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Inflammation is your body’s response to bacteria, virus, and anything else trying to harm it.

In other words, inflammation is your body’s natural protection mechanism and means to begin the healing process.

In an overall healthy being, acute inflammation is a good thing, as it is part of the body’s immune response. Without inflammation, the Diet and Inflammation Clancy Medical Groupbody would never heal after an infection or a wound. Inflammation only becomes truly dangerous when it becomes chronic.

Chronic inflammation may lead to a variety of diseases, including cancers, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and atherosclerosis. It lasts months, and even years, and may result from an autoimmune response (the immune system attacking itself), the body failing to rid itself of the irritant, or a chronic, low-intensity irritant.

Diseases and disorders marked by chronic inflammation include asthma, ulcerative colitis, and chronic periodontitis.

In addition to working with your healthcare provider to reduce chronic inflammation, you can take a proactive approach to your health and make lifestyle changes today to reduce inflammation.

How to Fight Inflammation with Diet

The top three things to add to your diet to fight inflammation are fruits, vegetables, and seafood, the more colorful, the better.

Ideally, every meal and snack you consume each day contain at least one serving of vegetables, especially those with deep pigmentation (in other words, not starchy varieties like potatoes). Those vibrant colors come with major health benefits, such as antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and polyphenols. They’re also packed with fiber and other anti-inflammatory goodness.

Similarly, fruits offer a variety of health benefits, thanks to being abundant in fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients.

Omega-3 fatty acids are sorely lacking from most modern Western diets, and that’s too bad, because they offer one of the quickest, safest ways to reduce chronic inflammation. To get more omega-3s, start with supplements, and then add natural sources (though you should, of course, do both at once).

A handful of nuts and seeds, such as walnuts and freshly-ground flaxseed, make a great daily addition for your mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack and are an easy way to increase your intake of essential fatty acids.

Fish are well-known sources of omega-3s. Unfortunately, much of today’s fish display high levels of mercury, seriously limiting the health benefits. Look instead to Alaskan, organic farm-raised, or wild Pacific salmon. Shellfish still make great sources of omega-3s, as do smaller species such as anchovies and sardines.

Look also for omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids. In addition to supplements, you find these essential fats in grape seed oil (great for cooking) and olive oil (great for dressings). You also find a variety of healthful properties in herbs and spices, such as oregano, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. It isn’t a coincidence that our ancestors used many of these plants in creating medicines.

Finally, to fight inflammation, you need to eliminate some foods from your diet. Increasing anti-inflammatory choices while reducing inflammatory foods is the one-two punch that will make an enormous difference in reducing your inflammation.

The greatest culprits are trans fats and processed foods, which are high in many things that are bad for you, including sugars and refined carbohydrates, without offering any nutritional benefits.

Common food allergens and sensitivities include dairy, eggs, gluten, nuts, and soy. To determine whether you have one of these sensitivities or allergies, work your way through the list, eliminating one of these foods at a time. Do this for a two-week period, then reintroduce the item and watch your body’s reaction for 48 hours. Repeat with the next food on the list until you work through all of them.

Using Supplements to Reduce Inflammation

Getting all of the vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients we need from our everyday diet is nearly impossible. This is why the supplement business skyrocketed in popularity years ago. However, it’s important to note that not all supplements are created equal.

Start with a high-quality multivitamin/mineral complex that includes the B vitamins, as well as A, C, D, and E. Without quite understanding why or how, researchers recognize that patients with high levels of these vitamins in their blood demonstrate lower risk of diseases and conditions caused by inflammation, including insulin resistance, heart disease, and arthritis.

Of course, supplements move beyond vitamins to a wide variety of compounds with anti-inflammatory properties. Look for bioflavonoids (also called flavonoids and flavones) such as quercetin, procyanidins, and rutin, which have stellar anti-inflammatory properties.

Stop Poisoning Your Body and Environment

As stated earlier, inflammation is your body’s method of repairing and healing itself. Give your body less to fight by reducing, or even eliminating, substances that cause significant damage. These include alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. Smoking cessation has one of the most dramatic effects on inflammation, so try quitting for around 10 days and gauge the difference in how your body feels.

When it comes to pain management, consider alternative solutions, as opioids and even over-the-counter pain medications take a serious toll on the body. Alternative options include chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, and water therapies.

Finally, look outside your body, and remove toxins from your living space (and workspace, if you have the authority to do so). Start with natural, green cleaning products. Install quality filters and make their job easier by bringing in house plants.

The Final Components: Activity and Rest

A healthy body is an active body. Exercise helps manage stress and improve overall health. This doesn’t mean you need to lift weights or train for a marathon. Thirty minutes each day of moderate aerobic activity – walking, jogging, swimming, bicycling, gardening, and dancing – is all it takes, and it’s vital to building your healthy body.

Finally, make sure you get enough sleep. Our bodies rejuvenate as we sleep, and the average adult needs between seven and nine hours per night. Sleep is when your body rebuilds and repairs the damage of the day, so recognize its importance and make it a priority.

If you’re ready to take charge of your health, make an appointment with your physician today. He or she will guide you through a plan to reduce inflammation and improve your health.