Keys to Decreasing Inflammation
Chronic, low grade inflammation in the body uses up our vital energy.
In an ideal world, our vital energy could be used towards the important tasks of digesting and absorbing nutrients from our food, eliminating waste in the body, developing muscle, and cognition.
By implementing the points below into your daily life, levels of inflammation can decrease, which can lead to less pain in the body & better health overall.
Key # 1 Increase Healthy Gut Bacteria
Our gut is home to loads of bacteria, much of which is being shown to have a role in decreasing inflammation. The bacteria in our gut is known as the microbiota. The proliferation of the wrong kind of microbiota may lead to inflammatory issues in the body, research is showing.
Diversity is key when it comes to our gut bacteria! Our microbiota depends on having fibre rich foods that contain pre-biotic compounds as well as fermented foods that contain pro-biotic compounds.
Consider:
1. Eating these foods often to increase the good bacteria in your gut:
- kim chi
- sauerkraut
- grass-fed yogurt or kefir (unsweetened)
- oat meal
- apples
Key # 2 Add Superfoods to Your Diet
After eliminating or reducing common irritants to our digestive system, it’s important to add other foods which are nourishing and filled with anti-inflammatory compounds.
These include: fruits and vegetables from all colour groups (white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue & purple). Make sure you’re getting a variety of different fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.
Consider:
1. Try to eat 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day
2. Eat lots of colourful vegetables every day
3. Incorporate beans & lentils everyday
4. Eat whole grains (preferably those not containing gluten)
Key # 3 Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate…
A dehydrated body is a stressed body & stress is a major source of inflammation.
We all know water is good for us, but we may not understand how it can help our body lower inflammation. All of the systems of our body (reproductive, digestive, lymphatic etc) all rely on water for proper functioning. When our cells become dehydrated due to insufficient water intake, our bodily systems cannot function effectively. This means that the normal anti-inflammatory processes in the body cannot do their job.
Water allows our muscles to work properly, helps regulate our body temperature, dissolves minerals and nutrients making them accessible to the body, helps prevent constipation, lubricates the joints, reduces burden on kidney and liver, flushing out waste products.
Consider:
1. Drinking water often & in fairly large amounts each day.
2. You should try to urinate once every couple of hours. If your urine is dark, you need to drink more water.
Key # 4 Decrease Gut Irritants
If our gut is inflamed, the stage is set for whole body inflammation to take place. It’s therefore important to heal our gut of any inflammation so that we have improved assimilation of all the anti-inflammatory compounds in the foods we eat.
Common gut irritants include: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, corn, refined sugar, & refined flour.
Consider:
Eliminating or reducing the foods listed above for 1 month and notice if there is any difference in how your whole body feels.
Key # 5 Get Enough Sleep
Sleep rejuvenates and detoxifies our body. There is mounting evidence supporting the link between sleep and hormonal imbalance, cognitive performance, appetite and metabolism, and even the development of cancer.
During the daytime, our body produces a hormone called cortisol. This hormone helps us deal with normal daily stressors. At high levels, which can happen during prolonged stress, cortisol can lead to inflammation in the body. How does this connect to sleep? Well, when there is a sleep deficit, cortisol breaks down more slowly in our body, which can then lead to higher levels of inflammation.
Another important aspect of sleep is its antioxidant potential. Since sleep deprivation negatively affects our immune system and creates higher oxidative stress in our cells, sleep does the opposite and actually restores us at a cellular level, protecting our bodies from cellular damage. This is why we generally recover much faster from a cold or virus when we give ourselves enough time to sleep.
Consider:
1. Exercise early in the day.
2. Avoid eating close to bedtime, especially if you have issues with heartburn
3. Keep your room dark during the night
4. Get outside during the daylight hours
5. Turn off electronics 1-2 hours before bedtime.
6. Try a natural sleep-aid. If none of the above items help, you may want to consider supplementing with some natural sleep-aids before bed.
Some examples are:
- Passion Flower
- Ashwagandha
- Magnesium Bisglycinate
Key # 6 Eat Healthy Fats
The information out there on which fats to eat and which fats to avoid can be confusing for many! To simplify, it’s safe to say that avoiding trans fats is a good way to decrease inflammation in the body. Manufacturers create most trans fats when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil. This process keeps the oil solid at room temperature and extends its shelf life. You’ll find trans fats in commercial baked goods, fried foods and margarine. Ideally, you should consume no added trans fats at all.
Omega 6 fatty acids are also shown to have a pro-inflammatory effect in the body. These are found in the oils of corn, safflower, sunflower, soy and vegetable and products made with those oils.
Fats that are shown to have anti-inflammatory benefits are Omega 3 fatty acids. These are found in the following foods: oily fish, flaxseeds and walnuts. Other sources of healthy fats include avocados, raw seeds such as sesame, pumpkin, sunflower and chia.
Consider:
1. Eliminating fats that are in the trans fat or Omega 6 category listed above
2. Eat daily those foods in the anti-inflammatory category above.
Key # 7 Supplement Up!
There are certain compounds that are very potent in decreasing inflammation in the body. Some of them contain spices that are commonly used in cooking, such as ginger, black pepper or turmeric, and others contain essential fatty acids.
From my experience as a Holistic Nutritionist, here are the ones I’ve seen work best for people:
1. High quality Omega Fish Oil supplement (from NutraSea, Alpha Omega or Nordic Naturals)
2. High quality Curcumin supplement (from AOR, Natural Factors or SISU)
It’s also helpful to cook often with anti-inflammatory herbs such as rosemary, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and garlic.
