Hi Gorgeous,
Trying to decode the signals our bodies send us can feel like a giant puzzle sometimes. Why do we feel great some days and crappy on others? And what do those nagging symptoms really mean?
I know how frustrating this kind of uncertainty can be. You want (and deserve!) to feel great. And you can. It all starts with connecting the dots between your lifestyle choices—the foods you eat, how much sleep and exercise you get, the stressors you face on a daily basis—and your overall well-being.
Because the truth is, those internal and external influences have the power to nourish us, but they can also trick our bodies into thinking they’re under attack and send our immune systems into total chaos. That’s the root of chronic inflammation, which is exactly what I want to talk with you about today!
Over the past decade, I’ve renovated everything from my grocery cart to my makeup bag to my mind in an effort to upgrade my immune system. And as I moved from a stressful life full of fast food, toxins and bad boyfriends to a more balanced existence filled with plant-based nourishment, inner growth and conscious living, I started experiencing the perks—chronic inflammation decreased and my body started working with me to heal and rebuild.
Want to start connecting the dots in your own life? First, let’s learn about acute and chronic inflammation, since they play very different roles in our everyday health.
What is inflammation?
Acute inflammation is your body’s natural and helpful immune response to tissue damage. When you fall off your bike, the cut swells, reddens and feels… inflamed! These are all signs that your immune system is busy at work sending white blood cells to the site of your injury to repair the tissue. In this situation, inflammation is our friend—we couldn’t live without it.
Chronic inflammation is your body’s confused and damaging immune response to a barrage of environmental, physical and mental invaders, which come in the form of things like poor diet, toxic chemicals and stress. I’ve written about chronic inflammation in all of my books because it’s such a major (and often unrecognized) factor in our health challenges. It’s also the type of inflammation we’re focusing on today. Here’s chronic inflammation in a nutshell from my cookbook, Crazy Sexy Kitchen:
…There’s a silent (yet violent) kind of inflammation that can take place without you even knowing it. What you eat, drink, and think (stress!), environmental toxins, smokin’, booz- in’, and even a couch-potato lifestyle can create a fiery cascade of inflammation in your body. When your body hits an inflammatory overload, your defense system gets so overwhelmed and confused that it literally doesn’t know the difference between the invader and you. As a result, your well-meaning immune system turns on itself, destroying healthy cells, tissue, and everything else in its wake. It’s like when Al Pacino played Tony Montana in Scarface. He mows down everything in sight, yelling, “Say hello to my little friend!”
The dangers of chronic inflammation
Over time, chronic inflammation wears out your immune system, which may lead to chronic diseases and other health issues, including cancer, asthma, autoimmune diseases, allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, osteoporosis and even (gasp!) appearing older than your years. Unfortunately, these challenges are often only treated with drugs and surgery, which may provide temporary relief from the symptoms, but do not treat the root of the problem. In addition, these drugs (and their side effects) sometimes only add to your health problems.
Could it be that many of the pills in your cabinet are just band-aids and that the key to health lies in your daily diet and lifestyle choices? That’s certainly what I’ve found to be true.
But I’ve got good news! There are plenty of simple practices you can incorporate into your daily life to fight chronic inflammation. Here are my top 5 anti-inflammatory tips to get you started.
5 simple ways to kick chronic inflammation’s butt
1. Eat more whole, plant-based, nutrient-dense foods.
Crowd out the foods that cause inflammation (refined sugar and flour, processed junk, animal products, etc.) by eating a beautiful cornucopia of whole, plant-based foods. Dark leafy greens, tomatoes, nuts, berries (cherries in particular), olive and flax oil, hemp seeds, turmeric (or more specifically, curcumin, which is a naturally occurring chemical with anti-inflammatory properties), and ginger are all anti-inflammatory powerhouses. Eating them on a regular basis will flood your body with the vitamins, minerals, cancer-fighting phytochemicals, antioxidants, fiber and other goodies it needs to recover from chronic inflammation.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes with some of those inflammation-fighting ingredients:
- Turmeric Milk
- Classic Green Lemonade
- Antioxidant Boost Smoothie
- Tomatoes & Herbs
- Crazy Sexy Kale Salad
There’s more where that came from—my cookbooks, Crazy Sexy Kitchen and Crazy Sexy Juice, are both packed with delicious anti-inflammatory recipes!
Oh, and don’t forget to stay hydrated. Proper hydration helps decrease inflammation and can even prevent it from happening in the first place, so drink up, buttercup!
