What is Inflammation?

Inflammation is a hot topic in the wellness world. We hear often that certain foods are inflammatory and certain diseases are caused by inflammation. But what is inflammation, and why does it matter to our overall health and longevity?

Inflammation can be acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is actually healthy and is often the bodies response to an injury or a short- term illness. As part of the body’s immune response, it is essential in helping the body fight what it deems harmful, and also essential in helping the body heal.

Chronic, or long -term inflammation, is a slow build- up of inflammation over time. Essentially the bodies inflammatory response does not turn off when the infection it was fighting is healed. This can cause the immune system to go into overdrive. While it can lead to a lot of diseases, it can also lead to the development of cardiovascular disease by overtime causing plaque to build up or loosen in the arteries. This can cause blood clots and can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Factors that can be inflammatory include blood sugar disorders, a nutrient deficient and inflammatory diet full of processed foods and added sugars, excess weight, toxins including toxic metals, tobacco, industrial chemicals and air pollution, alcohol, inflammatory bowel diseases, chronic stress, disrupted sleep, and hormonal imbalances.

Fortunately, diet and lifestyle changes can be really beneficial in lowering inflammation in the body.

From a lifestyle perspective, managing stress is critical, as is getting daily exercise and restorative restful sleep. For those who smoke, quitting is imperative. Lowering alcohol intake for those who consume is also important.

As important, is eating a health promoting, anti-inflammatory diet:

·        Clean protein sources including organic meats and cold -water fish, tofu and tempeh for vegetarians

·        Mineral rich bone broth

·        High quality fats like seeds and nuts, olive and coconut oil, and foods high in omega-3’s like salmon, flax seeds, chia seeds and walnuts

·        Deeply colored antioxidant rich and anti-inflammatory fruits and vegetables

·        Whole grains and legumes

·        Herbs and spices like curry, garlic, ginger, turmeric, green tea, oregano, and rosemary

·        Eat 25-35 grams of fiber daily

In addition, it is important to reduce refined carbohydrates, remove trans fats, limit saturated fats, remove sugar sweetened beverages, and commercial vegetable oils (causing too high levels of omega-6’s and an imbalance of omega-3’s and omega-6’s). Lastly, gluten and dairy are inflammatory for some people. It may be helpful to reduce or eliminate from your diet.