Be Cool

By: Melissa Liebling-Goldberg

You may have found yourself hearing a lot about anti-inflammatory diets and treatments, but how can you incorporate them into your daily routine — and why should you? You’re not alone in wondering if you need to reduce your inflammation and how. “There are two types of inflammation in the body: acute and chronic,” explains Adele Reising, practitioner of Chinese medicine and owner of Adele Reising Acupuncture in New York. “Acute is in response to an injury or an illness, such as twisting your ankle or catching the flu. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is caused by stress, poor diet, too little or too much exercise, chronic sleep deprivation, lingering chronic injuries, overwork and a microbial imbalance in the gut.” Reducing inflammation can do everything from helping to lessen fatigue and allergies to potentially preventing diseases. One of the major ways to achieve that reduction is through what you eat. “Inflammation is often a root cause of many diseases in the body, and dietary choices play a large part in either feeding or fighting inflammation,” says Dr. Frank Lipman, founder and director of New York’s Eleven Eleven Wellness Center. For JW Marriott health and fitness expert Nora Tobin, the risk in not lowering your inflammation starts at the cellular level but can be more visible than you think. “If you have high inflammation, you’re not going to look youthful because your cell turnover is so much lower,” she says. “If they’re not efficiently doing their job in cleaning out every night and repairing themselves, then you’re more prone to premature aging and disease.”

You can start by cutting out the obvious — excessive alcohol intake and smoking. But that’s just the beginning. Lipman recommends four steps, which include plans “to create a regular stress-reduction practice, such as meditation or yoga, to prioritize sleep, to include various types of movements throughout the day, and to include a good-quality fish oil or krill oil in your diet.” Tobin suggests adding in long walks, which can lead to lower cortisol levels. She also points to cold showers as an effective way to lower inflammation. “It’s actually very simple,” she says. “It’s been proven that getting into anything cold — like doing a cold plunge or taking a cold shower — actually dramatically reduces the inflammation in your body.”

It may be hard to believe, but that box of cookies may be doing more harm than just making your waistband snug. Tobin says, “People often don’t even realize it, but eating very processed foods that are high in sugar can cause incredibly high inflammation in the body.” Sugar turns up as a hidden ingredient in many foods, some less obvious than others. Tobin points to packaged salad dressings as a likely culprit, suggesting using olive oil instead, while Reising recommends skipping quick-cooking grains such as instant oatmeal. “Generally speaking, sugar, gluten and trans fats are the big ones that have been shown to cause inflammation,” says Lipman. Reising recommends combining a good probiotic supplement with a two-phased approach to diet, meant “to shift the gut flora to a healthier state.” She starts with a 30-day plan that “can be considered a detox from the modern diet.” During the first phase, sweets, alcohol, gluten and dairy as well as processed foods are avoided. In the second phase, foods can be added back in one at a time, so patients can pinpoint which items they have sensitivities to. Lipman — also the creator of Be Well, which offers premium supplements, cleanse programs and personalized health coaching — says that a well-balanced cleanse that uses targeted nutrients and reasonable dietary recommendations can serve as a great entry point or reset to anti-inflammatory eating. “[It] will encourage you to eat a tremendous amount of nutrient-dense, wholesome foods that strengthen digestion, support microbial balance in the gut and supply you with an abundance of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients the body needs to function optimally,” Lipman explains.

If going into a full detox feels like too much for you, find what seems manageable. “If making all these changes is overwhelming, then we start with small, positive changes like cutting back on sweets,” says Reising. “For some people, just making the time and commitment to come for treatment or just deciding they want to improve their lifestyle is already a big step.” Work to incorporate healthy foods into your diet whenever possible. Lipman suggests “all types of vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens, and healthy fats such as good-quality olive oil, avocados and wild, fatty fish.” It’s about finding what’s right for you, your lifestyle and what your system can handle. As Lipman says, “I believe everyone benefits from an anti-inflammatory diet. The less inflammation people have, the better they are going to feel and the less disease they will probably get.” And isn’t that what we all want in the end?