What is Chronic Inflammation?

Chronic inflammation is something that both Madison and I have dealt with over the years paired with our autoimmune diseases. In an effort to be transparent about our lives and share parts of our story, we are beginning this chronic inflammation and anti-inflammatory diet series to help share our knowledge and experiences with the hopes that we will be able to help you along your health journey.

What is chronic inflammation?

Chronic inflammation is an on-going response from your immune system to protect your body, cells and organs from something harmful. Your body becomes inflamed as a response to infections, injuries, toxins or damage. Once this happens, your body releases chemicals that triggers an immune response. If you have acute inflammation, the response could last for just a few hours or even days. However, chronic inflammation means that your body is experiencing on-going inflammation and it is essentially attacking you from the inside out. Chronic inflammation means that the immune response is drawn out and can ultimately have a negative impact on your tissues and organs.

What causes chronic inflammation?

Many things can cause chronic inflammation. Keep in mind though that what causes chronic inflammation in some will not cause inflammation in others. Sometimes, chronic inflammation doesn’t have a clear underlying cause and you may have to try several different avenues to reduce inflammation. However, we do know that the following things certainly do cause chronic inflammation:

– Untreated acute inflammation, such as injury or an infection

– Autoimmune diseases, which means that your immune system is mistakenly attacking it’s own healthy tissues

– Exposure to chemicals, pollutants or irritants

What are symptoms of chronic inflammation?

Some symptoms of chronic inflammation can include digestive responses such as bowel discomfort, a leaky gut, bloating, gas and constipation. It can also mean headaches, trouble losing weight, irregular menstrual cycles, difficulty sleeping. Other symptoms of chronic inflammation can be muscle or joint pain, skin rashes, redness or swelling of your joints, overall fatigue or fevers.

Why is reducing inflammation important?

Reducing inflammation in your body is important because when inflammation is prolonged, it can lead to serious health risks. In addition, ask yourself: Why would you want to walk around inflamed and be a detriment to your own full potential? By reducing inflammation you can live a better life, reach your full potential, stave off the negative symptoms of an immune response and live a healthier and happier life.

What are some ways to reduce inflammation?

There are treatments for everything these days and yes, there are steroid drugs and inflammation reducing over-the-counter medications that you can take too. Unfortunately, the medications, especially the steroids, are going to create more problems in the short term. Yes, they do work… but you are going to be dealing with a much bigger problem and many more negative symptoms temporarily while taking these medications. Keep in mind, you can’t stay on them forever and when you ween off of them, the inflammation will return.

Thankfully, there is one way that you can help to reduce your body’s inflammation and reduce chronic inflammation: change the kinds of foods that you eat.

The Best Anti-Inflammatory Diets

There are many diets that tout being the top anti-inflammatory diets but they are not going to fit everyone that needs to reduce chronic inflammation.

1. MEDITERRANEAN DIET

The Mediterranean diet is considered to be one of the healthy eating plans recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans as an anti-inflammatory diet that promotes good health. The diet is based on eating fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans and whole grains. The meals are plant based with a moderate amount of dairy, poultry, eggs and seafood. This whole food diet is nutrient-dense and full of the essential minerals and fatty acids that our bodies need.

However, if you have an intolerance or allergy to gluten, shellfish or nightshades, this diet likely won’t work for you. Which, instead of being an anti-inflammatory diet choice, it would create more inflammation in your body.

2. DR. WEIL’S ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET

Another well-known anti-inflammatory diet is Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Diet is less a diet and more a scientific approach to choosing foods in order to help maintain your optimum body health. By following the guidelines and lists of foods and supplements you must take, this approach is intended to reduce the inflammation and improve your vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and phytonutrients you need.

However, experts have a different opinion on Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Diet. There are long lists to follow and an exorbitant amount of supplements in order to ensure the anti-inflammatory approach taken in this diet is a success. In addition, you may be dealing with some higher than normal sodium levels and too much fat intake.

Of course, if you want our honest opinion, we believe that an individualized diet is key. You need to eat what is best for you, what nourishes your body, the inflammation you are dealing with, the chronic symptoms you’re trying to reduce while being mindful of the things that you’re intolerant to. Which brings me to the third best anti-inflammatory diet approach.

3. EAT CLEAN

The sole purpose being Clean Cuisine is to provide a safe, educational, nutrient-dense approach to eating healthy and reducing chronic inflammation. We suggest that you start with healthy whole foods and adapt based on what your body can tolerate. Both Madison and I started eating clean the same way — with the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol which in it’s simplest definition “is a way of eating to heal the gut wall, restore gut flora and in doing so reduce the chronic inflammatory response of the immune system that results in the destruction of tissue in autoimmune diseases.” as defined by the Paleo Way.

Before you make any changes, we strongly suggest that you have a physical with your health care provider or naturopath.