Inflammation - what is it? In a nutshell, it is your body’s immune reaction to foreign substances that could be threats. During its acute stage, inflammation is beneficial for healing wounds and recovering from illness. However, when inflammation is in a chronic stage, this leads to significant health problems, ranging from heart disease to Alzheimer’s.
Fortunately, you can gain control of chronic inflammation and begin to reverse some its ill effects. This can be accomplished with things such as healthy lifestyle habits, good nutrition, and proper medical care. Here are ten tips to reduce chronic inflammation in your body and help you move towards greater well-being:
Lifestyle Strategies to Fight Inflammation:
- See your doctor. If you’ve been diagnosed with one (or more) common diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure or are dealing with obesity, you have some level of chronic inflammation in your body. By getting a checkup and lab work from your doctor you can find out what your numbers are and begin to formulate a plan for healthier living.
- Lose weight. Reducing your weight by even 5 or 10 pounds can make a big difference in helping to reverse inflammation in your body. Small, but significant accomplishments like this can help keep you moving forward until you optimize your weight.
- Get regular exercise. Both strength and cardiovascular exercises are important. Regular exercise strengthens your immune system, helps you achieve a healthy weight, and reduces inflammation. Studies show that 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio activity (brisk walking, for example) and 2 days of resistance training (like pushups) each week offer incredible health benefits.
- Sleep well. Inflammation and sleep can be a vicious cycle. Sleep deprivation can aggravate your symptoms of inflammation and inflammation, in turn, can make it difficult to sleep. Break the cycle by sticking to a consistent bedtime that gives you 8 hours of sleep each night.
- Quit alcohol and tobacco. Alcohol can damage your liver, brain and other organs in many ways. Tobacco suppresses your immune system and causes vascular inflammation.
- Manage stress. Daily stressors can have a negative impact on your body and mind. Try reframing how you view these daily tensions. Regular exercise is a great way to relieve stress. You may also want to try inspirational reading, such as the Scriptures and prayer.
Eat Foods that Fight Inflammation:
- Choose whole, plant-based foods. Beef, processed meats, refined grains are major sources of increasing fat and inflammation in the body. Your best option for restoring health is choosing an abundance of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Most all of these foods will help reduce inflammation.
- Use healthy fats. There are bad fats and good fats. The average adult needs about 25 to 35% of their daily calories from fat. It is a good idea to avoid saturated fat and stick with the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated healthy fats like olives, nuts, avocado, and omega-3 sources, such as flax and chia seeds.
- Avoid excess sugar. The average American eats about 17 teaspoons of sugar a day, which is almost 3 times the amount of the daily recommended guidelines. Research suggests that when people eat and drink less sugar inflammatory markers in their blood decrease. Get your sweets from anti-inflammatory foods, such berries or other fruit.
- Avoid late meals. Research shows that people who eat more after 5 pm may have higher levels of inflammation. Late eating has also been linked to higher blood sugar and weight gain. Make breakfast and lunch your biggest meals and skip evening snacks.
Chronic inflammation, as mentioned earlier, is associated with many common diseases. If you are struggling with one of these conditions why not try these ten steps to reduce inflammation in your body and achieve greater wellness!
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