OH! Magazine - Australian Version July 2018 | Page 8
( Food & Nutrition )
EATING TO REDUCE
INFLAMMATION
ASHLEIGH
FELTHAM
Ashleigh Feltham explains what to eat to reduce inflammation in the body.
irstly, it’s important to clarify
inflammation is an important part
of your body to heal hand repair damage.
Without inflammation your body would
not heal itself properly after an injury or
sickness. Inflammation is also a normal
part of exercise when you train your
muscle fibres they tear and inflammation
is part of growing and repairing muscle
cells. The problem with inflammation
starts to happen when it is occurring over
the long term also called chronic
inflammation. It can cause a list of
unwanted results, one of which is a
reduced quality of life with increased
st ress in your body and mind as well as
making a barrier to a healthy weight.
So, what can you do to manage
inflammation?
F
1. Get enough sleep
This varies from individual to individual
but generally the minimum is set between
6-8 hours a night. Getting enough sleeps
sets your body and hormones back in
balance which you need to function at
your best and manage everyday stresses
of life. Try having a set routine when you
go to bed at night, removing electronics
like your phone around an hour before
bed will help your body wind down.
Waking up at a similar time each day also
helps set your body into a healthy
hormone rhythm.
2. Find your chi
Stress causes havoc to your body over the
long term and influences many things
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OH! MAGAZINE ( JULY 2018 )
including hormones. When your cortisol
or stress hormone is elevated over a long
time it can make it difficult to maintain a
healthy weight as cortisol is a fat storing
hormone. Managing stress by practicing
mindfulness throughout the day and when
you eat may help to reduce your stress
levels.
3. Ditch the traditional Western diet
The typical western diet is one made up
mostly of the unhealthy fats like trans and
too much saturated fat, added sugars and
salt. This way of eating promotes
inflammation and stress in your body and
mind. The whole foods which have sugars
and fats like fish, dairy, whole grains,
fruits and vegetables are not the enemy
and help reduce the stress and
inflammation. On top of this it is not just
eating these whole foods but the variety
within the food groups which will helps
your body thrive and get all the
antioxidants, vitamins and minerals it
needs to work at it’s best.
If you think about it logically when your
body does not receive something it needs
of course this will cause your body stress.
Try eating a different fruit every day of the
week or adding a different vegetable to
your dinner or lunch.
Fats are also your friend, but it's all about
the type. Trans fats are a big 'no no' if
you're trying to reduce inflammation;
saturated fat is not a bad fat, but it does
increase inflammation if you eat too
much. Try to limit the amount of saturated
fat you include to 10 per cent or less over
a day.
The healthier fats that you should include
in larger amounts in your diet are
omega-3, which is a polyunsaturated fat.
One key food to include in your diet,
which contains this fat, is fish. You should
aim to consume two to three times a week
as this type of fat helps to decrease the
inflammation in your body and promote a
healthy cholesterol, which decreases your
risk of heart disease.
Other healthy fats are monounsaturated
fats, which can be included at around 20
per cent of your total fat intake in a day.
These are found in larger amounts in
foods like avocado, extra virgin olive oil
and canola oils.
The second ‘super fat’ food is nuts, which
not only has a range of healthy fats, but
also fibre which helps feed your guts and
indirectly maintain healthy hormones
(which as a result lowers inflammation).
Take home message
It all comes down to quality of life. You
deserve the best quality of life and if you
have a body that is stressed and inflamed
you are not able to live a life that is of the
quality that you truly deserve.
YOU CAN CONTACT ASHLEIGH VIA:
Web: feedyourfuturedietetics.com
Facebook: FeedYourFutureDietetics
Instagram: @feedyourfuturedietetics