When in menopause, the body has an increased amount of inflammation. You’re always waking up in the morning now with stiff and aching joints; It can get in the way of everyday activities or limit us by making it harder to do activities that we once enjoyed with no pain. All of these changes can be a lot at once! So I want to share some strategies that will help you optimize your health and reduce inflammation, specifically when you’re over 50.
Inflammation is our body’s way of fighting against injuries or attempts to heal itself after an injury, defend itself against foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria, and repair damaged tissue. It’s our immune system’s response to help protect our body and gut. When your body recognizes cell damage, it releases chemical triggers that start the inflammatory process to protect your body from harmful invaders and promote healing and recovery.
But be aware if you have chronic inflammation. This type of inflammation can lead to serious health issues associated with diabetes, celiac disease, obesity, and other conditions.
The actions that you take daily are what make all the difference in your inflammation symptoms. But, unfortunately, no magical supplement, superfood, diet plan, or exercise routine will ensure that you will stay healthy.
The pillars of a healthy lifestyle include:
- Eating mainly minimally processed foods
- Getting enough protein
- Eating lots of vegetables and fruits
- Moving regularly
- Reducing excessive alcohol consumption
- Getting good sleep
- Managing stress
Two Types of Inflammation
We must understand the 2 types of inflammation to understand how to reduce the inflammation. Inflammation gets a bad reputation, but without it, wounds would become septic, and minor infections could end up deadly.
Acute Inflammation
Acute inflammation is painful but necessary because it tells us that the body is injured and needs immediate attention. In addition, it will trigger immune reactions to help us heal!
Chronic Inflammation
Chronic inflammation is caused by excessive stress on the body. This is often due to a combination of physical, emotional, and chemical stress. The excessive amount of stress can lead to chronic pain and plays a role in heart disease, cancer, anxiety, depression, osteoporosis, and weight struggles, among other conditions.
Common signs of inflammation
Inflammation can cause a myriad of symptoms such as bone loss, muscle loss, weakness and loss of strength, weight gain and fat gain, memory problems, mood swings, brain fog, muscle pain, joint pains, body aches, chronic pain, digestive issues, blood sugar fluctuations, frequent injuries, fatigue, low energy, trouble sleeping and feeling older than you are.
None of these symptoms are convenient or pleasant to experience. Below, I give you my 6 best tips to reduce inflammation to help you if you are experiencing any of these symptoms!
6 Natural Ways to Reduce Inflammation in the Body
1. Limit foods that cause inflammation
Processed foods can cause your body to become inflamed, and it’s best to avoid them. These include refined grains, whole grains or flour products, deep-fried foods, processed foods, most packaged foods, fast food, sodas, most commercial salad dressings, trans fats, margarine, and some oils like corn, safflower, sunflower, and soybean. In addition, processed foods have fewer nutrients, unhealthy fats, and artificial ingredients that might lead to chronic inflammation. Avoid foods that are already made in a box, and choose whole foods instead!
2. Eat more plant-based foods and limit red meats.
Choose nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods. For example, adding Grass-fed, meat poultry or wild game, lemon, limes, berries, Avocados or avocado oil, green tea, non-starchy vegetables, wild-caught fish, bone broth and vegetable broth, apple cider vinegar, organic extra virgin olive oil, and olives, fermented vegetables, coconut oil, buttermilk, garlic, and onions into your diet can make a significant change.
3. Chose good fats
As you design a healthy diet of anti-inflammatory foods, don’t ditch the fats. Good fats with omega-3 fatty acids are the ones to look for. Limit omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids. They can be found in soybeans, corn, safflower and sunflower oils, nuts and seeds, meat, poultry, fish, and eggs because they increase inflammation.
Foods that naturally reduce inflammation and are high in omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna, walnuts, pecans, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and avocado. Also, make a habit of reading the ingredients on packaged food to check the types of oils they include.
- Boost flavors with Anti-inflammatory herbs and spices
Spices can boost the whole flavor of a meal dramatically and reduce inflammation! Spices great for flavor and reducing inflammation include Turmeric, Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, Cloves, Cardamom, Black Pepper, Ginseng, Ginger, and Cinnamon. Just adding a bit of these to your meals daily can aid in reducing your inflammation.
If you want to try out some recipes with these spices that reduce inflammation, check out The Anti-Inflammatory Kitchen.
- Reduce stress and Improve Sleep
Sleep is one of the most vital parts of our lives and plays an important role in our health. Chronic stress and lack of sleep play a huge role in our health, and both can contribute to inflammation. Try to have a consistent sleep schedule and track your daily stressors. What worries you all day and night? You may find a pattern that is severely impacting your sleep! Pinpoint the biggest offender and get to work to eliminate or reduce that stressor.
For example, if you’re feeling stressed about cooking for dinner each night, delegate the dinner to someone else, meal prep on the weekends, or use a meal delivery service that provides healthy and nutritious meals to your home. Other stress-reduction techniques include breathing exercises, journaling, yoga, pilates, walking outside, or some easy stretching that you can fit easily into your day.
Get more and better sleep to reduce inflammation.
Practice good sleep hygiene by keeping your room cool and dark, avoiding caffeine within 8 hours of sleeping, eating your last meal hours before bedtime, turning off all electronics one hour after you go to sleep, and perhaps journal doing a brain dump to reduce stress and don’t take it to bed with you. Of course, exercise is equally important, but don’t exercise too close to bedtime; it can keep you too energized to sleep!
Set yourself up for successful sleep starting in the morning by planning your meals, going outside, getting sunlight, taking time away from work, and surrounding yourself with a positive community.
- Moderate Exercise
According to a research study published in UC San Diego Health, 20 minutes of moderate exercise (like a fast walk) can stimulate the immune system, producing an anti-inflammatory cellular response.
Make time to incorporate 30 – 45 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (running, walking, biking, swimming, dancing, hiking) and 10 – 25 minutes of resistance training (resistance bands, weights, Pilates) at least 4 -5 times per week for a complete and anti-inflammatory strategy. Regular exercise also reduces body fat, which contributes to inflammation. Loss of body fat mass due to exercise also increases muscle production, which is known to increase anti-inflammatory cytokines. You can increase your metabolism by reducing body fat.
Intermittent fasting is one way to reduce inflammation, improve insulin resistance, support cellular autophagy, and reduce the risk of chronic symptoms and health issues.
Inflammation can cause us so much stress, and even that can lead to more inflammation! As we get older, we need to make sure to treat our bodies with love and care, and the 6 strategies I named above can help you start feeling less achy and stiff. Start with one of the strategies and slowly add on as you build them into your lifestyle. You’ve got nothing to lose but so much to gain by making small changes every day, and they are so doable.
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