There is something that most of us need to lose even more than extra pounds. We need to lose excess internal inflammation. Many diets ignore this topic completely. But until you reduce the inflammation, your body will be like a pogo stick. Your weight will go up down, up down, up down…you get my point.
Through my daily scopes on Periscope, I’ve realized that many people don’t fully understand the importance of fighting inflammation. So, no more living in the dark! Reducing what is inflammatory can help you not only look better, but become more energetic, happier, and vibrant.
And keep in mind that this is a process. It doesn’t happen just from eating a specific superfood or from buying a certain supplement But that’s OK. There are many paths to feeling good, both body and spirit. You have to find the method that works for your body. So enjoy the process.
7 easy things you can do right now to ease inflammation
Meditate, do yoga or just take 10 deep breaths from the diaphragm – Stress is extremely inflammatory. So make emotional self care and stress relief a priority. Take little breaks within the day, even if just for a minute or two. If you feel stress creeping into your shoulders, take a few breaths and ask yourself to let go.
Leave your shoes at the door – Your shoes carry toxins into your home. And then when you walk, you spread the contamination When you have carpet in the home, these toxins become that more difficult to remove. So remove your shoes and leave inflammation at the door.
Cook and buy processed foods without vegetable oils – These include oils like sunflower oil, canola oil and salfflower oil. These oils are very inflammatory due to their high omega-6 fatty acid profile. They also become rancid when heated. Instead cook with coconut oil, olive oil, vegetable or bone broth, low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos.
Wear non-toxic makeup – Have you read the label of your favorite cosmetic product? Most contain 20 to 40 different chemicals. Crazy! I talked a few weeks ago about making your own homemade cosmetics. But don’t feel homemade cosmetics are the only answer. Try one of the many brands available that are non-toxic or reduced chemicals.
Don’t burn your meat – Here’s something scary. The government has actually declared burned meat as carcinogenic. The process of cooking beef, chicken, pork, or fish to a crisp actually changes the chemical composition of what you’re eating, resulting in the formation of toxic chemicals HCA and PAH. These chemicals are more easily formed at high temperatures like when grilling And the end result is a state of inflammation. Cook at lower heat to be safe.
Throw out your artificial sweeteners – Many are still consuming artificial sweeteners for the low calorie content. But this artificial sweetener nonsense should end once and for all. Even healthier sounding artificial sweeteners like Truvia, are synthetic. And the body reacts to them very similarly to anything else chemical-based or toxic. And while you might save calories, the inflammation will still fast-forward you into fat storing mode. If you want a better quality sweetener, try whole leaf stevia instead.
Increase your intake of beneficial bacteria – Bacterial imbalances in the gut are common. They might originate from a history of eating too much sugar, a history of antibiotics or a history of birth control pills. And this imbalance in the gut will causes chaos and inflammation throughout the body. You can help re-populate your gut with much needed bacteria by eating fermented foods like kimchi, kombucha(unsweetened), kefir and sauerkraut. Or if the bacterial imbalance has become more advanced, a good quality probiotic can help ease the inflammation.
How to Begin:
When you begin a weight loss program, your first agenda should be healing, not starving. You will never lose long-term weight while you are fighting inflammation. Read that sentence again and really let it sink in. Any weight loss program must address this issue. Otherwise, you are selling yourself short.
You are worth long-term results. You are worth not having to fight the same battle over and over again. You are worth more than just putting a band-aid on your health when you have the opportunity to really live and thrive.
As I said at the beginning, fighting inflammation is a process. Be patient with yourself if it doesn’t happen overnight and be willing to explore different paths. But the end result will be worth any sacrifice. Because when you calm the inflammation, you regain back not just control of your body, but also power over your life.
In my case you are preaching to the converted I agree with you completely. But most people no matter how healthy they think they are really are not. How many people really do deep breating on a daily basis? How many eat meat on a daily basis? Even worse if it’s burnt.
Have to say that I don’t use non-toxic make-up though, but with the little I use I can live with that.
What it means to be healthy is off over-simplified. That is for sure. Often people think health comes from just eating a few vegetables here and there. But it is definitely more complicated than that.
Fabulous post, Erica. I fight with inflammation all the time. That terrible puffiness that we middle-aged women deal with. I take anti-inflammatories to help with the osteoarthritis I have in my knees, and the green coffee bean/green tea extract to deal with bodily inflammation and it definitely helps. Cheers and thanks for sharing.
Doreen, I think some of these will further help your inflammation. And adding lots of anti-inflammatory rituals in to your wellness routine may eventually mean less medication. I’ve seen that happen many times.
I am only starting to understand the role inflammation plays in health and weight loss and I found this very interesting. I’m learning about foods and inflammation and know what to avoid (although I don’t always do that). Probiotics helped me a lot last summer. I’d never heard about the make-up or shoes at the door before, although in the area we live it is customary to take your shoes off when you enter a house and we no longer have carpeted areas.
Donna, I was so happy when I moved into my apartment with hardwood floors. Not having carpeting really make life so much easier.
Great post, Erica. I personally know that inflammation does affect my weight. I have been aware of this all my life. For me, it helps having lemon water and drinking filtered water throughout the day helps reduce acid in my stomach which had been a major issue for me. I believe incorporating all these tips into our diet, we can get control of our weight and make us feel more healthy. Thank you for the reminder.
Glad this was helpful, Sabrina. It is good to try lots of different things as you are to get to the bottom of any imbalances.
I don’t have to lose weight but this inflammation stuff is good to know for everyone. I know there are times when I just don’t feel right – usually I have a cup of mint tea which helps but sometimes I fail to remember to take 10 deep breathes when stressed.
