Can you remember the last time you cut yourself, were stung by a bee, or injured a joint?
Your body reacted in a way to heal itself – to return the injured tissue to a normal state. The reaction that caused the uncomfortable pain, redness, and swelling is the result of a protective response known as inflammation.
Inflammation is necessary and is not bad, but it has its place – as in the cases cited above when there is an acute injury. The benefit of an inflammatory reaction can be lifesaving, so suppressing inflammation completely is not possible.
When inflammation becomes chronic extinguishing some of the fire can have big health benefits.
Chronic inflammation is harder to identify than acute and is a state of prolonged inflammation. The same cells that help with acute injury healing do damage if they hang around too long when the inflammatory switch gets stuck in the “on” position.
While chronic inflammation is not known to be the primary cause any one disease, it is now widely accepted that it plays a role in diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders, such as overweight and obesity, as well as neurological diseases.
Causes of chronic inflammation may include persistent infection, food sensitivities, leaky gut, poor diet, poor sleep hygiene, environment, and exercise without proper recovery.
Also, visceral fat, which is the fat tissue stored close to organs in the mid-section, can be a driver of chronic inflammation as it is dynamic and produces a variety of pro-inflammatory hormones.
For women in perimenopause there is typically an increase in visceral fat, and we observe this when women report of more weight gain around the belly and needing to go up a size or two in the waistband of clothing.
The easiest, low-risk approach to addressing chronic inflammation is with diet.
An anti-inflammatory diet is described in research as one that is appropriate in calories, low in processed carbohydrates, high in fiber, high in mono and polyunsaturated fats, higher in omega 3 than omega 6, and high in antioxidants.
Translation: High in whole, plant foods with a focus on healthy fats and moderate animal protein intake –at least 75% plant foods and no more than 25% animal proteins.
This type of 75/25 dietary ratio hits all the anti-inflammatory buttons as whole plant foods are almost always less calorie-dense than processed foods, they are high in fiber, and contain a wide variety of disease-fighting antioxidants.
Certain plant foods such as chia seed, avocados, walnuts, and olive oil are rich in healthy fats. The other 25% of your plate? High-quality animal proteins. Salmon, sardines, and mackerel are animal proteins of note as they are also excellent sources of omega-3 fats, which are anti-inflammatory.
By reducing intake of processed foods and replacing them with colorful, whole plant foods you are well on your way to reaping the benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet and reducing risk of many chronic diseases.
Curious as to what your anti-inflammation nutrition plate might look like? Sign up for a 7-day free trial of my anti-inflammatory meal plan – remove the guesswork! Please enter the coupon code 7daysfree when you sign up to receive your free week.
--> Schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss how to optimize your health in 2022 HERE.