What is inflammation? Inflammation happens when your immune system tries to protect the body from infection, disease, or injury. The body creates inflammation in order to help heal whatever is causing trouble in your body. All of us have it and may or may not be aware of it.

There are two types of inflammation, acute and chronic. Acute Inflammation will usually last for a short period of time and symptoms can appear quickly. Chronic inflammation will usually appear slower and stick around for a while. It can often be linked to autoimmune disease or long-term stress.

Having inflammation present in your body for long periods of time can lead to a number of symptoms and can keep other body systems in a state of imbalance. Some common symptoms include:

– body pain
– chronic fatigue or trouble sleeping
– mood disorders such as depression and anxiety
– gut related symptoms like constipation, diarrhea, acid reflux, gas, and bloating
– weight gain and/or malnourishment issues
– frequent infections

There are many root causes why inflammation may occur, but often times certain foods can cause or exacerbate inflammation in people with autoimmune conditions and other disorders.

Foods that can trigger inflammation often are:

– sugar
– refined Carbohydrates
– alcohol
– processed foods
– nightshades (tomatoes, white potatoes, peppers, bell pepper, nutmeg, eggplant, etc)
– gluten
– dairy
– soy
– eggs

Not all of the foods above will lead to discernible symptoms for everyone, but they can cause disruption in the gut temporarily or permanently and can hinder healing throughout the body. This is especially true when these foods are consumed on a daily basis.

As an Integrative Health Nutrition Coach, I usually recommend (to my clients dealing with inflammation) to try an elimination diet or low inflammatory diet for a minimum of 30 days so they can identify what foods are causing trouble and allow the body to heal.

After removing these trigger foods, you can add in gut healing/inflammation reducing foods. Examples are:

– Drink Bone Broth daily (Meat or Veggie)
– Use Garlic, Turmeric, Ginger when seasoning food
– Eat Probiotic rich foods (Kefir, Yogurt, Sauerkraut, Kombucha, etc)
– Consume Dark Leafy Greens/vegetables (Arugula, spinach, watercress)
– Eat healthy fats (Olive Oil, avocado oil, coconut oil)

There are also a few things that you can do to help reduce inflammation that are not food related:

– Learn to actively relax
– Exercise
– Take a multivitamin to ensure you’re getting enough nutrients
– Take a probiotic daily
– Look into food allergy testing if foods are bothering you

If you are looking for more ways to reduce inflammation or need assistance with nutrition and lifestyle changes please visit my website , email me: heather.metoyer@yahoo.com, phone: 714-401-9177 or check out my Instagram page for additional tips.