11 Ways You're Inadvertently Causing Inflammation

We’ve all experienced inflammation. Think of that sprained, swollen ankle, that cut finger, or that miserable head cold. Inflammation makes its presence known in a rather loud, unmistakable way; it hurts, it can be swollen, and warm to the touch. This is acute inflammation and is a beneficial and necessary part of our immune system.

However, when inflammation doesn’t heal but instead, continues to spew out low levels of inflammatory compounds, it becomes chronic or silent inflammation. This continual process is the core cause of most illness, disease, faster-aging and weight gain. A powerful tool to combat inflammation comes not from the pharmacy, but from the grocery store.

Here are 11 ways you're inadvertently creating inflammation:

1. You're not drinking enough water.

When cells are deprived of this essential nutrient, cellular function slows down, nutrients are not delivered adequately, your metabolism slows, and this can affect every organ in the body from your heart to your skin. A lack of adequate water intake can result in serious health conditions along with fatigue, foggy thinking, headaches, joint pain, hunger, cravings, weight gain and much more. Drink a minimum of half your body weight in ounces of water daily.

2. You're eating the wrong type of grains.

Choose whole grains that have not been stripped of their fiber and nutrients. In contrast, grains that are refined and on the ingredient list labeled as ‘wheat’ or ‘wheat flour’ (as opposed to ‘whole wheat’) create an inflammatory response identical to sugar. Opt instead for whole grains such as whole oats, brown rice or quinoa.

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3. You're drinking diet soda.

Diet sodas contain artificial, laboratory-made sweeteners that can lead to an increased insulin response that can trigger weight gain, type 2 diabetes and other inflammatory health conditions. Make a lateral shift: choose sparkling water flavored with fruit or cucumbers or sodas sweetened with natural stevia.

4. You're eating processed foods.

Processed foods are inflammatory and one of the reasons many people are overweight and/or sick. Every country that has adopted the highly processed diet becomes unhealthy. Processed foods such as fast foods and junk foods are created to be highly rewarding and overconsumption.

5. You're regularly eating sugar.

Sugar is the number one inflammatory “food.” Sugar and its cousin, high fructose corn syrup, are two of the many sweet culprits that can have serious inflammatory health consequences including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and even aging skin.

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6. You're missing cultured foods.

Cultured foods such as yogurt or sauerkraut promote an abundance of healthy gut bacteria that fight inflammation. Cultured foods also boost your immunity and help you lose weight.

7. You aren't getting enough leafy greens.

Dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, kale, broccoli, chard, and collards) are packed with anti-inflammatory nutrients that reverse inflammation in the body.

8. You're getting too little Omega-3 fats (and too many Omega 6 Fats)

Omega 3 fats help to effectively reverse inflammation. There is an imbalance between omega 3 fats and omega 6 fats in the average diet. Both types of fat are essential for optimal health and can only be found in our diet.

However, most people should aim for more Omega 3 and less Omega 6. Foods that pack in Omega 3 are wild salmon, sardines, walnuts, flax seeds, and fish oil supplements.

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9. You're using the wrong cooking oils.

Swap out inflammatory cooking oils such as vegetable oil, canola oil, soy oil or corn oil. They have a very high omega-6 content and very low omega-3 content, which encourages inflammation. Instead, use anti-inflammatory oils such as olive oil, macadamia nut oil, coconut oil or red palm fruit oil.

10. You're not exercising.

Not regularly moving your body can create inflammation. Exercising promotes healthy cellular function and reduces the markers for inflammation. Almost any type of workout that raises your heart rate counts, such as brisk walking, playing tennis, mowing the lawn, or even gardening.

11. You're carrying excess weight.

Every fat cell, if overstuffed with fat, produces compounds that promote a vicious cycle of weight gain and inflammation. Drop the excess weight and your inflammation will decrease as well.

source: Lori Shamek

Why Sugar is Responsible for Aging Skin

Have you been noticing a few extra wrinkles, some deep lines or sagging in your skin? Sugar may be one of the culprits. Yes, sugar gives us that momentary rush of heaven, that temporary hit to our taste buds and who can resist that decadent dessert presented so beautifully, yet all the while feeling a twinge of guilt with that potential of more jiggle in our midst.

 …But whose worrying that the decadent dessert will cause wrinkles and even sagging skin. Not many.

