Tropical Health

Why Grounding is Not Just for “Hippies”

By Susan Patterson

Do you remember what it’s like to run around barefoot on the soft grass, or on the sand at the beach? When was the last time you went without shoes and really felt the ground beneath your toes? Many people haven’t enjoyed this sensation since they were a kid, although some have discovered the pleasures of what’s known as grounding, or earthing.

Grounding is a concept based on the idea that if you walk around barefoot on any natural surface you’ll reap healing benefits. While it may sound like some sort of New Age, hippie idea, those benefits are based on scientific research. Studies have found the health benefits derived from grounding are based on the relationship between the body and electrons in the earth. Our modern lifestyles tend to separate most of us from direct contact with our planet, but this research suggests that the disconnect with the earth may be significantly contributing to unwellness and physiological dysfunction.

 

The Journal of Environmental and Public Health reports:

“It is an established, though not widely appreciated the fact, that the Earth’s surface possesses a limitless and continuously renewed supply of free or mobile electrons. Mounting evidence suggests that the Earth’s negative potential can create a stable internal bioelectrical environment for the normal functioning of all body systems. Moreover, oscillations of the intensity of the Earth’s potential may be important for setting the biological clocks regulating diurnal body rhythms, such as cortisol secretion.”

While grounding has been sweeping the holistic health scene in recent years, it’s a practice that’s long been used. In fact, Native Americans and other indigenous people instinctively knew for centuries to walk barefoot, or in leather shoes, and to sleep on the ground in order to recharge their bodies’ batteries. While this vital connection seems to have been forgotten, it’s making a big comeback.

Here’s Why You Really Need to Start Grounding

It is believed that the connection to the Earth’s surface plays an important role in the prevention of disease and also offers a number of health benefits, including reducing chronic pain, lowering stress, improving sleep, increasing energy, and even supporting good cardiovascular health. The influx of free electrons that come from the surface of the earth helps to neutralize free radicals and reduce chronic as well as acute inflammation, known to be the root of a wide range of health conditions and accelerated aging.

Let’s take a closer look at those benefits.

Decreasing inflammation and battling free radicals

Inflammation is a necessary part of the body’s immune response, as its attempt to heal itself after an injury, a battle against foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses, and repair damaged tissue when it becomes chronic, can lead to a wide range of health issues, many of which are serious. It’s been associated with diabetes, obesity, arthritis, celiac disease and a long list of other ailments. A report published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine explains: “Inflammation is now recognized as an overwhelming burden to the healthcare status of our population and the underlying basis of a significant number of diseases. The elderly generally bear the burden of morbidity and mortality, which may be reflective of elevated markers of inflammation resulting from decades of lifestyle choices.”

Thanks to the electrons from the Earth’s surface, grounding helps to reduce chronic inflammation, as well as neutralize free radicals, to prevent premature aging and help heal or decrease symptoms of disease and illness, as some free radicals can leak into surrounding tissue, damaging otherwise healthy body parts, increasing pain and swelling.

For the very same reason, it’s important to eat lots of antioxidant-rich foods, we should practice grounding, with those electrons from our planet serving as a natural antioxidant to battle free radicals and resolve chronic inflammation.

Reducing stress hormones

Chronic stress is well-known to lead to many health problems, and it can severely affect one’s quality of life, but by practicing grounding, it can help reduce stress. Research into the effects of grounding found that about half of the volunteers who took part in it demonstrated “an abrupt, almost instantaneous change in root mean square (rms) values of electroencephalograms (EEGs) from the left hemisphere of the brain.” Those changes are considered to by experts to indicate both reduced stress reactions and positive changes. The majority were also found to have decreased blood volume pulses, which suggested a dramatically higher reduction in overall stress levels.

Supporting cardiovascular health

Both the reduction of stress and lower inflammation also contributes to better cardiovascular health. Dr. Stephen Sinatra of the HeartMD Institute notes that one study he was involved in, published in Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, showed how grounding can contribute to a de-stressing and balancing effect on the nervous system, and as a result, on heart function.

Better sleep

Yet another study, this one from 2007, published in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine showed that connecting the human body to the earth while sleeping (such as camping under the stars), can normalize daily cortisol rhythm and improve sleep. It makes sense as stress hormones like cortisol impact the natural circadian rhythm, energy and the ability to enjoy a good night’s rest.

How To Practice Grounding

As regular physical activity is a must, you can enhance its benefits by exercising outdoors as often as you can, such as going for a walk in nature. That will help you reap the even greater benefits that come from connecting with our planet and synchronizing with its natural charge. Exercising barefoot outside is an ideal way to incorporate grounding into your life.

Of course, going barefoot can be something that you do just as often as you feel comfortable, but you might find that over time you enjoy it so much that you naturally kick off your shoes as often as you can. Initially, aim to practice grounding, or going barefoot, for 20 to 40 minutes at a time in grass, sand or dirt. If you can’t easily go barefoot, there are alternatives, including grounded footwear such as minimalist earthing or grounding shoes. By staying connected either barefoot or wearing earthing shoes, unwanted positive ions are absorbed which helps to neutralize and release harmful free radicals in the body.

-Susan Patterson

How Just 20 Minutes of Exercise a Day Can Bust Inflammation

By Susan Patterson

How would you like to be able to enjoy the many health benefits exercise brings, with as little as 20 minutes of activity a day? According to a new study, you can, particularly when it comes to busting inflammation, the root cause of a wide range of illness and disease.

The list of well-known long-term benefits of physical exercise is long, including lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, strengthening the bones, muscles and the heart, improving metabolism and better weight control, reducing the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer. And, this recent research, shows just 20 minutes of exercise may help fight excess inflammation.

University of California, San Diego researchers find just 20 minutes of exercise busts inflammation

In the study that was published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, experts from the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine – led by Suzi Hong, Ph.D., from the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health looked into the impacts of 20-minute exercise sessions on the body’s immune system. They hypothesized that physical activity would improve the anti-inflammatory response by triggering the sympathetic nervous system.

The study included about four dozen participants who walked briskly on a treadmill for 20 minutes. Taking blood samples taken before and after the session, the researchers discovered that that simply 20-minute exercise session managed to reduce markers of inflammation, in fact, there was a 5 percent reduction in the number of immune cells that produced a protein called TNF, which, according to the researchers, is involved in the inflammatory response.

In a statement, researcher Suzi Hong who researches family medicine and psychiatry said:

“Each time we exercise, we are truly doing something good for our body on many levels, including at the immune cell level. The anti-inflammatory benefits of exercise have been known to researchers, but finding out how that process happens is the key to safely maximizing those benefits.”

She added, ” Our study shows a workout session doesn’t actually have to be intense to have anti-inflammatory effects. Twenty minutes to half-an-hour of moderate exercise, including fast walking, appears to be sufficient. Feeling like a workout needs to be at a peak exertion level for a long duration can intimidate those who suffer from chronic inflammatory diseases and could greatly benefit from physical activity.”

The problem with inflammation when it becomes chronic

While Inflammation is a crucial part of the body’s immune response, as its attempt to heal itself after an injury, battle against foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses, and repair damaged tissue, when it becomes chronic it can lead to some serious health problems that have been linked to obesity, celiac disease, diabetes and many other ailments.

20-MInute Workout Ideas

The good news is that you can bust that inflammation with just a 20-minute exercise session each day. Not only that, but a 2016 study by researchers at Canada’s McMaster University demonstrated that even one minute of high-intensity exercise had health benefits, such as increasing endurance and improving blood glucose levels.

Need some ideas? We’ve got them for you so that you can get started right away.

Circuit Training

Circuit training is an ideal high-intensity workout that can pack a punch in just 20 minutes, working your body from head to toe, combining strength and cardio with just a few simple exercises. You can perform squats, lunges or mountain climbers, just be sure you use the right technique. CookingLight.com offers a great Cardio Blast Circuit Workout you can find here. You can also add light dumbbells if you want a bigger challenge. All you need is an open space, like your garage, backyard or a spare bedroom, and some fun workout music.

Sworkit App

There’s an app for everything these days, and that includes one for short workout sessions. Sworkit can be used as a web app, on any iOS device or your Android. It’s a great way to prevent boredom, with pretty much no thinking required. All you do is choose the amount of time you have to exercise, what kind of workout you want, and then do what Sworkit tells you to do. It’ll even time each exercise for you so you don’t have to worry about looking at your watch, and if you aren’t sure how to perform one of the exercises, examples are shown on the screen to help you out. It will generate a random workout that focuses on various parts of the body, or all of it, and will work for any timeframe, even if you only have 5 minutes.

Jump Rope

Exercise doesn’t have to be complicated. You can grab a jump rope and jump away just like when you were a kid. Of course, 20 minutes of rope jumping isn’t all that easy, but you can always work up to that gradually by interspersing jumping with jogging or marching in place.

Dance

Dancing is one of the easiest, and most fun exercises you can do. All you have to do is turn up the tunes and start moving around. There’s no need to learn ballet or any complicated moves, even if you aren’t wildly jumping around, you’ll burn about the same number of calories as if you were cycling. It demands a lot of energy as it involves movement in all directions. While running, swimming and other types of propulsive physical activity use rhythm and momentum to keep you going, dancing requires lots of accelerating and decelerating, which the body is less able to do in an energy efficient way, so it requires more calories.

-Susan Patterson

What is Cryotherapy and Should I Try It?

By Susan Patterson

The term “cryo” means involving or producing cold, especially extreme cold. Cryotherapy is a type of treatment that involves exposing the body to temperatures colder than negative 200 degrees Fahrenheit for several minutes. It can simply mean sitting in an ice bath, but the type of cold therapy we’re talking about involves immersing oneself in a chamber and having liquid nitrogen sprayed into the air to bring temperatures down.

While taking a prolonged dunk into a freezing cold tank may seem like a strange way to enhance one’s health, it’s becoming an increasingly popular thing to do.

Cryotherapy, Now and Then

You might think cryotherapy is a new trend, but it’s actually been utilized in a number of different ways for centuries in order to lessen pain, decrease muscle spasms, speed healing, slow cell aging and improve health. Doctors use it as well, for example, to freeze off cancerous cells or warts. While it is unpleasant initially, proponents of the treatment say it gets better each time with the body adjusting to the low temperature.

Cryotherapy has often been used in Japan since the 1970s for treating health issues like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, and in the ’80s, it spread to Western nations, mainly for alleviating sore muscles in elite athletes, as reported by the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in a paper published in 2015. Famed life coach Tony Robbins, known for his infomercials, self-help books, and seminars, claims to use a cryotherapy chamber as part of his regular daily routine, and a number of other celebrities have as well, including James Bond AKA Daniel Craig, “This Is Us” star Mandy Moore, singer Harry Connick, Jr., and superstar athletes like Floyd Mayweather.

Is It Safe?

Although cryotherapy is generally considered safe, experts advise speaking to a healthcare professional before trying it. Treatment that lasts longer than a few minutes can be fatal, and it’s also dangerous to children, pregnant women and those with heart conditions or severe hypertension.

Treatment can vary depending on where you go – be cautious of any place that makes outrageous claims, as if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Technicians should always explain the process, provide a warning as to the potential risks, take a blood pressure reading and answer all questions that you might have. If you’re left alone, it’s a serious red flag, as a trained technician should always be in the room with you, not only before the procedure but during, so that you can be closely monitored.

The Benefits

Advocates of cryotherapy swear by it for its numerous benefits, which include the following.

Relieving the Pain and Soreness of Muscle, Joints and Other Issues. The primary benefit of cryotherapy has long been easing muscle and joint pain. If you’ve ever iced an ankle you twisted, or a sore neck, for example, you’ve treated yourself to a form of effective cryotherapy. Applying cold to an injury for 15 minutes at a time, three to four times a day is well-known to offer benefits that may even promote faster healing of injuries. Doing so serves to improve blood circulation while promoting healing and pain relief. This may also help to soothe pain related to rheumatoid arthritis, according to a German study conducted in 2000.

Speeding Workout Recovery. Athletes have known and used ice for centuries to help speed recovery after intense workouts, something that’s been supported anecdotally as well as in scientific research. Some studies have shown that it’s effective against delayed onset muscle soreness and many well-known athletes, including basketball star Kobe Bryant, have claimed to enjoy these benefits.

Reducing Inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s response to an injury or disease. A type of protective mechanism, it has a key role in the body’s healing process, but if it becomes excessive and chronic, it can head to a wide range of health issues, such as diabetes, arthritis, high cholesterol, obesity and even cancer. Lowering inflammation, therefore, may also improve overall health, while decreasing the risk of many chronic ailments.

In the 1970s, Dr. Toshima Yamaguchi started using cryotherapy to help his patients with rheumatoid arthritis in order to lower inflammation and decrease pain. The treatment triggers anti-inflammatory norepinephrine release as well, which also reduces short-term pain from injuries. It decreases inflammation while simultaneously putting enough stress on the body to keep cells in check. Low doses of physical stress from a cold plunge are known to elicit an adaptive response and boost the immune system by increasing white blood cells and immune cells, helping it to more easily kill off viruses and other ailments.

Lowering the Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. As cryotherapy can reduce inflammation, it may also lower the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as 2012 research from Poland notes. It suggests that the treatment can decrease inflammation and the oxidative stress that’s linked to dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and other age-related forms of cognitive decline.

An Improved Mood and Better Sleep. Being exposed to cold triggers the release of “feel-good” hormones known as endorphins while increasing the production of norepinephrine, a hormone, and neurotransmitter involved in the sleep-wake cycle.  Norepinephrine provides significant positive effects on one’s mood, energy, and sleep patterns which experts believe may be due to its role in neurogenesis, which is the production of new neurons in the brain, something that’s associated with an improved mood and memory. A decrease in the stress hormone cortisol and an increase in norepinephrine is well known for supporting a healthier sleep-wake cycle. healthy sleep-wake cycle. That rush of endorphins and relaxed feeling that follows may be why so many people are now using cryotherapy for improved sleep.

Relief From Anxiety and Depression. That same “euphoric feeling” so often reported may also help to relieve anxiety and depression systems. Experts say the theory behind that is the release of endorphins that are triggered, as well as natural adrenaline. It improves blood flow which can also be helpful for those experiencing mental health issues like depression and anxiety. For now, most professionals agree that cryotherapy is best used when combined with other, more traditional treatments and discussed with a mental health professional.

The Bottom Line?

Both scientific research and anecdotal evidence have suggested that cryotherapy may help with a range of concerns for many people, provided that treatment is provided under the close watch of a professional.
-Susan Patterson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance Your Body and Reduce Inflammation With This Fungus

By Susan Patterson

Mushrooms are truly magical – they’ve been used for centuries as both food and medicine, with at least 270 species of mushroom that are known to have various medicinal properties.  Humans began to consume them over 2,000 years ago, and today we know that those healthy fungi can provide many beneficial compounds, including those that provide anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer powers, among many other valuable properties. Many edible mushrooms are also loaded with antioxidants, minerals, fiber and other elements that are important for our good health, yet, unlike produce, they don’t need a lot of water, soil, and space to cultivate them on a mass scale.

While mushrooms are still harvested in their natural habitats, our ability to cultivate many different types of mushrooms has improved greatly in recent decades.  And, there have been many studies confirming their beneficial properties in recent years as well, confirming both traditional uses and new applications for health benefits. A lot of the attention has been focused on the anti-cancer properties and various immunological properties of mushrooms, but they also provide liver protection, anti-viral, anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory properties.

Inflammation is the body’s response to disease or an injury. It’s a protective mechanism and an important part of the healing process, but if it becomes excessive and chronic, it can head to a wide range of health issues. In fact, many of today’s most common ailments, like diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity and even cancer, have been linked to chronic inflammation. Fortunately, there are certain types of medicinal mushrooms that can offer medicinal properties which inhibit the inflammation process in all sorts of ways. When it comes to reducing inflammation and keeping the body balanced, these types of fungi are especially potent.

Reishi Mushrooms

Reishi mushrooms are a genus of polypores that are found growing on wood. This type can be differentiated by other polypores with a double-walled basidiospore. They’ve been around for centuries, used by emperors and other royals, particularly in Chinese medicine, but overlooked in western cultures for years. They’re best known for supporting the liver, enhancing the immune system and battling cancer. Until the 1970s, reishi mushrooms were hard to find and very pricey, but when the process of growing this mushroom inside on a larger scale was discovered, more and more people started discovering the many benefits of reishi and enjoying dramatic improvements in their overall health.

Reishi, officially known as Ganoderma lucidum, has been revered as the mushroom of immortality in many Asian regions for centuries. Ancient people utilized it to sharpen memory, calm the mind, enhance qi (life force) and promote longevity. The mushroom is shaped like a kidney and comes in several different hues, including yellow, red, purple, black and green, with red being the most common.

Lab tests have demonstrated that bioactive compounds from reishi offer immunomodulatory, anti-aging, anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties. Just like other anti-inflammatory foods, they contain a number of important anticancer nutrients too, including antioxidants. Experts believe one of reishi’s most beneficial components is its polysaccharides, a water-soluble kind of nutrient known for its antitumor abilities. Research has also found these mushrooms to help reduce inflammation related to rheumatism, asthma, and inflammation of the membrane that lines the eye and eyelids without notable side effects.

Reishi, along with Maitake and Shiitake mushrooms, is also a standout as it contains a high level of an impressive compound known as beta-glucans, something that’s remarkable for its ability to boost the immune system.

Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Lion’s mane mushrooms, also referred to as bearded hedgehog, bearded tooth mushroom and bearded tooth fungus among others, is a nootropic food that’s especially popular in traditional Chinese medicine, particularly notable for its medicinal benefits to the nerve system and brain, with the potential ability to help treat mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, anxiety, leg cramps and more.

Japanese research published in 2015 revealed that this mushroom that looks a bit like the scruff of a lion, was able to decrease inflammation in fatty tissue, an important find as fatty tissue inflammation is a factor in the formation of metabolic syndrome, something that raises your risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

The potent anti-inflammatory properties of lion’s mane are also believed to help digestive functioning. A number of studies have found that it can help protect one from gastric ulcers or shrink them in those who’ve already developed them. Other research has shown that it may significantly improve systems of two major inflammatory conditions related to the digestive system: inflammatory bowel disease and gastritis.

Cordyceps Mushrooms

Cordyceps sinensis is a mushroom made up of a rare combination of a caterpillar and fungus found in Sikkim, India at altitudes of over 14,000 feet. Traditional healers in this area have often recommended it as an “all illnesses tonic,” thanks to its ability to improve energy, stamina, appetite, libido, endurance, and sleep. Also referred to as caterpillar fungus, unlike other fungi that grow on trees or in the soil, it grows out of the body of an underground moth larva. That means that the complete fungus is made up of a dried caterpillar, with the mushroom’s fruiting body protruding from its head.

Cordyceps is highly valued as a medicinal mushroom in traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicine, often prescribed to treat fatigue as well as to heal and soothe the lungs and kidneys. Traditional Chinese medicine has used caterpillar fungus for treating night sweats, high blood sugar, kidney dysfunction, irregular heartbeat, liver disease, sexual dysfunction, respiratory disease and more.

Experts believe the cordyceps’ many anti-inflammatory benefits are derived from its ability to fight oxidation damage, positively affect the immune system, and stimulate protective cells that help to keep the body free from mutations like infections and cancerous cells. Supplements with these mushrooms are considered a kind of natural immunopotentiating drug, something that’s used to help the immune system regain its strength after a serious illness or infection. This fungus helps to control excessive inflammation and tissue damage, as well as to speed the time it takes to heal.

Traditionally, both males and females consumed tonics made from Cordyceps to boost the libido and enhance reproductive functioning, which makes sense considering that reducing inflammation levels, something that’s at the root of most illnesses and diseases, may naturally improve fertility. They can also improve blood flow and help the body utilize oxygen better, factors for improving sexual function.

-Susan Patterson

 

Top Inflammation Busting Winter Foods And How to Eat More of Them

By Susan Patterson

Diet plays an important role when it comes to inflammation. In fact, one of the key factors in lowering inflammation is to follow an anti-inflammatory diet. What that means is a diet based on as many whole and fresh foods as possible while avoiding processed and fast foods as well as those that contain a lot of sugar.

At the same time, eating seasonally is also a good idea for many reasons. Just what it sounds like, it means eating foods that are in season. This not only helps support your local growers, but it means you’ll be enjoying the freshest ingredients with maximum nutrition and taste, typically paying less for it, and limiting the impact on the environment too.

With winter just around the corner, now is the time to start thinking about the best inflammation-busting foods you can eat during this season that typically brings not only joy but quite a bit of stress and not-so-healthy fare. Remember, just because the cold has returned, doesn’t mean you can’t have fresh produce – some fruits and vegetables are actually in their prime during the winter season.

Turnips

Turnips are not only a great source of vitamin C, they contain a high amount of minerals, antioxidants and dietary fiber, yet contain just 28 calories in a half-cup serving. Vitamin C is necessary for collagen synthesis and for scavenging free radicals, which can lead to can lead to chronic inflammation, something that’s been linked to a host of diseases and illnesses. Turnip leaves, in particular, are an excellent source of vitamin K, a direct regulator of the inflammatory response, while its omega-3 acids, such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), are the building blocks for the body’s anti-inflammatory molecules.

