Heal whatever ails ya! I’ve had RA (rheumatoid arthritis) for the last decade and a half, swollen joints and deformities suck. I’ve got family members with different types of myalgia, heart disease, eczema, and psoriasis. And the best piece of advice I’ve found for myself for any of these other health issues is to reduce inflammation.
Whether it’s a serious disease, just an achy back, or a feeling of tiredness, reducing inflammation can make a huge difference in your life.
Here are some of the simplest ways I have found to reduce inflammation:
(Legal Duh Stuff: I’m not a doctor, this is not medical advice, consult your doctor before starting any health program, blah, blah, blah)
Tweak Your Diet
Simple tweaks to your diet can make a HUGE difference in how your body feels.
I have a GIANT sweet tooth! I love anything with chocolate and bread is my jam (ha, so punny)! Especially covered in some sort of butter. But I can immediately tell a difference in my body when I eat them.
My RA loves them too and goes into full party mode, making everything hurt for days. So I try to avoid them except for special occasions and find better alternatives that will fulfill my craving without sending my body into freakout mode.
At the beginning of a diet change, it can be super hard to remember what’s ok to eat and what’s no good, I have found that the easiest way to remember what to eat, and not, is:
Don’t Eat Anything WHITE or derived from white products
- Sugar
- Sodas, juices, caffeine drinks, fancy sweetened coffees
- Desserts, cakes, cookies, brownies, candy
- Flour
- Processed white flour in bread or baked goods
- Dairy
- Milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, ice cream
Even white potatoes can affect some people but I seem to do ok with any white veggies like potatoes and cauliflower.
I find alternatives to my old favorite “white” products:
- I love dark chocolate– it took a while being off sugar to build a liking, but I am all about 90% dark chocolate now (Mr. Bean thinks it tastes like chalk but my kids who have grown up thinking it is mommy’s special treat love it)
- I drink a ton of herbal teas, bubbly waters, and as of late, Crio Bru (I find caffeine, too often, can make my body upset)
- I use gluten-free or sprouted flour in my baking and store-bought breads
- We get vegan dairy alternatives
- Almond, cashew, oat, or soy milk
- Vegan cheeses, butters, yogurts
All of these changes can take a bit to get used to if you have grown up eating a Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) My first year was soooooo hard. I never knew what to eat that wouldn’t cause my RA to flare. I lost a ton of weight. But after a few months, the old foods got out of my system and I actually started to feel better. This feeling alone made it easier to make the change.
My kids have grown up eating this way. We found out when they were young that they had dairy allergies, and my daughter, we just found out, has gluten (more like processed flour) sensitivities. Because I was already minimizing these items already for myself, it was an easy change to make for them.
Eat More Veggies and Greens
Eating the Rainbow does not mean popping Skittles on the daily, as awesome as that may sound, it means eat all sorts of colors of food. Goes with the don’t eat white foods.
Fruits and veggies that are dark in color usually have the best nutrients and vitamins in them. Our favorite way to get veggies in on a regular basis is to make smoothies!
I always keep peeled bananas in my freezer. Frozen bananas add an ice-creamy texture to all smoothies.
For Our Breakfast Smoothies
I throw these items in a blender:
1-2 tablespoons of chia or flax seeds for a protein/fiber boost
2/3 of the smoothie- greens (we like baby spinach but use whatever you like)
1/3 of the smoothie- frozen fruits (I usually throw in a banana, maybe some peaches, blueberries or whatever frozen fruit mix was on sale, watch out for berry mixes with black or raspberries, they have lots of seeds, good flavor but you’ll be crunching and cleaning your teeth all day)
Fill about 2/3 full with water and blend until smooth
Chocolate Smoothie/“Milk” shake
1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter or whatever nut butter you like/have
2-3 tablespoons of cocoa powder (or to taste)
1/2 Greens
1/2 Frozen bananas
Plant-based milk to about 1/2 and blend
Drink Water
Drink plenty of water! My kinesiologist told me to try for 1 quart for every 50 lbs of body weight.
- Drink a cup right when you wake up
- Keep a water bottle at your desk or in your car and a cup by the sink to help you remember
- If you don’t like the taste of water (ya’ all are weird but you do you) flavor it
- Make tea
- Make a pitcher of water in the fridge and put fruits in it to soak. My kids love orange/strawberry water
- Use a low-sugar natural water flavor
Exercise and Stretch
Get your body moving, but don’t overdo it. Because of my RA, I can’t always move my body as much as I want to. Not moving enough causes guck to build up in your lymph system and make you feel sluggish. Get moving!
- Go for a walk every day or so
- I have bad knees and ankles and even walking can aggravate them so I have a MaxTrainer that is small enough to fit in our tiny condo and not hurt my joints
- Find a nice park or go around the block
- Find some fun hikes nearby
- Do resistance/weight training
- We take advantage of our Condo Pool and nearby beaches whenever we have the chance (community pools are great too, free or low cost)
- I lose muscle really fast, and often, due to the many surgeries I’ve had to recover from. So I keep a set of different strength bands in the house and an over-the-door thing to change angles. Mr. Bean has his own set of bands, a Total Gym, and many other strength-training tools
- Stretch!
- Do yoga or pilates videos
- Get down on the ground (or in my case, bed) and move those legs and arms
- Foam Rollers are magic when you’ve got a sore back or sciatica acting up
- Get a Massage, if you can
- Professional
- Loving spouse, family member, or friend
- Find a massage school and become a practice dummy (oh, darn)
Reduce Stress
Between work, kids, spouses, and the crazy state of the world, stress seems inevitable but do what you can to reduce stress however you can.
- Say NO
- To events, tasks, or other unnecessary things that take up your precious time and brain resources
- Get your finances in order
- Create a budget
- Reduce excess expenses
- Plan for expected expenses
- Increase your income, if needed
- If you have a significant other, make sure you are on the same page
- Delegate tasks or chores that do not require your direct attention
- At home have kids or spouse help more around the house
- At work, coordinate with your manager, co-workers, and/or subordinates to balance out your responsibilities to a more manageable level
- Minimize and keep your house in order so you are not overloaded in stuff or things to remember
Get Enough Sleep
Your body needs time to recover. Especially, if you are stressed.
- Set a bedtime and wake-up time for yourself and stick to it every day, even on the weekend
- Create a bedtime routine, maybe shower or bath, brush your teeth, read for a few minutes, then turn off all lights
- Keep a notebook near your bed so you can write down ideas or things you think of and get them off your mind so you can relax.
- Cut down your caffeine intake during the day
- Get it on with your significant other, or yourself: relieve stress, get some exercise, and be ready for sleepy time
Wrap-Up
Reducing Inflammation is one of the best ways to help your body and boost your overall health.
Believe me, I know, changing up your normal life routine is hard. Really hard! But you have to have a reason WHY you want to make the change. Don’t just think of it as taking things away from your life but rather adding new, better things to your life, like less pain, more energy, and a better quality of life.
Just make sure you don’t start with the 90% chocolate, if you’re not used to it, you will yack.
Reduce Inflammation
- Tweak Your Diet
- Don’t Eat Anything WHITE or derived from white products
- Eat More Veggies and Greens
- Drink Water
- Exercise and Stretch
- Go for a walk every day or so
- Do resistance/weight training
- Stretch!
- Get a Massage, if you can
- Reduce Stress
- Say NO
- Get your finances in order
- Delegate
- Minimize
- Get Enough Sleep
I so need to do this! I am always tired and always hurt.
Gotta get on the bedtime and stretching for sure!