I don’t know about you, but one longing glance at a potato chip or a kiddie-size cone seems to automatically add a pound on my scale the next morning. It’s a bummer too. When I was younger I used to get away with murder. I could eat just about anything in any quantity and, save for a pimple or two, not suffer the consequences in any discernible way.
Not any more.
But it’s not just the extra pounds (and threat) that weighs me down, it’s the immediate feedback of how I feel in my body after an unconscious pig-out: the joint pain, the mood swings, the post-sugar snoozies, the quickening heart rate… that is the real weigher-downer for me.
As I learn more – about the food we eat, the water we drink, and the environments we live in – I’m discovering that one of the major causes of physical imbalance is this thing called inflammation. When we reduce inflammation we feel better…and lighter.
In the spirit of lightening the load we carry, I offer this: an excerpt from the Women to Women Newsletter to which I subscribe on how to reduce inflammation naturally. It’s a good message and reminder not just for us women, but all people, all ages.
Five things you can do right now to reduce inflammation, by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP
- Revise your diet. Start by limiting or cutting out your intake of trans fats and refined carbohydrates. Replace these with healthy fats, such as omega-3’s and olive oil, and unrefined carbohydrates, like antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables.
- Add omega-3’s. There is an extensive and growing body of evidence that omega-3’s can reduce inflammation. In our modern diets, we consume an overwhelming amount of omega-6’s in proportion to omega-3’s. This imbalance may well be a predominant cause of runaway inflammatory health issues.
- Get a good night’s sleep! Between seven and nine hours of uninterrupted sleep can do wonders to repair and restore your system. Though many scientists are still debating why we sleep, we know that a good night’s sleep is one of the best anti-inflammatories out there! So make getting to bed on time a priority.
- Supplement with a high-quality multivitamin/mineral. Folic acid, B vitamins, and vitamins D, C, and E all have anti-inflammatory effects in your body. For a strong anti-inflammatory base, take a high-quality daily multivitamin–mineral complex like the one we offer in our Personal Program.
- Rebalance your immune system with probiotics. The beneficial flora (probiotics) in your body work hard to protect and rebalance your immune system. You can help them help you by eating more naturally fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, and kimchee, as well as plentiful fiber. There are also many superb probiotic supplements available, as well.
What do you do to reduce inflammation? Feel free to share in the comment box below.
Hey you,
I love the talk about Omega-3s! You still taking Mila? I am SLOW with it but love it for myself and just cannot walk away from the dream of having a global income!
xo Deb
Hi Stephanie!
As you requested! I take New Chapter Zyflamend! Excellent combination of herbs! Fish Oil, Pro-biotics and Acupuncture have significantly helped. Also I have reduced my intake of sugar…losing 21 pounds to date. My body was full of inflammation before. I’m really beginning to feel well again.
Passing this along from my sister who posted her comment on my Facebook Page for anyone who is interested:
“I pretty much eat raw…take proteolytic enzymes, and drink home brew kombucha. I know…an aging hippie, but it helps me!”
–Martha Bennett
Diet is huge in feeling your best! I found Marcelle Pick’s book “Are You Tired and Wired?” really helpful. She does a great job with suggestions for diet changes – and even provides an eating plan with recipes. Not something I’m going to accomplish overnight, but it has inspired me to pay closer attention to what I eat and how it makes me feel.