Inflammation Further Explained

Most likely, you have heard of inflammation.

You may still be wondering what it means or what it means for your health. Oftentimes, people associate it with swollen fingers, toes, or ankles.

Inflammation sounds bad, but it isn’t always bad. Inflammation is one of your body’s robust healing processes.

Under normal conditions, it’s an acute (short-lived), controlled response to an injury, such as a cut, sprain, or even routine viral illnesses like colds and the flu.

True story: This last week, I was visiting a friend who lives on a farm in Tennessee, and I got bit by a donkey (in the donkey’s defense, I wasn’t giving him the attention he wanted, instead giving it to the horses). My hand immediately swelled up to protect itself.

Acute inflammation is responsible for healing damaged tissue and cleaning out waste products caused by the damage. It’s a healthy, orderly process that defends your body until the crisis ends and you're on the mend.

Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is an unhealthy, chaotic process that keeps going because the body’s crisis doesn’t end. It’s the result of a subtler insult to your body.

Below are some examples of what can cause chronic inflammation:

• Unhealthy diet

• Sedentary lifestyle

• Excess body fat

• Regular exposure to cigarette smoke

• Excessive or unmanaged stress

• Lack of sleep

The good news is, research shows that diet and lifestyle can either create a pro-inflammatory environment (increasing inflammation) or an anti-inflammatory one (reducing inflammation).

In my ​previous blog post​, I listed anti-inflammatory foods.

Below are foods that cause inflammation:

• Refined carbohydrates (white flour and products from it)

• Low fiber diets

• Saturated and trans-fat foods

• Excess sugar

• Excess animal protein

• Excess caffeine

• Low levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants

• Excess calories

But why excess calories?

But why excess calories? Basically, eating to the point of overfullness is associated with an increase in inflammation. While one huge meal (like Thanksgiving…if you are like me) results in a temporary increase in inflammation. The inflammation can become chronic when this happens regularly.

Remember to take a look at my post on ​anti-inflammatory foods​ and watch for my next post where I will discuss how to reduce inflammation further.

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