Inflammation has is a trending topic in the health and wellness world lately, and for good reason. According to LiveScience, “inflammation is a vital part of the immune system's response to injury and infection. It is the body's way of signaling the immune system to heal and repair damaged tissue, as well as defend itself against foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria.”

Sounds like a pretty beneficial and necessary physiological process, right? So, is there actually a downside to inflammation? Because that’s what popular media keeps telling us.

Yes! The downside is when inflammation becomes widespread (and unrelenting!) in the body. However, there’s a pretty big difference between acute inflammation, as described above, and the more detrimental, disease-promoting type of chronic inflammation.

Let’s find out more about both types of inflammation and what we can do about keeping the nastier one at bay.

How can I tell if I have acute inflammation happening in my body?

When physical injury damages your cells, the immune system swings into action releasing antibodies and proteins, as well as increases blood flow to the area.

Common signs and symptoms that an acute inflammatory response is at work:

• Immediate response, lasting days or weeks

• Redness

• Heat or warmth

• Swelling

• Pain and discomfort

• Immobility in the affected area

Chronic Inflammation

Persistent and chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is when this response lingers, leaving your body in a near-constant state of “attack,” with widespread systemic effects - sometimes for years!

Common signs and symptoms that chronic inflammation is happening in the body:

• Can last months or years

• Fatigue

• Fever

• Rashes or other skin afflictions

• Abdominal or chest pain

What can I do about chronic inflammation?

There are a number of lifestyle tips for someone experiencing this persistent type of inflammation, or who wants to prevent it from (re)occurring.

Chief among them are:

Quitting smoking

Reducing stress and getting adequate sleep

Exercising regularly and moving your body daily

Reducing alcohol consumption

Re-evaluating your diet, which may include taking supplements known to reduce inflammation

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

If you want to reduce inflammation for overall good health - your diet plays a huge role! The focus should be on whole foods that contain a wide variety of nutrients. Think about which foods give you the best bang for your nutrient buck!

Basically, you want to eat more anti-inflammatory foods and fewer inflammation-promoting foods — which means avoiding processed “food-like products” whenever possible.

• Specific foods that are known to fight inflammation:

• Fruit like tomatoes, citrus, apples, berries, and cherries - especially tart Montmorency cherries

• Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts

• Fatty fish and other healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and olive oil

• Aromatic spices like turmeric, cinnamon, fenugreek

• Green tea

• Dark chocolate and raw cacao powder

And not surprisingly, you will want to reduce or eliminate the following:

• Refined carbohydrates and processed/packaged foods

• High amounts of sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

• Fried food and “franken fats” like margarine

• Pop and other highly sweetened drinks, including most fruit juices

• Red meat and processed deli meats

• Alcoholic beverages (although red wine in moderation has been shown to have some benefits for warding off inflammation; up to 5 oz per day for women and 10 oz per day for men)

So, to answer the question: “Should I be concerned with inflammation?”

If you’re striving to keep yourself healthy for the long run, and you want to know what single thing you should be paying (more) attention to in your health optimization routine -- it’s INFLAMMATION.

There’s no question that persistent, chronic inflammation is unhealthy and can lead to disease, and has been shown to be an underlying common denominator in many serious health conditions.

The reality is that your diet and lifestyle is either helping to keep inflammation at bay or it’s driving it. This is why you should aim to include as many anti-inflammatory foods in your daily diet as possible - to lower your risk of disease, and for optimal health and wellbeing.