Wellness with Natalie: Tackling chronic inflammation

Inflammation is your body’s natural protective and healing response to a harmful situation. Without inflammation we would not heal. Basically it works like this: the body experiences an assault from an infection or an injury, the area will then hurt, become red, swollen, warm and may become stiff. So if you have acute inflammation, chances are you will know.

Chronic inflammation is more subtle, can go unnoticed and can cause quite a few diseases. Chronic inflammation is on the rise and this is a problem for many of us. We may experience chronic inflammation as fatigue, mouth sores, abdominal pain, rash or joint pain. If unchecked it can go on to cause adrenal fatigue, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, Alzheimer's, auto-immune disorders and possibly cancer.

If acute inflammation is like a pot of water on the stove rapidly boiling, chronic inflammation is a low simmering pot.

Your doctor can test for inflammation by checking your C-reactive protein count (CRP).

Chronic inflammation is very often related to poor gut health and leaky gut. Known inflammation triggers are sugar, gluten, dairy, alcohol and trans-fats (think most fried foods). Lectins are also possible triggers in people who don’t tolerate them well. Foods high in lectins are raw cashews and peanuts, corn, quinoa and night shades such as potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and eggplant.

Anything you can do to improve gut health will also help to prevent chronic inflammation. Eating foods high in antioxidants and polyphenols while avoiding oils high in Omega–6 fatty acids is a good place to start.

Identifying your specific triggers will also help. Remember that we are all different and our bodies respond differently to various foods and at different times. If you have reason to believe that you are experiencing signs of chronic inflammation you can try removing some of these items from your diet and see how you feel.

Here are 2 recipes I use to keep inflammation at bay. Let me know how you like them.

Anti-inflammatory smoothie

½ cup Kale

½ Grapefruit, pegged and seeded

¼ cup Pineapple

1 cm of ginger

1 cm of turmeric

Dash of black pepper

¼ cup parsley

1 stalk celery

1 tbsp hemp seeds

Water to achieve desired consistency

Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.

Golden Milk (Turmeric Tea)

1 cup of milk of choice (almond, pecan, coconut)

1 tsp grated turmeric root

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of black pepper (increases absorption)

½ tsp grated ginger root

½ tsp raw honey

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

Then pour into a small saucepan and heat for 3-5 minutes over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Drink immediately.

Originally published by Loop