2. Get down with your gut!
Your gut holds approximately 60-70 percent of your immune system, so it’s a great place to start if you want to reduce chronic inflammation. And if your gut is in bad shape, your immune system might be in some serious trouble. One easy way to start improving your gut health is by adding a high quality probiotic to your daily routine. The FloraMend Prime Probiotic from Thorne Research, Ultimate Flora from Renew Life and Jarro-Dophilus EPS from Jarro Formulas are some of my personal faves. And if you want more tips and resources to help you take care of your gut health, check out my post here!
If you’re experiencing prolonged bloating, gas or other digestive discomforts, taking digestive enzymes with meals can help you get more nutrition out of your food, as well as improving digestion and boosting your immune system. Check out my blog here for more info on digestive enzymes, prebiotics and probiotics!
Another potential explanation for inflammatory symptoms could be leaky gut syndrome. This condition may occur if your intestinal lining is damaged, therefore allowing bacteria, undigested food and other toxins to literally “leak” into your bloodstream. The leak triggers an autoimmune response and a host of painful inflammatory symptoms. If you think you may have leaky gut, ask your doc to help you get a test done!
3. Find an integrative MD you trust, and work together to identify potential food sensitivities and chronic (or hidden) infections.
Speaking of doctors, finding the right one is a critical part of nipping chronic inflammation in the bud. A good integrative MD will take a holistic approach by looking at your habits and the way you lead your life, then helping you identify and address possible chronic inflammation triggers. Here are two in particular that they might be on the lookout for:
Food sensitivities: Gluten, soy, dairy, eggs and yeast are just a few of the common problem foods that might be wreaking havoc on your immune system every time you sit down for a meal. If you think you might have a sensitivity or allergy, start paying close attention to what you’re eating and how it makes you feel. If your symptoms persist, fill your doc in on what you notice— they may suggest a blood test or elimination diet. You can find more info about food allergies and sensitivities here.
Chronic infection: Bacteria, viruses, yeast, parasites—oh my! These guys could be hiding out in your body just under the radar and dragging your immune system down. If chronic infection is a suspect in your inflammation mystery, your doc may ask for blood work and/or a stool sample to analyze. Yes, your poop say has a lot to about what’s goin’ on inside, so listen up!
4. Relax and rest more.
Your body is hard at work repairing and restoring your glorious cells while you sleep. Most doctors recommend 7-8 hours of sleep per night. If you’re cutting corners in the snooze department, you’re cheating your immune system, which means it needs to kick into high gear in an effort to keep you well (hello, inflammation!).
Stress goes hand in hand with a lack of sleep and a laundry list of demands in our daily lives. Unfortunately, when you’re stressed out all the time, you’re also producing more of the hormone cortisol—inflammation’s BFF. You can reduce chronic inflammation by focusing on stress reduction, whether it’s through more sleep, yoga, meditation, long walks, less technology or a much needed vacation. You know I love to take every opportunity I can to remind you to take a chill pill!
This post is very helpful. I have your books and following your juicing. I have celieac
This is very helpful thank you
Hi! I just wondered, will a CPR test be able to test for any inflammation regardless of where it is? I suspect inflammation for my eyes, I deal with dry eyes at the age of 19 started at the tail end of 17. I take fish oil and other tablets to keep it at bay, but struggle as they are still red/dry. Normal diet yet I try to eat more healither things, cut out alcohol/caffeine. I’m going back to get a check up, and doing acupuncture. I’m at college 2/ and a half days a week, and go out at the weekend to town. I’m just not sure if this test will help, maybe… Everytime I get results it comes back in a clear zone. Could you recommend a good choice for me? I’m just lost recently, quite stressed but I do sleep whenever I can. Never checked my gut, but the last time I got a blood test for over-all it was it was good, yet when I got another one it showed higher levels of white blood cells. Sorry If it’s vague!
Kris, thank you for your post. I have had minor health concerns due to inflammation and higher cortisol. It is amazing when you start digging how you realize the bodily connections. I have become increasingly aware of all of the toxins in our personal products and have slowly been making changes. What have you heard about dairy and inflammation? This is my new concern… Thanks again for your wonderful post!
so good to know you are there with this inflammation news …I have not been well since leaving hospital several years ago with C-diff from round the clock antibiotics for ten days……so now with other health problems I will appreciate any news you can give me to flush out this inflammed body….I do not have funds to get repairs now so be kind and help please…..thank you
I still don’t get it though — how do you KNOW if you have inflammation?! Is it like if you wake up in the morning and you have a puffy face some days..?