Sugar, in all its forms whether natural or processed (corn syrup, agave syrup, honey, cane sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, etc.) promotes not only inflammation, a depressed immune system, but damage to the skin and to our internal tissues or organs as well. This is the result of a chemical reaction in the body called glycation. The majority of people have an excess sugar intake, and excess sugars initiate glycation at an increased rate.

The human body depends on sugar and oxygen to provide the energy.

The mitochondria power up every cell in our body using glucose, fatty acids, and oxygen. 

But it comes with a price…

When you cut an apple and wait, what happens? 

That brown color begins to appear….. a result of oxidation.  We’ve all seen the crispy browned potatoes, a roast chicken, toast, the charred grilled steak or the crispy fried chicken, that crispiness is glycation or caramelization (browning).  

When proteins and sugars attach, glycation occurs, and this same process happens to the tissue in the human body as well – the caramelization of our bodily tissues.  Eating foods with high sugar content or that have been processed with high heat (like deep-frying) means you’re ingesting another form of glycation – Advanced Glycation End Products or AGEs (as is so aptly named) directly. 

Think of your cells as engines running on fuel, with much exhaust. Well-tuned engines run clean. When our cells are operating healthfully, they burn energy efficiently  Not-so-well-tuned engines produce thick, black smoke. 

Similarly, unhealthy cells operating inefficiently produce more exhaust and acid. Toxic residue then begins to accumulate in and around the harmful cells. This degrades our cellular health and the engines that run our cells; our mitochondria. Our mitochondria are key to our optimal health. Sugar is the most damaging compound to mitochondria.

As glycation progresses, this leads to mitochondrial energy production that slows down, along with increased oxidative stress. Eventually, damaged mitochondria can stop functioning, accelerating the aging process both inside and outside the body.

Glycation takes its toll slowly. It gums up your proteins, deactivates your enzymes, triggers unhealthy, cellular signaling and damages your DNA = AGEing you.

The two tissues in our skin that make us look so youthful and spring are elastin and collagen. The worst part?  They are the very proteins that attach to the sugar in our body creating glycation – attacking these two proteins which become discolored, weak and hardened and eventually we see wrinkles, sagging skin and a loss of radiance.

But remember, this is not just happening with the tissues on the outside of our body….more importantly, it is also affecting the tissues on the inside of our body as well contributing to diseases such as heart disease, cataracts or cancer, and kidney health.

Glycation is a natural process in the human body because most everything that we eat converts to glucose – even veggies!  However, concentrated types of sugar ingestion speed up the process and have a more powerful, robust glycating effect.

The good news? 

Glycation can be powerfully slowed. Choosing an anti-inflammatory lifestyle 

will take you to more youthful skin and optimized health:

Avoid Added Sugar in All Forms.

Avoid Excess Carbohydrate Intake. Such as whole wheat bread, white potatoes, white rice, pasta, and all grains. Excess healthy carbs are also a contributor to glycation.

Avoid High-Temperature Cooking (think crispy, blackened foods).  Steaming, stewing and poaching are the cooking methods rather than frying, direct-fire grilling and high-temperature roasting.

Add Antioxidant Rich Foods:  Make every plate and anti-inflammatory meal.  Choose all veggies, nuts, seeds, low-sugar fruits such as raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, healthy fats such as avocados, macadamia nut oil, and healthy proteins such as whole pastured eggs,

Add Targeted Supplements to Prevent Glycation and AGEs: 

Carnosine. Carnosine helps prevent cellular glycation. This nutrient is a potent free-radical scavenger and the anti-glycating agent that inhibits AGEs formation and its cross-linked proteins. Take carnosine with fat for bio-availability. 

Benfotiamine.  This nutrient (a lipid-soluble form of thiamine, vitamin B1) can boost your body’s cellular levels of vitamin B1, which is an essential component in clearing the dangerous debris left behind due to glycation.

Curcumin. Curcumin is the active component in the spice turmeric.  Curcumin is an antioxidant, powerful anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, memory-enhancing, life-extending, and Curcumin uniquely protects against AGE-induced diabetic complications.

Tomato Paste.  Research shows that simple tomato paste strongly inhibited the formation of AGEs in the glycation process.

Resveratrol.  Resveratrol has the ability to reduce oxidative stress along with its highly protective cellular effect.

