Inflammation is common and can happen anywhere in your body as a result of injury. It’s your body’s way of informing you that something is wrong and the inflamed redness is caused by the increase of the blood supply to the wounded area. Makes sense right? This outward visual sign of inflammation is a familiar sight and many of us have had some form of injury to our outer body at some point in our lives. But what about the inflammation that you cannot see? Inflammation of your bowel, and other organs which become irritated as a result of allergies, or a stressed lifestyle and/or poor diet? This causes immense problems and places a huge strain on your body and often, symptoms are ignored. Inflammation can lead to all kinds of health issues and chronic disease such as heart disease, bowel disease, cancer and other health problems such as the intestine being unable to absorb vital nutrients from the food we eat. This can have a degenerative effect on your life and those around you. Here are some tips to reduce inflammation in your body.
Allergies
My motto as has been mentioned on many occasions is:’ You are what you eat’ so the first step to reducing inflammation is to figure out if you have any dietary allergies. The Western Culture (and food) is one of the worst offenders for people suffering from allergies. The number one allergy is gluten and wheat. Gluten intolerance is the prime suspect in inflammation of the body and the intestine suffers immensely in a gluten-intolerant person. Screening for gluten-intolerance is now more common as more research is being carried out on this topic and the only way to combat the intolerance is by eating a gluten-free diet. Other allergies can also be screened (dairy, eggs, wheat, etc), but it is vital to be tested so you can quickly adjust your diet and reverse the inflammation. A simple blood test will confirm many allergies.
Dietary Adjustments
Gluten appears in many processed foods and in many hidden forms such as soup stock cubes, dressings, sauces and condiments. You’d be surprised at the amount of wheat/gluten you’re ingesting which is hidden in processed foods. Switching to plant-based products and whole foods such as legumes and beans are all foods which are delicious and will help reduce inflammation. I always start my day with a very good quality pro-biotic. This boosts my immune system and puts friendly bacteria into my digestive tract and protects my body. Drinking 8+ glasses of water a day also encourages healthy elimination of toxins and again will protect your digestive tract.
General Health
General health is a vast umbrella which covers your whole health and there are numerous warning signs which show something is wrong and all too often, small signs are ignored and this can lead to bigger problems. Keeping your day-to-day health in good working order by making small adjustments to diet and exercise will help. Listening to your gut is vital and infections can hide away and rear their ugly heads when you least expect it. Always listen to your gut instinct, as the saying goes; it’s this instinct that alerts you to when something is amiss.
Rest, Relax and Have Fun
Rest (to reduce stress) is paramount to your health. Without rest, your cells cannot be healthy and regenerate. The signs of tiredness will affect you inside and out. Stressful living is another factor which can cause inflammation in your body and relaxing is vital to our health. Stress is responsible for many bowel conditions such as diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome and attacks of Crohn’s Disease. Fun and laughter is the anti-dote to stress so don’t forget to have some. There are few finer things in life than rest, relaxation and fun. Managing your time well will pay off in your inner health making you look good and feel beautiful on the outside.