Have more….

Whole foods, real natural foods, made by nature for us to eat

Fruit and Vegetables, try for 7 portions a day and include as many different colours as possible (each colour represents a different family of healing compounds)

Omega 3s push you toward an anti- inflammatory state. Try 2/3 portions of oily fish a week and/or flax and chia seeds daily

Fibre, feed your gut bacteria (poor microbiome increases inflammation) with nuts and seeds, pulses, beans, fruits and vegetables

Plant based protein, eat plenty of beans and pulses, nuts and seeds and less meat

Monounsaturated fats, choose olive oil, avocado oil and sesame oil to drizzle on salads and vegetables

Herbs and Spices, turmeric, ginger, green tea, paprika, rosemary and sage all have amazing anti-inflammatory properties

Sleep, aim for 7-9 hours. Sleep helps the body repair tissues and balance hormones, lack of sleep can lead to weight gain and inflammation

Exercise, regular movement has been shown to lower inflammation

Mindlessness, find a way to switch off and reduce stress. That might be yoga or meditation or reading or cooking or tinkering with your bike or walking your dog….

Have less…

Processed foods, processed meats, packaged foods, instant anything, ready meals, diet foods etc.etc. This includes a lot of ‘free-from’ type foods

Trans and saturated fats, found in margarine, cakes, biscuits, frozen pizza, baked goods, fried foods

Sugar and simple carbohydrates, sweetened yogurt, white bread, pasta, rice, sweets, fruit juice

Omega 6s. We need Omega 6 but modern diets tends towards elevated levels. Omega 6s push the body to an inflammatory state. examples are meat, baked goods, fried chicken

Stress, chronic stress leads to hormone dysregulation and increased inflammation, it’s so often a trigger for people with autoimmunity. Finding ways to decrease and manage stress are really important for reducing inflammation. Read more…

Foods which you are sensitive to, this is something to look into if you tend towards autoimmunity or any kind of inflammation. Common offenders are dairy, wheat, eggs, yeast. Work with a practitioner to identify your food sensitivities

Toxins, including household chemicals, mould, plastics. Stock up on natural household and self-care products

BMI, being overweight is in itself inflammatory