Should You Follow An Anti-Inflammatory Diet?

Many years ago, while struggling through life with chronic fatigue syndrome after a severe bout of glandular fever, I began to question my diet. I'm almost ashamed to admit this now, but up until that point, I had been a fussy eater as a child, turned junk food addict. I knew deep down that what I was eating was wrong. I was raised to make healthy food choices, but somehow, at that point, I wasn't ill and seemed to be getting away with it. Then I became seriously ill and bedridden for 6 weeks, which became chronic fatigue syndrome. Out of sheer desperation, I began educating myself about food.  I learned about the benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet and slowly made the switch to as many of these types of foods as possible, and in addition to starting Pilates, it greatly improved my health.  I've stuck with this diet now for many years, and I've completely lost the taste for poor-quality food.  If you are dealing with chronic inflammation, do your own research and see if this diet is right for you because I'm not a nutritionist and it's not suitable for everyone. Let's look at some of the reasons why an anti-inflammatory diet could be beneficial.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is your body’s natural response to injury, irritation, or infection. It’s part of your immune system’s way of protecting you and starting the healing process. When you get injured or have an infection, your body sends more blood and immune cells to that area to fight infectious agents, clear out damaged cells, and begin repair. This causes redness, warmth, swelling, and sometimes pain – these are signs of acute (short-term) inflammation.  Chronic (long-term) inflammation happens when this process doesn’t switch off properly. Instead of helping, it can start damaging healthy cells and tissues. This type of inflammation is linked to health problems such as arthritis, heart disease, some cancers, and autoimmune conditions. In other words:

* Acute inflammation = protective and healing
* Chronic inflammation = damaging if ongoing

What Causes Chronic Inflammation?

Not surprisingly, a poor diet with a high intake of processed foods, refined sugars, trans fats, and excessive alcohol can trigger ongoing inflammation.  A lack of movement slows down circulation and immune function, promoting inflammation, which is why sitting for long periods should be avoided. Chronic stress keeps cortisol levels constantly high, which keeps the body in an inflamed state. Poor sleep prevents your body from repairing and regulating immune responses properly.  Inflammatory conditions usually end in -itis, such as tendonitis, synovitis, bursitis, and arthritis, among many others. A lumbar disc bulge pressing on a nerve causes inflammation. The majority of painful conditions involve inflammation.

Becoming Pain-Free Through Pilates

When you are working to overcome chronic pain through Pilates, including anti-inflammatory foods in your diet can help support this process. As you can see in the picture above, include fruits, berries, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, oily fish (salmon, sardines), olive oil, turmeric, and ginger. Reduce processed foods, refined sugars, trans fats, and harmful seed oils such as canola and sunflower oil. Eliminate or reduce alcohol and smoking. I know this sounds harsh and can be difficult for many people, but if it means an end to your pain and inflammation, you can re-introduce these things later in moderation.

Through an anti-inflammatory diet, regular movement such as Pilates, stress management, and good sleep, you can calm inflammation, help to overcome pain, and support long-term health and vitality. If you are ready to overcome pain and inflammation through Pilates, email me at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can start 1 on 1 virtual Pilates sessions with me by signing up HERE and we can schedule an appointment time. If you want to work independently, join my online Pilates program of on-demand videos, which I specifically designed to help you recover from pain or injury. It would be my pleasure to help you enjoy pain-free living!