6 ways to combat inflammation through your diet and lifestyle

By Kassandra Hobart, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner

As we ring in the New Year, diet culture tells us to cut calories in to “feel better” or “lose the bloating” from Holiday overindulgences. I encourage you to try something different this year instead. Lowering inflammation is more than cutting calories.

Here are 6 ways to combat inflammation without dieting.

1.     Stay hydrated.

Water is the most important nutrient in your body. It flushes toxins, enables cellular hydration, and transports nutrients, which all play a huge factor in managing and combating systemic inflammation.

 As a general rule of thumb, aim to drink half your body weight in fluid ounces of hydrating fluids each day. For example, if you’re a 140lb person, your daily goal is 70oz of hydrating beverages. These hydrating beverages include high-quality filtered water, coconut water, bone broth, and non-caffeinated herbal tea.

 Keep in mind, for every 8oz of dehydrating beverage you consume (coffee, tea, juice, alcohol, soda) you’ll want to add another 12oz of hydrating beverage to your daily baseline.

2.  Move your body.

Moving your body is crucial for a variety of reasons. Regular physical activity has health benefits that includes stress reduction, weight control, strengthening of the heart, bones, and muscles, and reducing the risk of certain diseases — all of which are vastly important for combating inflammation. Additionally, exercise is critical for the movement of lymphatic fluid that is responsible for filtering out bacteria, viruses, and toxins, which, if le_ stagnant, causes high levels of inflammation.

3.  Slow down and breathe.

While we cannot go three minutes without oxygen, too seldom do we sit and focus on breathing deeply. Our respiratory system is responsible for filtering out fumes, allergens, mold, and airborne toxins, all of which are highly inflammatory to our system. Focus on breathing in deeply to oxygenate your cells and breathe out completely to remove carbon dioxide and other accumulated toxins in the lungs. In addition to the oxygenation of our system, this deep breathing slows down our nervous system and allows the body to enter a parasympathetic state so we can “rest and digest”.

4.  Chew your food.

While this may seem like an odd suggestion, it’s a small but powerful habit to combat inflammation. When we eat too quickly, we swallow air and large chunks of food, which can cause digestive dysfunction and therefore systemic inflammation.

 Aim to chew your food 20-30x per bite or until the food is a liquid-like consistency. This tiny habit will vastly improve digestion and combat inflammation.

5.  Sleep

Sleep is a time where we restore and repair! Ensuring you get 7-9 hours of deep restorative sleep per night is especially key during times of excess stress and overindulgence of sugar and alcohol (i.e. the Holidays!).

 6.  Avoid too many sweets.

A high refined sugar diet can have harmful effects on your health and can result in chronic inflammation, where the body’s immune system activates, resulting in damage to healthy cells.

 To reduce inflammation, aim for an overall healthy diet filled with nutrient- dense whole foods. If possible, enjoy a dessert made with naturally sweet ingredients like maple syrup or honey!

Alongside these great tips from Kassandra, at LondonCryo our two signature treatments - Cryotherapy and infrared saunas - can also help to lower inflammation. Get in touch to discuss how we can support your health and fitness goals for 2021.