Rosemary. The use of the herb rosemary will help reduce the formation of AGEs.

Alpha Lipoic Acid.  Alpha Lipoic Acid possesses unique properties that specifically slow mitochondrial dysfunction and reversing mitochondrial damage by preventing the release of damaging oxidants.  

Taking action will prevent and improve aging skin creating healthier, more youthful skin and in general, significantly help reduce aging.

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583887/

Thorpe SR, Baynes JW. Role of the Maillard reaction in diabetes mellitus and diseases of aging. Drugs Aging. 1996 Aug;9(2):69-77.

Li Q, Chen AH, Song XD, et al. Analysis of glucose levels and the risk for coronary heart disease in elderly patients in Guangzhou Haizhu district. Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. 2010 Jun;30(6):1275-8.

Van Boekel MA. The role of glycation in aging and diabetes mellitus. Mol Biol Rep. 1991 May;15(2):57-64.

Sztanke K, Pasternak K. The Maillard reaction and its consequences for a living body. Ann Univ Mariae Curie Sklodowska Med. 2003;58(2):159-62.

Berrone E, Beltramo E, Solimine C, Ape AU, Porta M. Regulation of intracellular glucose and polyol pathway by thiamine and benfotiamine in vascular cells cultured in high glucose. J Biol Chem. 2006 Apr 7;281(14):9307-13.

Kiho et al. Tomato paste fraction inhibiting the formation of advanced glycation end-products. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 68:200-5 (2004).

Jain et al. Effect of curcumin on protein glycosylation, lipid peroxidation, and oxygen radical generation in human red blood cells exposed to high glucose levels. Free Rad Biol Med 41:92-6 (2006).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27596404

Liu J. The effects and mechanisms of mitochondrial nutrient alpha-lipoic acid on improving age-associated mitochondrial and cognitive dysfunction: an overview. Neurochem Res. 2008 Jan;33(1):194-203.

Reduce Inflammation and Lose Weight with Antioxidants

Did you know that besides doing wonders for your health, a certain nutrient group might also help you get rid of belly fat, keep you lean overall, provide you with energy to burn and reverse inflammation?  Antioxidants can do that.  Specific antioxidants found in fruits, veggies, chocolate, tea, wine and much more, help to ward off belly fat, inflammation and increase energy.

Antioxidants are nutrients — including vitamins like E and C — that prevent or slow oxidative damage throughout the body.  Antioxidants act as free radical bounty hunters that prevent and repair the damage done by the free radical.

Free radicals are oxidants and are a result of normal metabolic processes (such as with our mitochondrial function) in the human body or from external sources such as exposure to X-rays, cigarette smoking, air pollutants, industrial chemical chemicals.

Chronic inflammation is the core cause of most every illness or disease (including aging).  Even weight gain itself is a result of inflammation – the silent inflammation of fat cells that reduces metabolism and promotes health conditions as well.

When you reverse or reduce low-level inflammation, you are increasing every aspect of your health on a cellular level <=== This is key. You are increasing your mitochondrial health which are the tiny engines or the ‘batteries’ that run the cell. Without our healthy mitochondria, you begin to gain weight, become fatigued and increase vulnerability to disease and we are not even addressing mental wellness. We essentially are our mitochondria…if they are not healthy, we suffer.

Short sleepers need more antioxidants.  Recent research shows that the combination of low antioxidant intake and a lack of sleep promotes obesity.  Higher antioxidant intake could lower the chance of obesity simply by increasing antioxidant intake.

How can you obtain a plethora of health and weight loss benefits?  By Loading-up on these antioxidant superstars every time you hit the grocery store—they’ll help you bring out your healthy best in these five ways:

Multitasking Polyphenols

These phytochemicals help to curb belly bulge by improving the body’s metabolism, help fight aging by preventing — and repairing — cellular damage. The major sources of polyphenols in the average diet are flavonoids.  Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants, even more, powerful than vitamins C and E combined that also have anti-inflammatory effects that can protect against dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. 

Antioxidant Vitamins

The human body does not produce antioxidant vitamins naturally, so it is vital to add them in our daily intake of food, be it through foods or supplements. Common antioxidant vitamins include vitamins A, C, E, folic acid, and beta-carotene. Including a wide array of flavonoid foods to your diet will promote a leaner and healthier you.

