3 Tips To Lower Inflammation and Boost Your Immune System Naturally
Following an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle can really do wonders to your physical and mental wellbeing. So many factors can impact inflammation levels in the body, some of these include:
-chronic stress
-harmful toxins
-inflammatory foods / substances
-gut microbiome status
-posture problems
-lack of movement
– impaired liver detoxification
-poor lifestyle choices (i.e. smoking, drugs, not sleeping enough)
-emotional trauma.
We often hear about what we should NOT eat as part of an anti-inflammatory diet. If you are not familiar with this term, an anti-inflammatory diet encourages the elimination of processed foods such as ready meals, industrial animal products, pasta, baked good, sauces, soft drinks, often gluten and dairy products, some grains, alcohol and of course refined sugar (cakes, biscuits and similar)! But what are the foods that can help you lower inflammation in the body naturally?
Here are my top 3 tips.
1) Increase your 5 portions of fruit and vegetables to 10 a day!
Yes, this is a real challenge for some but with a bit of planning all is possible. Colourful, seasonal, fresh vegetables and fruits are high in phytonutrients and antioxidants. These help to counteract oxidative stress by neutralising excess free radicals to protect cells, prevent illness and indeed reduce inflammation. Think of a smoothie for breakfast for example to easily include 3-4 portions of natural foods in your routine.
Here is my signature green smoothie recipe.
2) Eat more healthy fats.
To the contrary of common knowledge, healthy fats are essential for many body functions including hormone production and immune system regulation. Omega 3s which are found in abundance in wild fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and other sources like grass-fed red meat, pasture raised eggs, chia & flax seeds, nuts, should be part of your regular diet to boost your body’s immune response to pathogens by lowering inflammation. Choose organic, grass-fed, hormone-free and high-quality animal products for higher nutritional content.
3) Increase your consumption of probiotics
Fermented foods and drinks have become extremely popular over the last few years and they have all the right to be. Fermented products are rich in beneficial bacteria which are naturally present in trillions in the human body. Increasing your consumption of foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, natural yogurt, kefir, miso can be very beneficial for your microbiome diversity and overall health. Gut health and immune system are strictly connected, and probiotics have been proven to boost the immune system by helping fight harmful pathogens. I really hope that implementing these tips as well as following an anti-inflammatory lifestyle will help you lower inflammation and boost your health.
Roberta Fusco
Nutrition Therapist, mANP