Diet Tips To Reduce Inflammation

By Stacie Haaga, RD, CLT

Stacie Haaga, RD, CLT Nutrition and Wellness Counseling

. https://www.staciehnutrition.com/

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Diet Tips To Reduce Inflammation

If you have a condition that ends with“-itis” then you have inflammation. Inflammation is one of the body’s natural ways of protecting itself as part of the innate immune system. While that is not a bad thing, if left unmanaged it can eventually lead to detrimental chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation occurs when the body is unable to eliminate the original source of inflammation. The immune system then gets set to “on” and ultimately triggers pain, autoimmunity, and chronic disease.

So how do we turn “off” the autoimmune switch? Changes to the diet can calm down the immune system and help to flip that switch off. Removing inflammatory foods and giving your body recovery time with intermittent fasting will help to decrease inflammation and minimize symptoms.

Removing inflammatory foods is the first step when it comes to reducing inflammation because as long as they are in the diet, you will continue to be inflamed. What is inflammatory for you may not be inflammatory for another person, however I always recommending starting with the removal of gluten, dairy and sugar because they are inherently inflammatory for most people.

While removing gluten, dairy and sugar can be a powerful tool for healing, sometimes it’s not enough for people suffering with chronic inflammation. Often, it’s also necessary to test for additional food sensitivities that are triggering an immune response. Many people are surprised to learn that seemingly “healthy” foods they are eating every day are also causing inflammation. A qualified Certified LEAP Therapist (CLT) can test you and help you safely perform an elimination diet to reduce symptoms of overall inflammation.

Inflammation starts in the gut, so after removing trigger foods it is important to support gut healing, too. Intermittent fasting is a relatively easy way to start the gut healing process – it is not a diet but an eating schedule that allows the body to be at digestive rest and to heal overnight. Daily fasting of 16 hours has been shown to limit inflammation, improve blood glucose management, reduce blood pressure and promote weight loss in clinical trials. Less frequent 24-hr fasts may also be beneficial in reducing inflammation but should be done with the guidance of a professional.

Removing inflammatory foods and practicing intermittent fasting are powerful, natural, and cost-effective tools for you to address your chronic inflammation.