Many people are unaware that chronic inflammation is the primary source of most diseases.

Obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer are all caused by chronic inflammation, and that’s just the short list.

What does this reveal? Chronic inflammation is the leading cause of disease, accelerated aging and death, so, we’d be wise to avoid this dangerous health damaging condition.

Acute inflammation is not the culprit. It is your body’s first line of defense against uninvited “invaders” and a beneficial process that is totally normal.

However, when it gets out of hand and becomes chronic it becomes a serious health issue.

Once the immune system is alerted to an injury or illness it immediately sends in the troops – teams of white bloods cells that work at jump starting the healing process and rooting out and attacking the invader/infection. You’ll notice familiar signs such as pain, heat, redness and swelling that indicate that your immune system is in action and working properly.

However, when the immune system experiences false distress signals (if it is stuck in “on”) as it is with chronic inflammation, it still sends out white blood cells as if you were really under attack.

These white blood cells end up just “hanging around” with nothing to do. If there is nothing to “fix,” eventually, this type of unfocused immune activity and all those excess white blood cells end up damaging your internal organs and needlessly attacking other healthy cells that would otherwise work to keep disease at bay. This opens the door for more serious illness to take hold.

The good news is, chronic inflammation can be prevented. You can avoid this silent but deadly danger by paying attention to and focusing on your diet.

Inflammation Fighting Foods

Animal based Omega-3 Fatty Acids

These “good fats” are wonderful for your heart health. Salmon is one source that offers a wealth of Omega-3’s as well as other “fatty fish.”

Blueberries

Offer a high antioxidant capacity compared to other fruits and veggies. They also contain less sugar than many other fruits.

Garlic

Known for centuries for its medicinal properties, garlic offers anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties.

Leafy greens

Not surprising to find these nutrient dense powerhouses on this list as plants are probably your best inflammation fighting bet. Kale, collard greens, Swiss chard and spinach all contain powerful flavonoids, carotenoids, antioxidants, magnesium, lycopene and vitamin C that work to protect you against cellular damage.

Inflammation Fighting Herbs and Spices

Nature’s flavors contain a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Every herb or spice you add to your food upgrades their disease fighting abilities without adding any calories. Compared to fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices rank higher on the antioxidant scale.

Cloves, rosemary, turmeric and ginger all rank high in their effectiveness at quelling the inflammatory response. Cinnamon, oregano, marjoram, sage, thyme and pumpkin pie spice mix also make the list offering high anti-inflammatory properties. (There are others…this is just an example.)

The key to avoiding chronic inflammation is to make sure you include a variety of these anti-inflammatory foods in your diet.

Although diet is the primary player in the war against inflammation, there are other areas of your life you need to examine as well.

Stress is one of those

They don’t call stress a “killer” for no reason. Research shows inflammatory activity usually increases under stress. If you find yourself in this category often, it may be worth your while to invest in a strategy to manage and control your anxiety and mood. After all, isn’t your long term health worth it?

Ditch the sugar

Although science hasn’t figured out exactly why yet, eating foods that fill your bloodstream with excessive sugar also sets off inflammation. You’d do well to steer clear of these.

Exercise

And, last but certainly not least is exercise. Exercise has been well proven to calm and reduce feelings of worry and anxiety as well as offering incredibly powerful effects at fighting inflammation regardless of your current weight. Be aware that just because you are not currently overweight it does not guarantee you are not harboring hidden inflammation that is silently damaging your organs and healthy cells.

It’s time to throw away all the false statements you’ve accepted about dieting and exercise and learn what it really takes to stay healthy and fit.

If you’re ready to take command of your life and put inflammation and disease at rest…

“Healthy Self Healing” can help you do just that…

For more tools and resources from Carolyn Hansen to assist you in attaining your health and fitness goals and achieving the success you desire in life, please visit:

Carolyn Hansen Fitness