How many of you have heard of the anti-inflammatory "diet"? I almost hate to call it a diet, as it should be a way of life!

Much research points to many diseases (heart disease, Alzheimer's, certain cancers) as stemming from chronic inflammation in the body. We are not talking about when you cut your finger and it becomes red, hot, and inflamed. That is a GOOD type of inflammation, needed for healing. We are talking about chronic inflammation on a cellular level, that serves no purpose for your body, and in fact, does more harm.

How do our bodies get into this inflammatory state? Simply put, it gets that way from:

1. Chronic, unhealthy stress
2. Toxins in our environment
3. Eating unhealthy, inflammatory foods
4. Lack of exercising

We can really get deep into the mechanism of inflammation in the body, but instead of doing that, let's talk about ways to COMBAT it!

Let's break down easy, simple ways to decrease inflammation in our bodies:

• Stress Less! (I know, easier said than done)-but really, this is so important! Find ways to pray, meditate, realize that you cannot control it all, sleep better, etc (we can write a whole other post on this one! )
• Decrease your toxic environment - what this group is all about! You know your body's largest organ IS your skin-whatever you put on it will be in your bloodstream within 26 seconds-let that just sink in (I'm sorry I had to :D). So, your makeup, your skincare, cleaning products, the air you breathe, etc, all of these things can shed some light on the toxic state your body is in
• Eat foods that combat inflammation! Typically sticking to what is God-made, not man-made is a great rule of thumb. I have attached a chart to this post that you can easily print out and stick on your refrigerator, which is what I have done. Remember, your cells absorb what you eat so you are literally made up of what you are consuming. You do have a choice in this!

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food". - Hippocrates