What is inflammation? And why should we care?

Inflammation is a natural and normal reaction that happens in all human bodies. Our immune system creates inflammation to protect us from viruses or infections. However, with some autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease and certain types of arthritis, the immune system attacks healthy cells and causes some damage.

There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation symptoms occur for a short time (within two weeks or less) but are generally severe.  On the contrary, chronic is a long duration (may last a few months to years) and has mostly less severe symptoms.

What are the symptoms of inflammation?

The most typical signs of inflammation are:

• Redness
• Swelling
• Pain
• Heat
• Loss of function
• Fever
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Muscle stiffness

We may only have a few symptoms depending on which part of the body is experiencing inflammation, what’s causing it, and your overall health.  However, chronic inflammation may affect internal organs and cause a serious disease such as arthritis, heart disease, and even stroke.

What should we do to help protect ourselves from inflammatory disease?

There are multiple ways we can keep chronic inflammation under control. These include quitting smoking, exercise, rest, medications, and surgery.

An effective way to reduce inflammation is to manage our diet! First, by avoiding refined carbohydrates, trans fats, sugar, and processed foods, we can ease the symptoms and make ourselves feel better.

Second, start adding anti-inflammatory food into our diet. Here are some home remedies that have anti-inflammatory properties:

• Tomatoes
• Avocados
• Olive oil
• Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines)
• Broccoli
• Spices like turmeric, white turmeric, red ginger, black garlic and moringa
• Green tea
• Nuts
• Fruits, like berries, oranges

Adding the above foods can actually help us to fight inflammation. Remember, the goal is not to consume a certain amount every day. Instead, incorporate as many of these foods as possible into our diet.

Inflammation is a very common part of our body’s defence and healing process. However, long-term or chronic inflammation is like a fire inside our body that can cause severe results and threaten our life. Therefore, being mindful of our diet is a simple and effective way to reduce inflammation and disease.

Start with making a healthy meal plan now to gain a better life!