by Tami Raco Personal Trainer, Health & Nutrition Coach
Almost every chronic health problem in the human body is driven by inflammation. Inflammation is most often linked to a poor diet with foods that cause inflammatory reactions in the body. Inflammation is part of the body’s natural defense system, however when your immune system shifts out of balance, inflammation can run rampant causing a chronic fire in your body that can create illness, pain and disease. It can create Alzheimer’s, cancer, ADD, depression, increased bad cholesterol, painful joints, leaky gut syndrome, Parkinson disease, coronary heart disease and diabetes.
In particular, inflammation can really affect our brain. Our diet is ultimately the biggest factor in unhealthy inflammation in our body. The American diet became higher in processed carbs, lower dietary fiber and lower healthy fats, which paved the way to these inflammation driven diseases.
By changing our diet and making a few simple lifestyle changes we can drastically reduce inflammation and the diseases caused by it. Diet: More dietary fiber, less processed carbohydrates, changing the quality of our fats we eat. Remove highly processed unhealthy fats such as omega 6 oils like soybean oil and canola oil. Choose healthy fats and oils such as unrefined coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, grass fed butter and ghee. Eat more natural foods, i.e. berries and steel cut oatmeal, and reduce foods that are processed and manufactured. Read labels and strive to eat foods that have ingredients that are from real food and reduce or eliminate foods with added chemicals. Try new foods and cook your meals.
Read labels and strive to eat foods that have ingredients that are from real food and reduce or eliminate foods with added chemicals. Try new foods and cook your meals.
Restorative Sleep: Sleep 7-8 hours a day. If you struggle with regular healthy sleep see a sleep specialist.
Aerobic exercise: Move your body to increase heart rate for 20-30 minutes at least 3x per week.
Food is the driver to our chronic health issues but it can also be the solution. Not just for prevention but for reversal of diseases. The wrong foods can make you sick, and the right food can absolutely make you healthier. The power to be healthier is in your hands.
