Inflammation is necessary. It helps to heal the body and protect it from illness. But sometimes, the body goes too far. That’s where an anti-inflammatory diet comes in. Filled with fruits, nuts and natural oils, it gives your body a hand when it comes to fighting the chronic inflammation that can come with psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and more. As with any lifestyle change, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s where this brand-new title comes in. We’ve laid out tasty recipes, nutritional advice and the science behind it all so that you can help your body help itself, and feel fantastic at the same time.
THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY Plan
INTRODUCTION
1 THE SCIENCE • In this chapter you will discover why the inflammatory response is such a vital part of keeping you healthy, the difference between acute and chronic inflammation, and how long-term inflammation can increase your risk of developing chronic disease. The environmental, diet and lifestyle factors that cause chronic inflammation are explained, and there is a quiz to help you identify which areas of your health need the most support to keep inflammation at bay.
WHAT IS INFLAMMATION? • Before we get into the details of why, when and how inflammation occurs, let’s begin with a simple explanation of inflammation.
Chronic inflammation: when things get out of control
HOW INFLAMMATION AFFECTS THE BODY • Here are some examples of how inflammation affects various parts of the body.
ROOT CAUSES OF INFLAMMATION • What causes our immune system to stay in battle mode? Why does something intended to help us cause such chaos?
DIAGNOSING INFLAMMATION • BE YOUR OWN HEALTH DETECTIVE
Quiz: how inflamed are you? • Working in a preventative rather than reactive manner is the most effective approach to keeping yourself well, and much of my work as a practitioner involves hunting for information and insights into a person’s state of health. Information about your health will enable you to be proactive and take action, where necessary, to stop inflammation in its tracks. The more you can understand what is going on behind the scenes, and what may be driving inflammation, the more effective you can be at keeping yourself well.
2 LIFESTYLE • In this chapter, we tackle some of the known triggers for inflammation discussed in the previous chapter, such as poor sleep, stress and exposure to toxins. We also discuss ways in which you can positively modify your lifestyle to improve your health and reduce your susceptibility to inflammation-related illnesses.
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE HABITS • Alongside diet, forming good lifestyle habits is key to reducing inflammation and preventing chronic disease.
STRESS
SLEEP
EXERCISE • The human body is not designed to be still. For thousands of years we expended a large amount of energy through physical movement throughout the day. Since the technological advances of the twentieth century, however, we have slowly become more and more sedentary.
WEIGHT • Excess weight is a risk factor for many chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, cancer and stroke.
3 NUTRITION • In this chapter, all aspects of food and nutrition are covered, including what to eat to support health and longevity, which cooking methods lock in nutrients and reduce the production of inflammatory compounds, and how to personalize your diet and decipher which commonly aggravating foods may be unsuitable for you. You’ll discover the worst offenders for driving up inflammation and the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods to help you combat inflammation and achieve optimal health.
AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET • A healthy diet is a powerful tool to prevent inflammation and provide the raw materials needed for your body to thrive. To...