Eating a wide variety of anti-inflammatory foods is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Many of today’s refined foods, such as fast foods, processed meats, alcohol, and sodas, lead to inflammation. Inflammation is your body’s defense system designed to protect your body. When we eat heavily refined foods on a consistent basis, we are putting our defense system on overload, which can damage cells and tissues, potentially leading to various diseases.
As a Side Note…
Inflammation can also be caused by the variety of pollutants and toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis through the air and our skin. Think everyday pollution from living in a city to even those commercial products we spray in our homes to smell “clean.” the candles we use, or the laundry detergents we use (your skin is, in fact, the biggest organ on your body and absorbs these toxins). Many contain toxins, and when the body recognizes a foreign substance, it responds in inflammation. However, the point of this particular blog post will focus on the nutrition portion, so let’s get back to that.
Lowering Inflammation
There are some things beyond our control, but often we have more power and choice than we may realize. Our bodies are fascinating and have tremendous power to heal if we give them the right components. Try adding anti-inflammatory foods such as these to your meals:
- berries
- salmon
- ginger
- turmeric
- cinnamon
- tomatoes
- cherries
- walnuts
- almonds
- leafy greens
- sweet potatoes
- avocados
- broccoli
For those of you who exercise, these foods are also necessary to accelerate your recovery windows and reduce soreness.
Food is Medicine
When we eat foods that cause inflammation, we are causing our body to turn on itself, over time damaging arteries, organs, and joints. We can be unnecessarily sick when the power to change is literally at our fingertips. Let’s defy the statistics. We were meant for so much more. Our society is sick, and our broken food system does not help. As we all become educated, we can then use our buyer power. When you are able to, buy organic if possible, to avoid the toxic pesticides that is sprayed on much of the produce we consume. As more people buy these foods, we are telling the companies that use pesticides that we refuse to eat that, and eventually more organic products should become available (at more competitive prices, too!).
Our food is meant to heal us, and the body knows how to heal itself. As we remove the things that hinder the healing process, we will see more and more positive change in our bodies.
If you need help getting started, my meal plans are loaded with anti-inflammatory ingredients combined into delicious meals to help you include these in your lifestyle! No crash diets or extreme measures, but instead I teach you a sustainable way of living. Head over to my programs section to join the MA Warrior Community today.
