Call (310) 245-0332 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (310) 245-0332 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Fighting Inflammation in Your Body

Posted by Janice Wood, September 10, 2019

You might have heard of “inflammation”, but what does that mean, exactly? In layman’s terms, it means your immune system is activated but can’t “shut off”. Generally speaking, we think an active immune system is a good thing, because it protects us from illnesses. But when it overreacts and can’t settle down, your body’s immune cells can cause problems for you.

Chronic inflammation means your immune system is attacking you. Diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and some metabolic syndromes are strongly linked to inflammation.

What causes inflammation? Often, inflammation results from certain dietary choices. Too much white flour, sugar, and fried foods can trigger the problem, and a lack of fruits, vegetables, and “good” fats can exacerbate it.

Obesity is another culprit. When fat cells reach critical mass, they can emit inflammatory compounds.

Finally, stress and lack of sleep will only make the problem worse. Lifestyle changes, including regular exercise, exposure to sunlight, and good sleep habits can help to boost healthy sleep patterns and reduce unhealthy levels of stress.

Fighting back against inflammation. Other than lifestyle changes, diet is probably the most important weapon against chronic inflammation. Take the time to clean out your pantry, getting rid of processed foods, sugars, and packaged snacks high in trans fats and white flours. Replace those items with:

  • Fresh fruits and vegetables. Try to “eat the rainbow” by consuming produce in every color daily
  • Certain spices and herbs – turmeric, ginger, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and many others have been shown to combat inflammation
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Nuts – particularly walnuts, almonds, and cashews
  • Seeds – like chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds
  • Fish – such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and rainbow trout
  • Whole grains
  • Legumes
  • Green tea
  • Dark chocolate

Ideally, you should institute these changes to prevent inflammation from harming your health in the future. If you’re already suffering the effects of chronic inflammation (such as arthritis) the above tips can help. But make sure to discuss your dietary and lifestyle changes with your doctor, and he or she can offer additional guidance.

Need more information?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close