Inflammation is generally understood as a localized immune response to a cellular injury (such as when you get a cut). This inflammatory process exists to help your body heal and recover. However, if it continues even when there is no longer a reason for it, inflammation becomes problematic.
There are many factors that can cause inflammation as part of our daily lives. Not only that, but if we don’t take care of our bodies optimally, this can contribute to prolonged inflammation. This negatively affects general health and degrades athletic performance.
When does inflammation go from helpful to harmful? What factors are involved in how your body handles inflammation? Let’s talk about how to quickly reduce inflammation in the body.
Understanding inflammation
When your body experiences injury or illness, it activates an immune response. Part of this response is the release of inflammatory cells and cytokines (substances that create more inflammatory cells), which attack harmful microbes or help heal damaged tissue. But while inflammation is meant to help your body recover, there’s a fine line between enough and too much.
There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic.
Acute inflammation
Acute inflammation is generally short-lived and is intended to help your body heal from a specific threat, such as an infection or a skin wound. The result may be temporary redness, pain, swelling or bruising. Once the threat is neutralized, the inflammatory cells go away until they are needed again and your body returns to its normal state.
Chronic inflammation
Chronic inflammation is when the immune system continues to mount an inflammatory response when it is not really needed. For example, if you have rheumatoid arthritis, your joints are attacked by inflammatory cells that can lead to painful and damaged tissue.
Symptoms of chronic inflammation may include:
Fever
Pain and stiffness in the joints
Skin rash
Chest pain
Fatigue
Abdominal pain
Chronic inflammation without treatment has been linked to the development of serious health problems such as Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.
That’s why it’s so important to treat inflammation in your body when it’s not supposed to be there. Let’s take a look at how chronic inflammation can be caused or exacerbated by everyday habits and how different choices can reduce it.
Diet and Nutrition
Food plays an important role in every aspect of health, so if you’re wondering how to reduce inflammation, diet is key. Think about it: most of us eat at least three meals a day most days. That means they exist many chances to either promote inflammation or reduce it through our choices.
Anti-inflammatory foods
The best way to keep inflammation under control through food is to eat in a way that emphasizes anti-inflammatory foods as much as possible, such as:
Antioxidants: Antioxidants help protect cellular health from inflammation, stress and damage. Among the best sources of antioxidants are fruits and vegetables. Aim to eat a wide variety of colors, including berries, oranges, leafy greens, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes.
Fiber: Getting enough fiber helps to maintain inflammation of the vagina and supports digestion, heart health and blood sugar control. Research shows exactly that 5% of American adults to get their minimum daily fiber needs, which is only about 30 grams. Find fiber in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes (beans, peas, and lentils).
Wholegrain: When choosing which breads and pastas to eat, whole grains give you the most for your anti-inflammatory bang for your buck. They contain unique phytochemicals and affect your gut bacteria in a way that fights inflammation. Unlike refined grains, whole grains have not been processed to remove their fiber and other nutrients. Some good choices include quinoa, barley, oats, brown rice, 100% whole grain bread, and millet.
Omega-3 fatty acids: These unsaturated fats are essential for brain and eye health and are key players in your body’s inflammatory process. However, we tend to get too many omega-6 fats in our western diet, which has pro-inflammatory action in excess.
Increase your omega-3s by eating fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, halibut and mackerel. You can also find some in chia and flax seeds. If you don’t eat fish often, consider a DHA supplement based on fish oil or algae.
Turmeric: The bioactive compound in turmeric is called curcumin. It has been studied extensively for this anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on the body. Use turmeric and black pepper together in recipes to increase the bioavailability of curcumin by 2000%.
Foods to avoid
It’s just as important to keep inflammation-promoting foods to a minimum in your diet. Some of the most pro-inflammatory foods are those that are highly processed. This means they have been processed to the point of such low nutritional quality that they do more harm than good to your body.
In other words, you’re not going to find a lot of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals in them. Instead, they contribute saturated and trans fats, sodium and added sugar, as well as other unnecessary food additives.
Unfortunately, highly processed foods are out of control the western diet and can be difficult to avoid. Examples include:
Processed meats, such as bacon, sausage and hot dogs
Fast food items
Frozen foods high in sodium
Sugary drinks, such as soda, fruit juices, and some sports drinks
Processed carbohydrates such as rice, crackers, bread and pasta made from white flour
Packaged snacks such as cookies, chips and candy
Lifestyle modifications
As you plan a more anti-inflammatory diet, consider other areas of your daily life that may be contributing to inflammation. Here are some of the ways research shows they can help:
Regular exercise. Include a variety of activities you enjoy most days of the week. Maybe this is a combination of running, resistance training, high intensity interval training and sports.
Practice healthy stress management. Techniques such as journaling, stretching and yoga, meditation, listening to music or walking in nature can help reduce stress, which in turn, benefits inflammation.
Getting enough sleep. Inconsistent sleep can promote inflammation. Experts recommend at least 7 hours of quality sleep per night for adults. To improve your sleep, avoid blue lights too close to bedtime may disturb your melatonin production. Create a sleep-promoting environment in your bedroom and try to follow the same sleep-wake cycle every day.
The Takeaway
It’s impossible to avoid everything that encourages inflammation, but there are ways to improve how your body responds to it. Take a holistic approach that incorporates healthier daily lifestyle and eating habits. Remember that this doesn’t have to be perfect and that big changes don’t happen overnight. Instead, take steps to reduce inflammation in your life and prepare your body to have a healthier response to things that might trigger it.
Need personalized guidance on how to reduce inflammation? We’d love to help! Get in touch with us for nutritional guidance.
