DietNDX

One of my favorite books on the subject of inflammation as an underlying contributor to multiple medical problems over time is “Stop Inflammation Now!”. I like it for the urgency in the title and the pragmatic discussion inside.

The literature has exploded in recent years drawing the linkage between inflammation and heart disease and a number of other conditions. There are plenty of more modern books covering this topic that I encourage you to explore

Water retention is one of the manifestations of inflammation. In the weight loss space, one hears about “water weight” and many of the rapid weight loss products target fast flushing (literally 🙂 sorry) of water out of your system. It can be debated about this approach to weight loss but regardless that is how it works. When done without getting dehydrated a little retained water reduction can feel good. Temporarily at least.

Tuning into your body and discovering the contributors to inflammation can help develop strategies to reduce chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation affects the body in many more ways than mere water retention. a few examples:

Skin – Chronic inflammation can cause rashes, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis

Muscle – Chronic inflammation can manifest beyond muscle pain, but also as a contributor to carpal tunnel syndrome.

GI Tract – IBD, Chron’s, Celiac and GERD all have linkages to inflammation

There are more but you get the idea.

Some people are allergic to certain food or food ingredients that contribute to inflammation in their bodies. Identifying those foods can be a game changer for them.

For the athlete or active person though, awareness of foods that can help reduce inflammation has strong benefit.

More on those coming.