Inflammation, when it happens as an acute response to illness or injury, is a good thing. It is your body doing its job to protect you. The problem arises when the inflammation becomes chronic. This is often a symptom of a deeper issue or a signal that it’s time to make changes in your lifestyle. But if it isn’t an autoimmune response like lupus or arthritis, it means you need to make some lifestyle choices to reduce inflammation. Here are some frequently asked questions on how to reduce inflammation in the body fast.
How to Reduce Inflammation with Food?
What you eat makes a major difference in your body. Your gut health significantly impacts your overall health. The foods you eat can either help reduce inflammation or make it much worse. So, what foods should you be eating to reduce inflammation? Start with whole, natural ingredients. Proteins, fruits, vegetables, and natural fats are essential to getting the nutrients you need and reducing inflammation.
Eating a colorful diet is a great way to ensure you are getting a dose of anti-inflammatory foods every day. Foods to consider are broccoli, apples, blueberries, onions, lemons, pistachios, almonds, cabbage, and many more. These fruits, veggies, and fats contain antioxidants called polyphenols that are effective for fighting chronic inflammation.
What is Chronic Inflammation?
Acute inflammation, which is natural, is short-lived, and only lasts a few days. On the other hand, chronic inflammation lasts much longer and is important to reduce. If it persists, it can lead to conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders.
What Foods Should You Avoid to Reduce Inflammation?
When you are trying to reduce inflammation, not only should you eat anti-inflammatory foods, you should avoid foods that cause inflammation. Loading up on foods rich in vitamins, nutrients, omega-3s, and antioxidants is pointless if you keep eating foods that cause inflammation in the first place. Try to reduce your intake of:
- Foods with added sugar
- Processed foods
- Refined Carbohydrates
- Processed meats
- Hydrogenated oils
- Vegetable oils
- Artificial sweeteners
- Sweet drinks
How to Reduce Stress to Reduce Inflammation in the Body
Chronic stress raises cortisol and other hormone levels in the body. These impact inflammation and can cause weight gain. In order to rebalance hormones and reduce inflammation, it is important to lower your stress levels. Part of that is eating a whole and natural diet. Processed and toxic ingredients put too much strain on your system, further prompting a stress response.
Other ways to reduce stress include:
- Limiting alcohol intake
- More sleep
- Stress-relieving activities like walking or yoga
- Deep breathing
- Getting some sun
- Stretching
- Progressive relaxation
- Eating a snack
- Spending time with people you trust
Not all activities will work for everyone. Find something that will help you relax and release some of the stress on a day-to-day basis. Combined with switching your diet to anti-inflammatory foods, stress relief will help reduce chronic inflammation in your body.
Are There Ways to Prevent Inflammation?
Many of the same things that help treat inflammation can be used to prevent it as well. Stay active without straining yourself, eat natural foods, and avoid inflammatory ingredients. There are other lifestyle choices that will help prevent inflammation as well.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Weight and inflammation have a cyclical relationship. Both of them can trigger the other. Being overweight can cause inflammation and inflammation can cause weight gain. Maintaining a healthy weight can help reduce the risk of inflammation in your body.
- Quit or avoid smoking. Smoking has many negative side effects. The least of which is inflammation.
- Limit your alcohol intake. Too much alcohol can cause inflammation. It is also calories without any nutrition, which can cause weight gain, triggering more inflammation.
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