I am generally not a strong advocate for a very particular type of diet or lifestyle, since I firmly believe every person is unique, and any approach should be personalized to one’s individual needs.
“Someone’s medicine can be someone else’s poison”, I’ve been reminded many times throughout my course at IIN.
But in my personal life and my coaching practice, I have constantly been focused on advocating for strategies that can reduce or eliminate the risk of chronic inflammation in our lives. From a public health perspective, this can lead to an important reduction in the burden of chronic and life-threatening diseases that are negatively affecting the lives of so many people around the world, and are putting a significant strain on the resources of the already struggling healthcare system.
Why is this so important?
Let’s first be reminded what inflammation is and when it can do to your body (good or bad).
Inflammation is in fact one of our body’s essential mechanisms for survival, since it helps fight infections off, and leads to tissue repair and healing after the acute episode has been resolved. It should be, and it is in many cases, a process that is limited in time (hence the term “acute”).
However when it persists and turns into chronic inflammation, it can negatively affect all major organs in our body, with serious medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, depression, Alzheimer's, and even cancer being linked to chronic inflammation.
While there are usually many (more or less) effective treatment strategies that physicians will recommend for these diseases, there is one thing that is a lot more in our direct control, and with a much higher impact that we think when it comes to how much chronic inflammation we subject our body to: LIFESTYLE.
This is nothing more than the choices we make every day, that are ours to own, and be accountable for. Which in fact, is truly good news. Because we can do something about it, with very impactful results. And the earlier in life we start, the better the results.
So here are the most important lifestyle changes you can do, in order to keep inflammation in check and significantly improve your overall health:
1. Healthy eating habits
Eat the rainbow -make sure to include a wide range of colorful plant foods (fruits and vegetables) in your daily meals. Leafy greens in particular.
Do not forget about nuts and seeds - they contain important healthy macronutrients, and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
Healthy oils and unsaturated fats - for example from olive, flaxseed, walnut or canola oils, or one of my favorites: avocado
Fatty fish (such as salmon, mackerel, sardines) - contains healthy doses of Omega-3 fatty acids with important anti-inflammatory properties
Drink water, tea (black, green or herbal) or coffee (but no fatty milk or sugar added).
Spice up your foods (and life) with garlic, turmeric or green herbs. Oh yes, dark chocolate is a plus (just watch the portion, since it can still be an important source of calories)
Avoid (or severely limit) refined carbohydrates, red or processed meat, fries, margarine or lard, as well as sugary beverages
2. Healthy lifestyle habits:
Make sure you exercise regularly (30 min, 5 times a week would be ideal)
Make sure you get enough sleep (at least 7-8 hrs)
Implement stress reduction strategies (for example: practice Tai Chi, meditation, mindfulness, spend time with friends, journal your thoughts etc)
Quit smoking and alcohol
Personally, I have fully embraced this lifestyle, and I feel more healthy, energized, happy and cognitively strong than ever before.
What about you? Do you want to learn more about anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle, and how it can help you have a healthier, happier and more fulfilled life?
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