What do you do when your body is feeling inflamed?
Signs of inflammation can really run the gamete from headaches, weight gain, joint pain, allergies, mood issues, blood sugar dysregulation, hormone imbalance, skin rashes and more. When the body is inflamed we need to dig for the root cause(s), seeking to answer, “WHY?”. Foods can be very inflammatory, adding gasoline to an already simmering fire, or they can calm and help quench the fire.
The most obvious foods we want to avoid when we feel inflamed are sugar, refined carbohydrates, inflammatory oils (soybean, corn, cottonseed, canola, rapeseed, sunflower, sesame and grapeseed), alcohol and anything processed. But what if our body is reacting to a certain food and has developed a sensitivity to it where it forms antibodies to it ramping up overall inflammation every time we consume it? Food sensitivities are common, especially in those with compromised guts where they have what is referred to as “leaky gut”. Many of my clients come to me with this dynamic and we begin with experimenting with eliminating some of the top allergens such as gluten/wheat, dairy, corn and soy. When needed we expand this list to also include:
- peanuts
- eggs
- citrus fruits (especially oranges)
- fish/shellfish
- tree nuts
- chocolate (I know, I know, this one is often a toughie!)
If you are looking to calm inflammation in your body and want to experiment to see if some of the most common allergens are at play for you, I suggest a full 30-day elimination of at the very least the top 4 most common allergens and see how you feel. Pay particular attention to what is bothering you the most as well as your energy levels, sleep and moods. If you find that you feel better and decide to step away from a food or foods, I encourage you not to look at that as deprivation but rather embrace how you are loving on your body and listening to it and how good you feel now. Focus on all you can eat! Take a look around at your local grocery store in the produce section alone and you will see God did not fail us in the diverse creation of foods!
If you avoid a certain food or foods to support your overall health, reply to this email and share your experience! Personally gluten, eggs, soy and most dairy are not my friends.
If you or a loved one are seeking customized guidance, education and coaching for your health in a very mind/body/spirit approach, I am accepting applications for my 1:1 coaching. You can apply here and we can schedule a call to talk more about what you have going on and how I may be of help.