I remember having a conversation with a woman who told me how fortunate she felt to be in good health in her early 60's.

This is how she described "good health":

• Her cholesterol stayed under 200 with Crestor
• Her blood pressure was controlled with amlodipine
• Omeprazole kept her acid reflux at bay
• Metformin brought her A1C down to < 6%

THAT'S good health?

This woman is anything BUT healthy. What she has is a chemically induced absence of symptoms.

Unfortunately, people like this multi-medicated woman are increasingly common in our society today.

In fact, we’re the sickest we’ve ever been in our entire history.

Now, the begging question is…

What's behind our horrible states of health?

While there are many reasons for our abysmal states of health, a significant underlying cause is chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation is a leading factor behind all these conditions:

• Autoimmune diseases (Crohn’s disease, colitis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.)
• Heart disease; atherosclerosis
• Elevated cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Cancer

• Accelerated aging
• Type 2 diabetes; elevated blood sugar
• Degenerative joint disease 
• Arthritis
• Asthma and allergies
• Eczema 

According to the CDC, chronic inflammatory conditions are responsible for at least 7 out of 10 deaths in the US each year.

Put out the fire!

Hopefully, you’ve gotten the idea that controlling and minimizing your body’s level of inflammation would be in your best interest.

And the first place to start is with your DIET—by avoiding foods that are notorious for stirring up inflammation.

Here are the 10 worst inflammatory foods that you should avoid at all cost, followed by how you can help reduce chronic inflammation safely and naturally.

1- Sugar in all forms 

Sugar stirs up inflammation in your arteries, increasing your risk of heart disease. Plus it nourishes cancer cells.

Especially dangerous is the highly used, cheap form of sugar known as high fructose corn syrup. Your liver must break down all the fructose you eat (versus only 20 percent of the glucose), so consuming HFCS puts a tremendous strain on your liver.

Plus HFCS turns into fatty acids, excess cholesterolandtriglycerides—all risks for heart disease.

And it’s made from genetically engineered corn to boot!

2- Refined carbohydrates

Unlike good carbs like fresh vegetables and whole grains, refined carbohydrates (white bread, pasta, pastries, cookies, cakes, crackers, snack chips, etc.) have low nutritive value and turn to sugar upon digestion. This makes them basically no different than #1 above.

Refined carbs have been shown to trigger inflammation in the gut, increasing your risk of inflammatory bowel disease.

3- Vegetable oils

Vegetable oils are unstable and very prone to damage by oxidation. When heated they form dangerous compounds similar to deadly trans-fats.

In addition, vegetable oils inherently promote inflammation due to their high Omega-6 fatty acid content.

Note that this also includes margarine, as it is made from these inflammatory oils.

So the fact that vegetable oils and margarine continue to be touted as “heart healthy” is positively maddening.

4- MSG

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor-enhancer most commonly found in prepared Asian food and soy sauce, but it can also be added to fast foods, soups and soup mixes, salad dressings and deli meats. 

MSG can trigger two distinct pathways of chronic inflammation, plus impair your liver health.

5- CAFO meats

Instead of being allowed to freely graze in pastures rich in anti-inflammatory Omega-3 essential fatty acids, factory farmed (CAFO) animals are instead fed a grain-based diet which is high in inflammation-stirring Omega-6 EFAs.

And when you eat the meat from these animals, what is in them becomes a part of you. 

6- Gluten

Due to hybridization, we have created a gluten molecule that is more inflammatory than previous varieties.

In addition, the amount of gluten in our wheat is double what it was just 50 or so years ago. Gluten is a very dense, sticky protein that is inherently hard to digest—and now our bodies must deal with a lot more of it, and a more inflammatory version of it.

It’s no wonder that so many people have a problem with gluten nowadays.

7- Soy

Although it has long been touted as a “good for you” food due to its long history of being consumed by healthy Asian populations, 93 percent of the soy produced in the US is genetically engineered as well as treated with glyphosate.

Glyphosate disrupts your gut microbiome balance, stirring up inflammation.

Plus all genetically engineered “Franken-foods” are foreign substances to your body, and time will eventually show the health problems they cause.

8- Soda

Soda is the vilest, disease-creating liquid you can drink, with an acid pH of about 2.3 – 2.5.

Your body has 2 acid defenses—it can neutralize it or expel it. However, when it is inundated with too much acid day in and day out it becomes overwhelmed.

And an excess of acid in your body over and above what it can handle can light fires of inflammation.

9- Processed foods

Processed foods provide little to no nutrients, they create loads of acid in your body, and they typically contain refined grains, sugar and/or chemicals.

In addition, most processed foods are made with genetically engineered ingredients.

10- Artificial sweeteners

Studies have linked sugar substitutes to cancer, brain damage and premature delivery in pregnant women, insulin sensitivity, retinal damage and blindness, nerve pain, muscle weakness and memory lapses, to name a few.

Plus they alter your gut microbiome, increasing your risk of inflammatory immune responses. 

Natural ways to help fight inflammation

In addition to avoiding the inflammatory foods above, here are 5 ways to put the power of Nature to work against inflammation in your body:

1) If you smoke, quit

Smoking hardens your arteries and increases inflammation, in addition to all the other health atrocities it is associated with.

But research shows you can reverse all the damaging effects to your arteries within 10 years of quitting! Plus you’ll certainly be curbing lots of inflammation in the meantime.

2) Embrace the anti-inflammatory power of turmeric

Turmeric has emerged as a shining star in the anti-inflammatory world! With over 10,000 published articles in peer-reviewed journals attesting to its effectiveness, turmeric has truly made its mark in the world of disease prevention and reducing inflammation.

Research has shown turmeric to be helpful with reducing joint and back pain, supporting the cardiovascular system (including healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure), enhancing brain and nervous system health, preventing cancer and Alzheimer’s, supporting the immune system and much more!

Turmeric is often found in Indian cuisine, but the amount of turmeric you typically get from food is far too little to make a measurable difference.

That’s why a supplement like Optimal Turmeric Blend is the perfect way to embrace turmeric’s natural anti-inflammatory properties!

Optimal Turmeric Blend contains 750 mg of soothing turmeric, plus BioPerine™ (black pepper extract) to enhance absorption of this awesome natural anti-inflammatory.

3) Exercise regularly

Studies show that exercise can decrease inflammatory markers and lower your risk of chronic disease, among its many other benefits.

Just be sure to get your doctor’s OK first.

4) Reduce stress

Stress triggers inflammation in the body by raising your blood level of the hormone cortisol.

So do whatever you need to de-stress, keeping in mind that exercise (#3 above) is the best stress reducer there is.

5) Concentrate on anti-inflammatory foods

Here are some of the best natural anti-inflammatory foods:

• Garlic
• Fruits--especially strawberries, blueberries and cherries
• Nuts 
• Olive oil and avocado oil
• Vegetables—especially broccoli, kale, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower
• Fatty fish like salmon and mackerel (wild caught only)
• Herbs and spices—including turmeric, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and rosemary 
• Avocado
• Olives
• Red wine (I just made your day, didn’t I?)

Now you are on a smart path to reduce disease-causing inflammation in your body and pave the way for better health for life!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia