Inflammation serves an important purpose if your body is injured or infected. When the immune system signals white blood cells to repair the damaged area, redness and swelling occur. Once the healing process is complete, the inflammatory response should subside.

However, chronic inflammation can damage healthy cells, organs, and joints, raising your risk of arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and even depression and Alzheimer’s. Follow these six tips to reduce inflammation in your body and help prevent disease.

Reduce Inflammation with Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Your diet is just as important at controlling inflammation as any supplements or medications you take. Here’s what to include in your meals to help reduce inflammation:

• Turmeric: This orange spice contains curcumin, a compound with amazing anti-inflammatory characteristics. Sprinkle some on roasted veggies or make turmeric lattes to increase your intake. To maximize the benefits, you need up to 1,500 mg per day, so consider taking turmeric supplements.
• Leafy greens: These vegetables are rich in magnesium, which about half of all Americans lack in their diet. People with inflammatory conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, tend to have low magnesium levels. Increasing your intake by eating more leafy greens could reduce your risk.
• Fruits and berries: Red grapes, blueberries, and blackberries all contain anthocyanins. This compound not only lends a rich hue to these fruits and berries, but it also helps reduce inflammation.
• Nuts: The combination of fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids makes peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and cashews a healthy part of an anti-inflammatory diet.
• Green tea: This healthy, refreshing beverage can inhibit oxidative stress, along with the inflammation that may result from it.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Nuts aren’t the only source of omega-3s. Load up on cold-water fish (such as tuna and salmon), tofu, flaxseed, and soybeans to get your fill of these anti-inflammatory fatty acids.

Avoid Inflammatory Foods

Just as some foods help fight inflammation, others promote it. If you struggle with rheumatoid arthritis and other similar illnesses, or you want to help prevent them, cut these inflammatory foods out of your diet:

• Sweets: Added sugar increases the level of inflammation-promoting cytokines in your bloodstream. Avoid candy, soda, and other sugary foods.
• Refined flour: Because it’s stripped of fiber and other nutrients that slow down the digestive process, white flour acts the same as sugar. Eating it spikes your blood glucose level and can lead to an inflammatory response.
• Processed foods: The artificial colors, preservatives, and flavors in processed food can signal an immune system attack, which causes inflammation.
• Unhealthy fat: Saturated fat, trans fat, vegetable oil, and fried food can all lead to an inflammatory response.
• Dairy: Eating yogurt in moderation can introduce healthy probiotics to your digestive system, but many sources of dairy are high in saturated fat and may cause an allergic reaction.

These inflammatory foods aren’t the only parts of your diet that could be increasing the inflammation in your body. If you have unidentified allergies or digestive disorders, your diet could be making you sick! The ALCAT test at Spine Correction Center of the Rockies could be the key to identifying problems that cause increased inflammation and pain.

Exercise Daily

Obesity is a major cause of inflammation. Simply increasing your activity level can decrease the presence of inflammatory markers in your body, even if you don’t lose weight. Strive to fit in 30 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise and 10 to 25 minutes of resistance training four to five days a week.

Manage Stress Better

Chronic stress contributes to a higher level of inflammation. The solution isn’t necessarily to avoid stressful situations; it’s to manage stress better. Tips include exercising, smiling and laughing, getting social support, and meditating. Learning to take nerve-racking events in stride can help reduce inflammation.

Get More Rest

Your quality of nighttime sleep affects you for the entire day. When you’re not properly rested, you’re more irritable, which raises your stress level. You may also be prone to eating unhealthy food. Both factors can increase inflammation.

Schedule a Massage

A relaxing Swedish massage doesn’t just help you control stress—it also lowers two key inflammation-promoting hormones and raises the level of disease-fighting white blood cells. No wonder you feel so fantastic after getting a massage!

The trigger point and massage therapy services at Spine Correction Center of the Rockies could be an integral way to reduce inflammation in your body. All it takes is one massage to start seeing results.

If you’re interested in improving your health, reducing the risk of chronic disease, and healing existing inflammatory conditions, let our experienced medical team help! Contact our Fort Collins office at (970) 658-5115 to schedule a free consultation today.