8 simple steps on how to live inflammation free

In the past few years, the word “inflammation” has become a hot topic and a buzz word. It seems like more and more people are catching on to it so every day there are more studies and information coming out about it. 

We understand how overwhelming all of that information can be so we will use this post today to make it as easy and digestible as possible. 

First, we will talk about how to identify inflammation and after that we will give our 8 easy tips that can help you get it under control - so keep reading. 

There are three distinct differences between acute inflammation that's a healthy part of your immune response and unhealthy chronic inflammation which is associated with disease: duration, cause and symptoms. Acute inflammation will only last a couple days to weeks, whereas chronic inflammation lasts months to years.

How do you know if you are over-inflamed!

There are plenty of warning signs that indicate inflammation in the body but today we will only touch on six. 

• Memory Impairment:

Research has shown that when the brain is inflamed, memory formation and recall both suffer. Unfortunately, many people start to believe that scattered thoughts and trouble focusing are an inevitable part of aging—but they’re not! Silent inflammation is likely the culprit.*

• Cholesterol Imbalances:

A growing body of evidence has shown that inflammation triggers increased production of cholesterol. The body attempts to protect the lining of blood vessels and arteries from damage, often leading to harmful levels of build-up and serious cardiovascular issues.*

• Elevated CRP Levels:

High levels of CRP are an indication that inflammation is present in your body. The data linking high levels of CRP to increased heart risk has led a growing number of physicians to routinely run a test for cardiac-specific C-reactive protein.*

• Aches and Pains:

Silent inflammation creates heightened pain sensitivity in the body, as well as common everyday aches and pains in joints and muscles. If your body feels sore and stiff, systematic inflammation is likely to blame.*

• Skin Issues:

Silent inflammation is the hallmark of the redness, itchiness, flaky skin and discomfort associated with many common skin conditions.*

• Digestive Discomfort:

The gut microbiome is so complex, it is sometimes referred to as a “second brain.” And while there are many factors that can disrupt its delicate balance, digestive issues can often be traced to harmful inflammation within the digestive tract.*

5 easy tips to help you calm inflammation in your body!

Now that we talked about six symptoms/warning signs let’s talk about 5 easy to calm that inflammation. 

Tip#1 Cut processed meats, especially the red meats - This includes bacon, burgers and sausage. Research has shown that regularly eating red meat and processed meat can raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers 

Tips#2  Cut back on sodium intake (SALT) - salt is in everything especially if it comes in a can, box or bag.  Sodium is even used to preserve food. Americans eat on average about 3,400 mg of sodium per day. However, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends adults limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day—that's equal to about 1 teaspoon of table salt

Tip #3 Add Cruciferous greens to your daily diet -   This rates high on the list to beat chronic inflammation.  Recommended daily is 2 cups. A few examples of cruciferous vegetables are broccoli, broccoli sprouts, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts.

Tip#4 Ditch the seed oils - Oil is in everything and many times it is rancid.  Imagine trying to get oil out of a sunflower seed? Excess consumption of omega-6s can trigger the body to produce pro-inflammatory chemicals, and the American diet tends to be very high in omega-6s. A few examples of the most problematic varieties of vegetable oils are soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil, and more.

Tip #5 Watch your stress levels - Stress causes inflammation and can be toxic!

Prolonged stress leads to hyper physiological levels of cortisol. This alters the effectiveness of cortisol to regulate both the inflammatory and immune response because it decreases tissue sensitivity to cortisol (Segerstrom, 2006).

So now you know about inflammation and a few things you can do about it, we will discuss more food choices, recipes, and ways to calm inflammation down through food. Our next episode we will talk about how to make an anti-inflammation salad to eat every day.