This Simple Blood Test Could Save Your Life
- A high-sugar, processed foods diet
- Inflammatory fats (omega 6 fats like processed vegetable oils and trans fats)
- Lack of exercise
- Stress
- Food allergies and sensitivities
- Hidden or chronic infections with viruses, bacteria, yeasts or parasites
- Mold and other environmental allergens
- Toxicity from an overload of environmental toxins
- Eat real food. Too many sugary foods, including wheat flour, raise insulin, eventually paving the path for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. A vicious cycle results as insulin resistance creates even more chronic inflammation. Eat an anti-inflammatory high fiber, plant-based, whole foods diet.
- Make an oil change. Besides sugar, omega-6 rich soybean, corn, and other vegetable oils stoke your inflammatory fire. Eat healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, avocados and omega 3 fats from small fish like sardines, herring, sable, and wild salmon. If you don’t eat wild-caught fish at least three or four times each week, consider a high-quality fish oil supplement.
- Exercise regularly. One study in the Journal of Applied Physiology 2found exercise protected against chronic diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. If you're just starting out, incorporate aerobic exercise 30 minutes, five times a week. If you want to step things up a few notches, try interval training and weight resistance.
- Actively relax. Learn to actively relax to engage your vagus nerve, the powerful nerve that relaxes your whole body and lowers inflammation, by doing meditation, deep breathing, or even taking a hot bath. One study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine3 found yoga could reduce inflammation and stress, and "regular practice could have substantial health benefits.”
- Address food allergies and sensitivities. One study in the journal Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes4 compared obese kids to normal-weight kids and found obese children had a threefold higher level of CRP and 2.5 higher level of IgG antibodies for the 277 foods tested. Food sensitivities, weight gain, and insulin resistance are intricately connected. Eliminating common highly reactive foods, including soy, gluten, and dairy can dramatically reduce inflammation.
- Take probiotics. Studies show5 among their benefits, a probiotic supplement can help reduce intestinal inflammation. These healthy gut flora also improve digestion, further reducing inflammation. Look for a high-quality probiotic supplement that contains 10 billion CFU of Bifidobacteria species and Lactobacillus species.
- Address nutrient deficiencies. Look at a high-quality multivitamin/ multi-mineral as your best insurance policy that covers any gaps you might not get in a whole foods diet. One study in The American Journal of Medicine 6 found a multivitamin could lower C-reactive protein levels.
- Spice it up. Turmeric is one of my favorite spices to help reduce inflammation. Others include ginger, rosemary and garlic.
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