Many people are living with chronic, high levels of inflammation in their bodies and they don’t even know it. This puts them at risk for chronic diseases and other health problems. But you can fight back with one simple thing: your diet. Eat these anti-inflammatory foods each day, and you’ll lower inflammation and help prevent many serious health issues. 1. Leafy greens The health benefits of leafy green vegetables such as kale and spinach are …
How chronic inflammation can affect your mood
Earlier this month we discussed inflammation and the effects that it can have on your physical health. When looking at the effects of inflammation, there’s another important aspect that doesn’t always get as much attention: inflammation and mood. Inflammation, in its acute form, is helpful. It is the body’s way of fighting off an infection or illness. It is meant to be temporary. But when there’s no infection or no injury, and inflammation circulates at …
6 things you didn’t know can reduce inflammation
Inflammation is both a necessary body process and an enemy to good health, depending on the type of inflammation and what’s causing it. We need short-term inflammation to help heal trauma like injuries and infections. Chronic, long-term inflammation, however, can disrupt processes throughout the body and is linked to a number of serious health problems. But you don’t have to let inflammation hijack your health. There are a number of things you can do to …
From the doc: 7 evidence-based benefits of omega-3 fatty acids
Dietary fats have had a bad reputation for many years. For the longest time, low-fat diets promised weight loss, and people were told that eating fats would lead to weight gain. But certain fats are actually necessary for facilitating many processes in the body, and may even help drive weight loss. You’ve probably already heard of omega-3 fatty acids, but how do these fats benefit your health? Are you getting enough omega-3s in your diet? …
8 things you’re probably doing that cause inflammation in your body
Inflammation is a natural response produced by the body’s immune system. The immune system activates this inflammatory response in order to heal an injury or acute (short-term) illness. This involves the release of white blood cells, immune cells, and infection-fighting substances. When you sprain your ankle and it turns red, warm, and swollen, that’s inflammation at work trying to heal the injury. We often hear that we should fight inflammation with anti-inflammatory drugs or by …
From the doc: How to prevent heart disease
Heart disease is a widespread killer. The CDC reports that one in every four deaths in the United States is due to heart disease, and it’s the leading cause of death for both men and women. These numbers are alarming — but you don’t have to resign to becoming a statistic. It is possible to prevent heart disease. There are many steps you can take to lower your risk, and you can start today. Keep …
11 ways to eat less sugar
Sugar: it’s the food everyone knows is bad for them, yet seems impossible to give up. If you have a sweet tooth, don’t blame yourself. Humans have been designed to crave sweets because in ancient times, foods with sugar were hard to come by. Today, however, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction: it’s downright difficult to avoid sugar because it’s in so many foods. And as a result, even people who are avoiding …
3 ways sugar affects your weight
You probably already know that sugar is bad for your health. Today we’re going to take a closer look at at one of the biggest risks of eating too much sugar: weight gain. We know that sugar contains calories, and excess calories are one of the reasons people gain weight. But sugar has a unique ability to cause weight gain in some other not-so-obvious ways. Much of this has to do with the fact that …
From the doc: 5 reasons too much sugar is bad for you
Sugar can be found in all kinds of foods, from the obvious (cakes and cookies) to the surprising (marinara sauce and salad dressing). We know that sugar contains excess calories, which can contribute to higher body weight — and the health problems that go along with being overweight. But what if you’re overall pretty healthy and aren’t trying to lose weight? Should you still cut back on sugar? Yes — and I’ll give you a …
How to keep your gut healthy this holiday season
Your gut health forms the foundation of your overall health. Your digestive system is connected to everything else that happens in your body, and your gut is responsible for absorbing nutrients and guarding against foreign substances. So if you have a healthy gut, there’s a good chance that your overall health is good as well. If your gut is out of balance, however, it can have a negative effect on other functions throughout your body. …