Antioxidant Enzymes

Enzymes are types of antioxidants that come from the protein and minerals we eat as part of our daily diets. These enzymes are synthesized in the human body, and in order for antioxidant enzymes to provide optimum antioxidant activity, they require cofactors such as iron, copper, selenium, magnesium, and zinc. The quality of the protein source we eat does have an impact on the quality of the antioxidant enzymes.

So where can you get your fair share? 

Apples, cherries, cinnamon, turmeric, tea, chocolate, beans, onions, garlic, leeks, and sweet bell peppers, all berries (blueberries, strawberries etc), plums, spinach, beans (especially lentils), Brussels sprouts, broccoli, citrus fruits, watermelon, Pretty tasty choices! 

Alkaline Ionized Water

You read that right: There is a type of water –  ionized alkaline water that acts as an antioxidant within the cell. One of the greatest benefits of alkaline ionized water is the ability of H2- antioxidants (also called molecular hydrogen) to penetrate cell walls and do their work where no other antioxidant can. 

One reason H2 antioxidants are the most powerful antioxidants is that they are so tiny. These microscopic antioxidants can enter cells and give their benefits directly into them. No other antioxidant can do this. Another amazing feature of molecular hydrogen is that it can bond with other antioxidants, such as vitamin C or E after they have been “used up”, and regenerate them.

The health benefits are amazing: 

·        Increased Energy

·        Super-Charged Hydration

·        Better Sleep

·        Weight Loss

·        Healthy Skin

·        Anti aging

·        Healthy Immune System

LEMON WATER

Adding lemon to your water is also alkalizing to help keep you free from disease, inflammation and weight gain. Lemon peel contains pectin, a soluble fiber that has been shown to help with weight loss. Add an ounce of lemon juice and some zest to each of your eight daily glasses of water (which will help you feel fuller) as the pectin in the lemon turns to a gel that helps balance blood sugar – stopping hunger and cravings.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                source: Lori

Top 10 Healthiest Fruits On Earth

Fruits and vegetables contain the nutrition that fuels our health and body. Ever wondered that without them we cannot survive for more than a year or two? Check out the healthiest fruits on earth that you should be eating every now and then.¹

1. Apples

An apple a day keeps the doctor away; it is as simple as that. An active antioxidant present on the skin of apples, quercetin, packs antihistamines and anti-inflammatory properties, helping you protect your heart and your body from chronic inflammatory diseases.

2. Bananas

High in potassium and vitamin B6, bananas can improve your heart health, maintain and steady blood pressure and muscle functioning.

3. Grapefruit

Grapefruits are a staple diet loss food. They are high in vitamin C, and promote good health.The antioxidants in them accelerate fat loss.

4. Blueberries

This superfood is known for the antioxidant content. They are accommodating at promoting cognitive functioning and improving eyesight.

5. Blackberries

They are extremely high in antioxidant and polyphenol content. They fight against aging and chronic diseases.

6. Kiwi

They are high in vitamin C and fiber, which makes them an important fruit in our diet. Also, they are readily available.

7. Pomegranate

They lower blood pressure, help in digestion, prevent heart disease, and lower risks of cancer. The antioxidants in them delay the process of aging.

8. Cherries

Anthocyanin, a dark red colored antioxidant in them, reduces inflammation, and cholesterol levels. They also reduce blood vessels inflammation considerably.

9. Pineapple

They are a great source of bromelain, one of the strongest digestive enzymes. They are packed with numerous health promoting nutrients.

10. Avocado

A great source of monosaturated fats and fatty acids, avocados can help in lowering LDL levels while raising the amount of good cholesterol. The healthy fats in are essential for your heart health.

                                                                                                                                                                                                      source: 10 Healthiest Fruits on Earth

Check this out >>>>>

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How To Activate the Little Known Enzyme That Promotes Weight Loss and Longevity

New research is showing that a tiny enzyme within our cells helps big results when activated in weight loss, optimal health and longevity success.  This enzyme, AMPK (Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase) is found inside every cell in the body and serves as your body’s “master regulating switch” – our master metabolic molecule that influences how cells process energy.  Overall, this enzyme plays a significant role in determining our body fat composition.