Thanks for the great article. Your friendly energy is so refreshing and inspiring 🙂 Congrats on all your success, with your health and career! XOXO
Hi Kris! I love this article and I love your contributions to holistic health and healing! I know inflammation well 🙂 I had severe Crohn’s Disease for over 20 years (diagnosed at 7 years old) and had tried every diet on the planet! For years, I cleaned up my emotional clutter and my health sky-rocketed. I felt incredibly unburdened and free. After I had my daughter, 5 years ago, I could feel the old familiar fatigue and sore joints kicking in…inflammation was back. I took a leap and tried out a veggie-heavy Paleo diet. I realize that you don’t eat meat and understand the incredible value in that for so many people. But I think it’s important to highlight that we are all metabolically unique. I’ve never felt better since adopting this way of eating. Grains, gluten and refined sugar can be such an incredible problem for people with inflammatory conditions. Thanks again for another great post!
I love this post – it’s SO relevant to me right now (and clearly many others). I already follow a dairy, gluten & refined sugar free diet to keep gut inflammation under control but recently I’ve needed re-address this and get really honest with myself about what I eat, particularly those hidden sugars! Thanks for writing this now Kris! xo
Thank you Kris for this very timely article. I just discovered I have cysts the size of walnuts behind my knees. I know it’s excess fluid/inflammation. They are very painful. I have been battling knee arthritis in both knees and have gone dairy and meat free for over a year now, but I’m still having a lot of problems, hence the cysts. I’ve seen several doctors but all they want to do is surgery and replace my knees. I’m only 45! I need to find another way. I am going to follow your guidance You have laid out here ALL of it. This message feels like you wrote it just for me. You are a living example of my hope and faith in healing oneself. I Thank you for giving me hope that there can be a natural way to heal. Thank you for being the messenger of light and love.
What an awesome article! I’ve been experiencing daily head pressure & migraines for two & a half years, trying every medication & treatment in the book to no avail. It’s time to really focus on curbing inflammation-thanks for the great tips! I’m curious if any of your followers have experienced the same symptoms & have gotten relief. Thanks Kris!
Amazing article Kris!! For all Canadians who are looking for non-toxic body and beauty products check out Rocky Mountain Soaps and their toxin free program. They are my favourite for soaps, shampoos, conditioners and moisturizers.
Also some tips for cleaning, I use baking soda for my bathtub and sinks and also vinegar to clean my windows… bye bye ammonia and heavens know what else! 🙂
Love your work Kris and all the helpful comments from fellow readers 🙂
Hi Kris,
Do you have a list of recommended integrative MDs? I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area (Castro Valley to be exact).
Today I found this website and article. what is fun is that i am already doing so many of these things and need to adjust more. Suffering from hypothyroid and recently diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis, there are days where i feel like C3PO walking around! haha I will let you know of my progress.. as a yoga instructor… i need to get rid of this pain and stiffness in my joints!
I would like to reduce the fat from my stomach. I go to two exercises classes a week as well as
the exercises I do at my home
Another great post about inflammation. Diet really is key…especially controlling sugar, some dairy and some grains 🙂
Dear Kris,
I paid $15.00 for a program you offered this summer. I think it was on meditation. I am not sure how to access it?
Could you please help me on this matter?
Thanks,
Brenda
Hi Kris, I’ve been vegan for 11 years now, and although I didn’t do it primarily for health reasons I now know how much better a plant-based diet is for us than the traditional omnivorous diet… But a lot of my friends still think meat is healthy, and I’m not very good at listing the reasons why it’s not… Do you have an article or list of all the main reasons why we should avoid meat in our diets? (And, if not, it would be awesome if you could cover it in a future post!) I know you touch on it under separate posts, but it would be great to have all the reasons listed together in one place… Thanks so much for all your awesomeness by the way 🙂 xx
Hi my name is laila ….. I have resently found out i have rheumatoid arthritis an i have alot of inflamation issuse is there any way to control my problem through nutrition
You are so spot on about repairing your gut health. It’s amazing the vast majority of the general population isn’t suffering from lupus.
Managing chronic inflammation has improved my life considerably. The CRP (C-reactive protein test) you mentioned is an absolute must!! Thank you for sharing your insight and expertise!!?
Foderma Serum is one of the best way to reduce inflammation naturally.