Inflammation is your body's natural response to damage, stress, or pathogens.

For example: you cut your finger. It becomes red, warm, and sometimes painful. This is an acute inflammation , and it's important for your body to heal and repair itself.

Besides acute inflammation, there is also chronic inflammation . This usually means the inflammation is no longer very severe, but has persisted for a longer period.

We often don't realize the inflammation is still present, but your body and immune system remain active. This is also called low-grade inflammation .

Because your immune system remains active, it requires a lot of energy from your body. In the long run, this can cause vague symptoms and present an additional challenge to your body.

Diet can play a significant role in reducing or maintaining inflammation. Below you'll find a list of foods that can help reduce inflammation:

All types of fruits and vegetables are important, but especially those that are high in antioxidants can help reduce inflammation.

Think of green vegetables (broccoli, celery, spinach, bok choy, etc.) and berries or blackberries, turmeric, ginger, etc.

Fresh herbs also contain many antioxidants and are easy to add to meals. Fiber in fruits and vegetables also plays a significant role in reducing inflammation.

Omega-3 fatty acids are the opposite of omega-6 fatty acids. Most omega-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory, while omega-3 has an anti-inflammatory effect in your body.

You can get them by eating a lot of oily fish such as wild salmon, mackerel, sardines or herring.

Packed with polyphenols like oleocanthal. Extra virgin olive oil has often been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Did you know that olive oil is also one of our natural bulking agents?

We already mentioned turmeric and ginger above, but garlic, boswellia and rosemary have also been used for centuries for their anti-inflammatory properties.

Green tea contains EGCG, a substance increasingly associated with its anti-inflammatory properties. Green tea is also rich in antioxidants.

Of course, there are also certain foods that can cause additional inflammation, such as added sugars, trans fats, processed foods and alcohol.

If you don't notice enough difference from eating anti-inflammatory foods, supplements can also help reduce inflammation.

Curcumin is a substance found in turmeric, best known for its vibrant orange color. Many health benefits have been attributed to curcumin. It has been used for centuries to reduce inflammation.

Important to know: Curcumin itself is very poorly absorbed. Absorption is improved by adding black pepper, both to your diet and as a supplement.

Please be careful when using medication, discuss use with your health professional first.

Omega-3 fats are important for your heart and blood vessels, but are also increasingly associated with reduced inflammation.

The two most important fatty acids in this are EPA and DHA. They can improve gut flora, reduce inflammation markers, and even reduce muscle soreness after exercise.

Doses of up to 2g per day are considered safe, and if you are taking blood thinners, discuss this before taking omega-3.

Like turmeric, ginger is known from the kitchen and has also been used for a long time in traditional medicine against inflammation, digestive problems and nausea.

Gingerol and zingerone, in particular, have been extensively studied for their calming effects on inflammation. You can safely take up to 2g of ginger per day, but be aware of its blood-thinning properties.

This is a super-powerful antioxidant found in blueberries, red onions, grapes, and other purple fruits, as well as dark chocolate and red wine. This is why 1-2 glasses of red wine a week is considered healthy!

Resveratrol helps reduce inflammation and its potential effects are now being widely investigated in people with chronic diseases.

A very important, fat-soluble nutrient that we can get from the sun in the summer.

Vitamin D is important for a strong immune system and a healthy immune system, but it may also have a positive effect on inflammation. A growing link is being made between low vitamin D status and the presence of inflammation.

We already mentioned green tea as an anti-inflammatory food because of its antioxidant content and anti-inflammatory properties.

The active ingredient EGCG can also be taken as a supplement. Please note that (unless otherwise stated) such supplements do contain caffeine.

Like vitamin D, vitamin C is an essential vitamin: our bodies cannot produce it on their own. Vitamin C plays a major role in the immune system and in inflammation.

When choosing vitamin C, be careful which form you choose . Most vitamin C supplements you encounter contain ascorbic acid.

This is the most common and cheapest form of vitamin C. Unfortunately, ascorbic acid is often treated with chemicals to improve stability, making the product less pure.

Ascorbates such as sodium ascorbate, magnesium ascorbate and calcium ascorbate are less processed and therefore much more natural and less stressful for your body.

In addition, they also contain many more minerals that can contribute to a strong immune system and strong bones in your body.

Of course, reducing inflammation doesn't stop at diet and supplements. Lifestyle also plays a significant role, and it's often underestimated.

Nutrition and supplements are often the extras, but everything depends on lifestyle. Lifestyle is your rest and rhythm, and that's reflected in your symptoms.

At night, your body can truly recover, cleanse, and reset. During deep sleep, your body produces growth hormones, among other things, which have a calming effect on inflammation.

Poor sleep is like not cleaning up after a busy day. Waste products remain, your immune system remains active, and it can become overstimulated.

Try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night . Download our free e-book for a good night's sleep here .

Even just 30 minutes of walking or cycling daily can have a significant anti-inflammatory effect. During exercise, your body produces anti-inflammatory substances and your lymphatic system literally gets moving.

Your lymphatic system removes waste products. The most important thing is not to sit still for too long.

Keep walking back and forth and get at least two minutes of exercise every hour. This also keeps your brain active and makes you more productive.

Stress can trigger additional inflammation. Chronic stress, in particular, makes the body think it's constantly in danger.

You can break that cycle by doing breathing exercises a few times a day (4 seconds in, hold for 7 seconds, 8 seconds out), taking short walks, or writing can help calm your nervous system.

Also consider taking moments/days offline to give your nervous system and brain a rest from all the stimuli.

Think of your gut flora as a large backyard. You want to have as many different plants as possible in that garden (diversity) and nourish the beautiful plants. Of course, weeds also grow in the garden (unwanted bacteria), and depending on the nutrients you provide, the garden can end up being more full of weeds than beautiful plants.

An imbalance in your gut flora can also lead to more low-grade inflammation. Take good care of your gut by taking your abdominal symptoms seriously and providing the nutrients that support the beneficial bacteria: fiber from fruits and vegetables, omega-3s, proteins, fermented foods, and adequate hydration.

Healthy intestines are literally the basis of a healthy body and a calm brain.

You have a significant influence on how your body handles inflammation. Lifestyle, nutrition, and supplementation are largely within your control.

If you'd like to learn more about this or have any personal questions, book a consultation . This will give you more insight and certainty about what applies to you.