When our cells lose energy, the cell degrades and so does our health. AMPK determines body fat composition, optimal health and how long you’ll live. When AMPK is activated, cells do not make or store fat, burning-up only stored fat. Our cells are less toxic, healthier and live longer when AMPK gets re-activated.  When the garbage can (our cell) is emptied of junk, optimal health, longevity and weight loss can occur.

Why We Need AMPK To Make Us Leaner and Healthier

AMPK is crucial to our health by promoting insulin sensitivity – perhaps the greatest marker for optimal health. This enzyme also increases the production of our mitochondria – little organs in every cell that turn oxygen and food into energy.  Our ‘Mighty Mitochondria’ are crucial to our optimal health and longevity. 

These mitochondria are the powerhouses of each cell in our body, and when we lose them, or they lose their ability to power-up, we age.  Our mitochondria are one of, if not the most important component of your cells. They supply over 90 percent of your body’s energy needs by converting the food you eat and the air you breathe into usable energy.

The SIRT1 enzyme is boosted and required by AMPK as well.  Until only recently has it become apparent that they have similar effects on as cellular metabolism, inflammation, and mitochondrial function – they work hand-in-hand.  

The SIRT1 molecule has the significant role of silencing the genes that promote poor health effect and boost resilience to stress, promotion of mitochondrial function, protection from heart disease and cancer, as well as a reduction of inflammation.

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Why AMPK Levels Declines

Excess food intake, poor nutrition and the resulting excess of cellular metabolic debris within our cells, promotes inflammation and impairs our longevity genes.  When there is too much of an energy onslaught to our cells, AMPK activity diminishes and so does our health. 

This can result in weight gain, degenerative conditions, diabetes and a shortened life.  AMPK is the controller, the link between metabolic disease, inflammation, and longevity. This AMPK control tells our cells when to create, store or release fat for energy. Without this crucial, vital enzyme, we are at risk for weight gain, faster-aging, and poor health.

Signs of AMPK Deficiency

Difficulty Losing Weight
Increased Belly Fat
Elevated Blood Glucose
Insulin Resistance
High Total Cholesterol and Triglyceride Levels
Decrease in Mitochondrial Function

How To Activate AMPK

When you begin to activate AMPK to healthy levels, inflammatory belly fat diminishes, due to increased fat burning that is being utilized for energy as opposed to being stored as fat only – promoting even further inflammation within the fat cell. Individual dietary strategies and food components significantly influence AMPK activity.

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Natural Nutrients That Activate AMPK.  Resveratrol – This antioxidant activates Sirt1, but AMPK activates it more directly.  Alpha Lipoic Acid – can activate AMPK in tissues, particularly muscle tissue.  Additionally, this beneficial nutrient can also help reduce food intake through the suppression of AMPK in the hypothalamus. 

EGCG        - plant phytochemical from green tea. 

Curcumin - ( See Amazon.com for best selection and value  ) the active component in the spice turmeric.  

Fish Oil     - ( See Amazon.com for best selection and value   ) – the EPA and DHA in fish oil activate AMPK.  

Quercetin – found in many plants including fruits, vegetables, and grains, increases AMPK in fat, muscle, and liver.

Dietary Fiber.  Fiber is a key player in activating AMPK.  A unique form of soluble fiber called glucomannan that is many times more efficient than any other fiber in improving insulin sensitivity and activating AMPK.  I write more about it in my book ‘How To Fight FATflammation!’  

Other excellent sources of water-soluble, viscous fiber are beans), oat bran, nuts, seeds, psyllium seed husks, pears, apples, and vegetables.

Calorie Restriction (CR).  Dietary restriction without malnourishment can effectively increase AMPK, improve cardiac risk factors, protect against cancer, improve insulin sensitivity and longevity.

Exercise. AMPK is stimulated by muscle contraction. Most notably and well researched, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is powerfully effective in activating AMPK. This is simply 8 brief bouts of, for example, 30 seconds all out intervals with 90 second slow down to a moderate pace. There are many varieties of HIIT, and all are short and excellent for promoting weight loss and optimize health.

The Drug Metformin.  Metformin is a drug widely used to treat those with type 2 diabetes and has a powerful effect on activating AMPK and increasing insulin sensitivity.

Eating a healthful diet and exercising the right way, will help to promote weight loss, optimal health, and longevity.

                                                                                                           source: cAmp Molecule Activator