Get more turnips in your diet by using turnip greens in your salads, and preparing turnips as a side dish more often. It’s easy to do, just one option is to add peeled, chopped or sliced turnips to a skillet with some chopped onions and garlic, and then cook them until tender. Then, add the turnip greens, cooking until they wilt. Squeezing on a bit of fresh lemon juice and a shake or two of pepper provides a healthful, flavorful kick.

Winter Squash

Winter squash has to be one of the best healthy comfort foods there are. It comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes too, from butternut and acorn to spaghetti and beyond.  You can prepare those achy joints for winter’s cold by boosting up on their potent inflammatory properties too – while it won’t cure your arthritis, its antioxidants can help alleviate some of the symptoms. Its fiber is good for reducing inflammation too. Fiber helps you to have regular, healthy bowel movements which eliminate both toxins and inflammation.

There are many different ways to prepare squash, but one of the easiest is to simply boil it and mash it, mixing in some garlic for flavor and added medicinal benefits. If you’ve gone gluten-free, you can even turn spaghetti squash into a tasty gluten-free pasta by following this easy recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium spaghetti squash
  • 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. Cut spaghetti squash in half, and scrape out seeds with a spoon.
  3. Brush each half with olive oil and then place them on the pan with the cut side facing forward.
  4. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes.
  5. Remove squash from oven, and use a fork to scrape out “spaghetti.”
  6. Place on a dish or bowl until ready to use.

Chestnuts

You’ve probably heard that popular holiday song that includes the lyrics, “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.” This year, instead of just singing along, you might want to roast some of your own. They have a sweet, mild flavor, a crumbly texture, and are most plentiful during the winter. Chestnuts contain a good amount of copper along with manganese and selenium, which play key roles in the body’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory reactions. They also provide vitamin C, B vitamins, folate and dietary fiber. Despite the “nut” in their name, chestnuts are actually much lower in fat than other nuts and seeds, and of course, what they do contain is healthy fat, which is important for battling inflammation and many other bodily processes.

Of course, fresh chestnuts must be peeled and cooked before using, which can take a lot of time, so you may want to buy dried or canned chestnuts which can be used as is. You can add peeled and cooked chestnuts to a savory pie filling or stuffing, or incorporate them into a soup.

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are naturally low in calories and an excellent source of vitamin C and folate. Consuming them is a good way to avoid chronic, excessive inflammation through a wide range of nutritional benefits. They’re rich in glucosinolate which is known to help regulate the body’s inflammatory/anti-inflammatory system and prevent unwanted inflammation. The glucobrassicin found in this winter superfood may be converted into an isothiocyanate molecule called ITC, or indole-3-carbinol which is an anti-inflammatory compound that can prevent the initiation of inflammatory responses at a very early stage.

An easy way to cook Brussels sprouts is to cut off the ends and just add a few simple ingredients, such as olive oil, sea salt, garlic, pepper and lemon, and then roast them in the oven.

Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits are at their peak in the wintertime, so be sure to get your fill. They’re not only juicy and delicious but they’re extremely rich in vitamin C, something that’s important for building and repairing blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bone, which means it’s also helpful for those suffering from osteoarthritis and other inflammation-related ailments. Citrus fruits are also excellent sources of inflammation-fighting antioxidants, providing kind of a “double whammy,” if you will.

There are many ways to enjoy citrus fruits, you can eat them on their own, garnish your water with a lemon or lime, toss a few orange slices into a savory salad, or squeeze lemon or lime juice onto foods when you’re cooking.

Broccoli

Broccoli is extraordinary high in antioxidants which make it a potent inflammatory fighter. Add it to as many stir-fries and vegetable dishes as you can, and munch on it raw too. Steaming it with a little coconut aminos, a popular gluten-free, vegan soy sauce alternative, is a delicious and extra-healthy way to enjoy it.

Carrots

Carrots provide a significant boost of that well-known antioxidant, beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. Both are believed to be excellent at battling inflammation. Snack on baby carrots during the big game, or whenever the urge hits, or lightly steam carrots (avoid overcooking which kills their nutrients) and serve as a side dish.

 

-Susan Patterson