I was happy to read about sauerkraut – love the stuff, my husband hates it, but now I have a reason to eat it and give him the raspberry. BTW, I’m assuming pickled herring falls in the same category?
That is funny. I had no clue what pickled herring was so I had to look it up. Yes, it would count. And it turns out that pickled herring is one of the best natural sources of vitamin D-3 which is so vital to health and so many of us lack. So I say eat it!
Another subject I have learnt from you Erica. Whilst I am at my desired weight (woo hoo), it is important to remain healthy and not just slim.
I do not like to eat vast amounts of meat (especially not red meat) and I vary it with fish.
I am picking up the habit of drinking lemon and ginger tea in the morning and evening.
Yay for being at your desired weight! Drinking lemon and ginger teas are great habits.
The thing that came as a complete surprise to me in this post is eating fermented foods to reduce inflammation. Who knew about the health benefits of sauerkraut?
Yes, fermented foods are great. Most of us greatly need them!
Another great education. Like a couple of folks, I don’t need to lose weight, but I sure need to keep from gaining it. Especially since I’m hitting 57 in a couple of weeks–it gets harder to maintain weight and fitness. Or maybe it’s just more work now. So if I can head some things off by keeping internal inflammation down, I’m sure game for trying!
Happy almost birthday! Yes, fighting inflammation becomes so important as we age. It means the difference between being vibrant and active or being in-pain and sidelined. So this becomes more important with every birthday.
Well, you can count me among the people who didn’t know anything about the effects of internal inflammation! This is fascinating Erica, and the best thing is that your tips are all doable. I had to chuckle a bit at your tip on leaving shoes at the door since where I live that’s kind of a cultural norm. You walk up to someone’s house and what you see next to the door is piles of shoes. 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration!
Yes, leaving the shoes at the door is the norm in so many places. But it definitely isn’t the norm in most of the USA. We could learn from our ancestors.
Erica — I wasn’t aware of that inflammation can cause weight gain. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that discussed in the many articles I read about weight control. Thanks for the tips.
Jeannette, most modern diets only look at what you eat, which is missing part of the solution. Having said that, most good diet meal plans are composed of foods that are anti-inflammatory, even if there is little mention of the anti-inflammatory aspect of the food. So you get the information about what to eat without understanding why.
I have a friend who’s educated me on this topic over the years, so this post serves as a good reminder. There are so many tips to keep in mind when it comes to dieting and exercise. Knowledge is always power.
That is true, Jeri. And we can’t do every tip perfectly all the time. Knowledge is power and the goal is to make as many healthy choices in a day as possible.
Ever since my issues with weight and being a borderline diabetic I have followed much of these tips. Loosing almost 40 pounds since January has made me feel terrific. Thanks for these tips, each and everyone of the ones you mentioned will help in weight loss.
Congrats on losing 40 pounds since January and taking charge of being borderline diabetic. These are such great health improvements that should benefit you for your entire life.
Hi Erica,
I need some advice, I’m over sixty , a male and about 35kg over weight.
I’ve cut back on carbs and calories but still have a problem losing weight.
I’ve started to do a smoothie for breakfast which I make up with,
120g D/dream yoguht
1ts ginger
1ts cinnamon
1ts turmeric
1ts honey
50g coconut oil
150ml of milk
and blend together
I find its light, give me energy and keeps my going till lunch time.
my question is , I used to take the spices in water now their in my mix, will this lessen there impact.
cheers
Steve
Steve, it shouldn’t reduce their impact. However, you might want to watch for sugar in your smoothie. There are lots of reason why you’ve reached a plateau in weight loss. But sugar (even natural sugar) can make it difficult to get past the plateau. Additionally, I’m not familiar with the yogurt brand you mention. If there is added sugar in the yogurt, that too can make things more difficult. I would look over the label, and if there is added sweetener in the yogurt, choose a different brand or flavor. Good luck!
WOW. What an awesome post. I ususally prefer the crsipy part of the meat and had no idea it was toxic. I also have the kids take off their shoes at the door, but when I’m in a rush, I walk right in. I also have a hard time asking visitors to removed their shoes, but knowing that this could lead to toxins that are hard to remove is scray!!! Thanks so much for this post! It’s given me a lot to think about.
I am working on that now. I wear very little make up and I have cut nearly all refined sugar from my diet. I am eating mostly fresh veggies and grass fed meats. I hope this helps. Can you tell me how you know if you are making progress?
I have had many issues with inflammation throughout my life suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for the last 15 years or so. It does contribute to weight gain as well as pain. I’ve never really put two and two together with the inflammation and the weight gain though.
This is helpful information to know. I didn’t know any of this helped reduce inflammation to keep and stay healthy.
I love meditation and yoga and it’s so important to take note of how inflammation can affect the body! These are great ways to reduce it!
Great tips here, but I’d like to say one thing. I would totally leave out eating any processed foods. I know that’s hard, but it works wonders.
I should follow all of these tips! We try to eat well most days in our home but during summer we’ve turned to take out more than we should!
I had absolutely no idea about this so thank you very much for sharing such an informative piece. Whilst I don’t really feel I need to lose weight, I would like to feel healthier. Therefore I will definitely try and follow these tips.
I had to really focus on my diet. It was a good idea for me to cut out some of the nasty because of my inflammation.
I’ve not heard of this before or I guess it’s not something I’ve ever really given any real thought to. I’m trying to become more mindful and it’s helping me become a better version of me
I never knew that wearing shoes into the house from outside brings toxins into the home. I will definitely be leaving my shoes at the door when I first come in from outside.