The good news is that anti-inflammatory foods help you stay healthy and reduce your risk of many diseases. In fact, simple lifestyle modifications, especially in your diet, may help prevent, treat, or alleviate a variety of chronic conditions. According to the CDC, eliminating three risk factors - poor diet, inactivity, and smoking - would prevent 80% of heart disease and stroke; 80% of type 2 diabetes; and 40% of cancer.

Here are some simple changes you can adopt in your diet today to fight inflammation while reducing your risk of chronic illness – 

• Increase the amount of whole plant foods you consume, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and lentils.  Plant foods with lots of fiber help to encourage good gut bacteria to aid in the fighting off inflammation.
• Eat the rainbow because colorful vegetables, fruits, and herbs like strawberries, red grapes, avocados, carrots, beets, turmeric (curcumin), and dark green leafy vegetables such as kale are high in antioxidant polyphenols that reduce inflammation.
• Omega-3 fats can help reduce pain and clear up inflammation (think foods like nuts, seeds & minimally processed, whole food soy)
• Limit pro-inflammatory foods like red & processed meats (i.e., hot dogs, sausages, deli meat, etc.), fried foods, unhealthy fats (i.e., shortening, lard), sugar sweetened drinks (fruit juice, sports drinks, sodas), highly processed foods (frozen dinners, dehydrated soups) and refined carbohydrates (white bread, baked goods, desserts)
• When cooking at high temperatures, avoid burning meals because this creates harmful compounds that promote inflammation

Move Your Body

When you think about movement, you might automatically think about working out or going to the gym, but movement doesn’t have to be that intense. Being active is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Exercise not only helps keep your weight down and reduces the risk of chronic diseases, but it also helps to reduce inflammation. In fact, regular physical activity has been linked to lower levels of inflammation over time, according to research, suggesting that it may be important in preventing the pro-inflammatory state seen with ageing.

Choose activities you enjoy and can stick with, such as swimming, biking, hiking, dancing, or even just taking a brisk walk. Aim for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (or a combination thereof).

Take Advantage of Restful Sleep

Sleep is a lifestyle habit that is so important to your overall health, including the health of your mind and body. It’s also essential for a healthy immune system and it can help you fight off inflammation. Research suggests your sleeping habits are directly linked to how much inflammation you have in your body. Sleep deprivation has been shown to increase levels of inflammatory markers in the body, such as c-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin, which are both associated with heart disease risk.

Getting enough sleep can help reduce inflammation and improve your overall health. Being well rested helps you have better energy, moods, mental clarity, focus and productivity throughout the day. If you aren’t getting at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night, start making it a priority.

Here are some tips for better sleep:

• Every day, you should try to keep a consistent sleep-wake routine.
• Get exposure to natural daylight earlier in the day
• Avoid caffeine later in the day
• Avoid screens at least an hour before bed
• Create a relaxing nighttime ritual

Limit Excessive Toxins

Substance use and inflammation are closely related. Toxins from smoking, drinking, and pollution all increase inflammation in the body. If you can limit your exposure to these toxins, you will help reduce inflammation.

Smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your health, and it also increases inflammation. The chemicals in cigarettes not only damage your lungs, but they also trigger inflammation in the body. Quitting or never starting is the most beneficial thing you can do to improve your health and reduce inflammation!

Similarly, alcohol and inflammation are also closely related. Too much alcohol can damage your liver and increase inflammation. If you are going to drink, it is best to stick to only one or two drinks per day and avoid drinking if you are inflamed or have a chronic disease. 

Connect More & Stress Less

Connect more with yourself and others! Loneliness and lack of social connection increases inflammation. Social connections are important for your mental health, as well as physical health - and can help reduce inflammation in the body. Loneliness is also associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and immune dysfunction, which both increase inflammation levels in the body.

Stress increases inflammation in the body, so it is important to take steps to manage stress if you want to improve your health or prevent disease. Not only does too much stress increase inflammation, but chronic stress increase your risk for several chronic illnesses such as heart disease. Engage in relaxing stress-reducing activities such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or tai chi. These practices can help reduce stress and improve your quality of life.

Conclusion

Chronic, long-term, low-level inflammation is at the root of many chronic diseases, so it’s important to focus on reducing it in your life. These are five great lifestyle habits to adopt today that will help fight inflammation! Start by focusing on adding colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fish to your diet. Then layer in lifestyle upgrades like physical activity, restful sleep, and stress management.

These changes can be integrated into your day-to-day practices. Implementing these small changes can make a big difference in your overall health! First try adding one additional fruit or vegetable to your day. Then, several times a day at each snack or meal. For inspiration, download this free plant powered toolkit today for my 10 key principles on getting more plants on your plate! 

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