Turning Down the Heat on Inflammatory Diseases

We speak often about this subject with our clients! Chronic inflammation (long-term inflammation) can be the root of all evil when it comes to cellular health. Acute inflammation (short term inflammation) is beneficial when you have a cut or injury that needs an inflammatory response to jump start the healing process. Inflammation becomes dangerous when it becomes a chronic inflammatory response in the body that starts damaging cells and tissue. There are more than 80 health conditions associated with acute and chronic inflammation. Some of the most common are:

Cardiovascular Disease
Cancer
Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes
High Blood Pressure
High Cholesterol
Crohn’s Disease
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Neurological Diseases
Asthma

Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Hepatitis
Sinusitis
Multiple Sclerosis
Lupus
Gout

Harvard University scientific research shows that even low-grade chronic inflammation contributes to cancer, cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, and several other life-threatening diseases. In 2023, Harvard Medical School published Fighting Inflammation, a Special Health Report explaining the threat of chronic inflammation on your health. Interesting reading; I would recommend taking time to check it out.

Major contributors to chronic inflammation are consuming foods associated with the Standard American Diet such as:

Saturated and trans fats found in animal and dairy products
Processed sugar and high fructose corn syrup
Gluten
Highly processed foods
Cooking oils such as corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, soy and vegetable oil
Artificial sweeteners and pesticides

Lifestyle contributors include:

Obesity
Smoking
Not getting enough sleep
Regular alcohol consumption
Stress

Eat to Beat Chronic Inflammation

Ways to reduce chronic inflammation include eating an anti-inflammatory diet consisting of antioxidants and fiber found in foods such as:

Green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower (rich sources of anti-inflammatory polyphenols and sulforaphane)
Fruits such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, tomatoes, broccoli, avocados, bell peppers, mushrooms, grapes, cherries are all an abundant source of polyphenols
Nuts and seeds such as walnuts, almonds, pistachios, Brazil nuts, all high in alpha-lino-lenic acid which has anti-inflammatory properties.
Turmeric, a natural anti-inflammatory

Consuming these foods improves your chances of reducing chronic inflammation as does getting eight hours of sleep, reducing your alcohol intake, reducing stress, and moving your body regularly. These are all ways to improve your cellular health and reduce inflammation. Understanding chronic inflammation is critical to your health and quality of life. When you understand the cause, you can literally turn down the heat on inflammatory disease!

You can learn more about the dangers of chronic inflammation in our book “Defeating Type-2 Diabetes.”

You may also be interested in our 6-week course, You Deserve 2 Be Healthy.