muscles feeling sore to the touch.
Some other other indicators of high inflammation levels may be trouble sleeping, digestive issues, depression, anxiety and even brain fog.
Ever felt like your brain was in a fog?
Here are signs to look for with brain fog:
The good news is that many of these conditions stem from lifestyle habits we have the power to change. By making simple adjustments to our lifestyle we can start to work towards enhancing our mind and bodies. Here are just a few ways we can take action:
✅ Adopting a well balanced diet rich in essential nutrients
✅ Reducing screen time
✅ Managing stress effectively
✅ Prioritizing sleep
✅ Tracking exercise, intensity level and duration
Nutrition is the most important of these
While there isn't one single food that fights inflammation, making sure to build a whole food diet will help with lowering your risk for inflammation and disease.
This means including beneficial inflammatory fighting foods such as fatty fish: salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, tuna, striped bass and anchovies.
Nuts and seeds have a place in this fight, too. Walnuts, for example, are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids known for their anti-inflammatory effects.
Antioxidants, specifically Vitamin C, are helpful too. Vitamin C can be found in many fruits and vegetables. Red bell peppers, oranges, and kiwis are excellent sources of Vitamin C so consider adding these into your meals + snacks.
Lastly, probiotic and prebiotic foods will help with keeping gut bacteria balanced and inflammation in check. Consider adding in fermented probiotic foods such as yogurt and cottage cheese that contain "live active cultures" as well as prebiotic foods like bananas and asparagus to help support good gut health.
The power of nature therapy is important to remember
Daily walks that include sun exposure have a great impact on your immune system by adding vitamin D into the equation. It's understood from research that not exposing yourself to sunlight daily can increase your risk of musculoskeletal system disorders and various autoimmune diseases stemming from inflammation.
Our muscle cells have a vitamin D receptor and relax in the presence of sun. This creates a heart protecting benefit by fighting the most common of heart diseases - atherosclerosis, the hardening of your arteries.
Remember the power of sleep
While being outside is important, we also want to make sure you are getting adequate sleep. Sleep deprivation increases pro-inflammation signaling, as well as decreasing your immune system functions. The body rewards its systems with an energy saving switch when sleeping to allow for the immune processes to return to baseline.
Sleep deprivation has been linked to the association of insulin resistance, diabetes, and vascular diseases due to the inflammation markers that are triggered.
Three consecutive nights of less than 6 hours of sleep can drastically increase your insulin resistance.
This is why the importance of maintaining consistent 7-8 hours of sleep per night can be beneficial in reducing unwanted inflammation in the body.
A coach can help
Inflammation is nasty business, and we can fight chronic inflammation with good nutrition and sleep habits. Chronic inflammation fights nasty, and it's always good to have a partner when you're in a nasty fight. That's where a coach comes in.
Our nutrition coaches partner with you to identify the habits that will move the needle for you. Together, you and your coach will map out the plan to succeed.
