Inflammation may be a normal part of your body's response to injuries and foreign invaders like germs and pathogens, but chronic inflammation often goes unchecked, developing and persisting over time, leading to chronic diseases and disorders most medical doctors never "fix," but only "manage the symptoms."
While acute inflammation is sudden and temporary, chronic inflammation can persist for months or even years. This means your body keeps sending inflammatory cells even when there is no danger, attacking tissues, causing damage to organs and driving autoimmune diseases, diabetes and heart disease.
#1. Bread - conventional bread is chock full of emulsifiers, softening agents, gluten that drives constipation, and chemical preservatives
#2. Dairy - conventional dairy contains hormones, antibiotics, and saturated fat
#3. Nitrates, Nitrites and Monosodium Glutamate - concentrated salts that inflame the system, often found in deli meats, Chinese food, hot dogs, soups and spicy chips
#4. Sugar - especially white, refined, highly processed and high fructose corn syrup (GMO HFCS)
#6. Chemical-based pesticides, herbicides and GMOs (including Roundup, glyphosate and crop seeds that produce pesticides from toxic plants and animals)
#7. Chemicals in plastic containers and food wrappings - they leach into the water, beverages and foods, especially when aging or heated up
#8. Antibiotics, vaccines and prescription medications - unnatural, synthetic, lab-concocted chemical medicines and antibiotics used on farm animals to stave off disease end up in the food supply. Plus, vaccines often contain formaldehyde, mercury, aluminum, antibiotics and other contaminants
#9. Water chemicals - think bleach, fluoride, other people's medications and heavy metal toxins
#10. Chemicals in personal care products - think aluminum, sodium lauryl sulfate, talc and fragrances that drive allergies and skin problems
The best way to reduce and begin eliminating chronic inflammation is to focus on consumption habits. There's no miracle pill or food for this, so it's all about lifestyle and consumption choices (diet has become a negative word). Eating whole foods (unprocessed) and organic is key, and the more raw foods the better (except for of course meat).
Many foods and supplements help reduce inflammation. Let's start with turmeric. Turmeric has been studied for decades and curcuma is associated with anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Incorporate turmeric into your food regimen and/or take it as a supplement, via capsules or tincture. Curcumin helps reduce inflammation in many chronic conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis and psoriasis.
Next, ramp up your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, often found in salmon, tuna, fish oil supplements and hemp seed oil. These help with reducing several types of inflammation, including vascular inflammation. Zinc is another potent anti-inflammatory and decreases oxidative stress that can trigger inflammation and cancer.
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