What we’ve all experienced is some type of inflammation in our body. We fall down and get that sprain, bump a knee or twist an ankle and it gets swollen. That cut finger suddenly begins to swell, or it could be that miserable head cold where the brain begins to thump.
Inflammation certainly lets you know it’s around, this usually in an unmistakable way. It inflates as the affected area hurts, giving us a warning signal that something’s wrong. Note that this is known as acute inflammation, which is an auto alert system from the immune.
There are certain times however when the inflammation doesn’t go away, becomes chronic, as it fails to heal itself properly. The malady continues to linger, as the body spews out unwanted levels of inflammatory compounds.
This is the more dangerous and long-term type of inflammation, which is the core cause when it comes to most illnesses and diseases.
This type of inflammation is what causes weight gain while accelerating the aging process. It’s also found that the cure to reduce this chronic inflammation doesn’t always need to be medically assisted.
It’s found that this type of inflammation is a common occurrence for many, and usually because of the foods we eat. So once you isolate and change your diet, most of these symptoms should reduce.
Not Getting Enough Water
Water is life on this planet. Without water and oxygen we or any other life form wouldn’t exist. Once the cells become deprived of this essential water, its cellular function then slows down to a halt.
The much needed nutrients then fail to transport adequately as the metabolism slows down, which eventually affects every organ in the body, everywhere from the skin to the heart.
Other symptoms include fatigue, headaches, foggy erratic thinking, hunger, joint pain, weight gain, cravings, and more. What some recommend is drinking at a minimum, one half your body weight in ounces of water on a daily basis.
The Wrong Type Of Grain
When it comes to grains, not all are the same. Choose “whole” instead of refined, as the fiber and nutrients are stripped out of the grain once it’s refined.
The type of grains that should be avoided are refined wheat or refined wheat flour, and are usually labelled clearly on the packaging.
What the refining process does is it creates an inflammatory response, this identical to what sugar does. So make sure that you choose natural whole grains such as brown rice, whole oats, or quinoa.
Avoid Drinking Soda
Especially diet soda, as they contain artificial sweeteners which are laboratory manufactured, and are proven to increase chronic inflammation in the body.
There are a complete host of maladies that diet soda triggers, including weight gain and Type 2 diabetes, this along with other chronic health conditions.
So make a conscious lateral shift in body replenishment. The best choice remains pure crisp clean water, this flavored with veggies such as cucumbers or fruit. Another is sparkling water that’s sweetened with natural stevia.
Stop Eating Processed Food
Most processed foods are known to be inflammatory, and is one of the key contributors to obesity and getting ill with disease.
Anyone who conforms to the convenience of a processed food diet, eventually becomes sick. The biggest culprits being sweet or salty junk foods, frozen foods, and all food found in a can.
Too Much Refined Sugar
Empty sugar is the number one known inflammatory substance which attacks the body. White refined sugar along with high fructose corn syrup, guarantees to seriously inflame the body, which contributes to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and saggy aging skin.
Consume More Cultured Food
Foods under the “cultured” variety includes natural or Greek yogurt, sauerkraut, kim-chi, miso paste, all which promotes a variety and abundance of the healthy “good” gut bacteria.
They’re all known to fight and eliminate inflammation. Cultured foods are also known to boost immunity while helping to lose weight.
More Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
The most beneficial of dark green leafy vegetables include kale, spinach, broccoli, collards, and chard. All are packed with superior anti-inflammatory nutrients, this especially when eaten raw, which is known to reverse swelling in the body.
Not Enough Omega-3 Fatty Acids
What’s found is that there’s usually not enough Omega-3 fat in most diets, and at times too much of the Omega-6, which creates an imbalance. Both amounts of these types of fats are needed however.
Omega-3 fatty acids are the most beneficial when consumed naturally, and found in sources such as sardines, wild salmon, tuna, flax seeds, walnuts, and fish oil supplements.
Proper Cooking Oils
What needs to be eliminated are the most commonly known cooking oils which promotes inflammation. Avoid most vegetable oils, soy oil, sunflower oil, and corn oil.
The reason being that the ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 are offset, which encourages the inflammation process. So instead, choose anti-inflammatory oils such as coconut oil, olive oil, macadamia nut oil, or red palm fruit oil.
Need More Exercise
The body needs to get enough exercise, which becomes the lubricant, this for reducing inflammation when combined with consuming these recommended foods.
What exercising does is it activates healthy cellular function which reduces the identifiable markers for inflammation.
Anything that’s capable of raising the heart rate is recommended, such as a brisk walk, jogging, bike riding, or functional fitness such as mowing the lawn, washing the car, vacuuming the house, etc.
Lose That Excess Weight
Every cell which resides in the body, especially if its excessively fatty, does is it self produces compounds which automatically promotes a vicious cycle of weight gain along with inflammation.
The easiest solution is to just reduce this excess weight in a healthy manner, such as exercising, then the inflammation will decrease.