Tips to Decrease Inflammation

Overview

From diet and exercise to supplements and lifestyle changes, discover natural ways to reduce inflammation and improve your overall health.

Level

Beginner

Targets

Inflammation

Step by Step Instructions

• Continue your prescribed therapies, exercises, and stretches exactly as recommended.
• Audit your diet for added sugars (desserts, pastries, cakes) and remove them.
• Cut out sugary drinks and alcohol.
• Limit high-sugar tropical fruits and starchy vegetables (e.g., potatoes).
• Avoid problematic vegetable oils (rancid/low-quality); choose better fats instead.
• Reduce bread and dairy to lower overall sugar load and inflammation.
• Build meals from a “rainbow” of produce—e.g., berries, green apples, cauliflower, leafy greens.
• Add healthy fats to curb carb cravings: avocados, nuts/seeds, olive oil, avocado oil, fish oils.
• Manage stress daily: schedule brief meditation, quality sleep, diaphragmatic breathing, and regular physical activity.
• Focus on what you can eat and do—plan simple, repeatable meals and routines you enjoy.
• Be consistent: follow these steps every day and reassess how you feel each week.
• If pain or symptoms worsen, pause any step that seems to aggravate things and check in with your clinician.

[Video Transcript]

Let’s talk about inflammation and what it’s doing to your body. I’m not talking about short-term inflammation, like when you break an ankle or sprain something, that type of inflammation is healthy because it starts the healing process. I’m talking about long-term, or chronic, inflammation. This type is very harmful for your entire body and affects your brain health, gut health, skin health, and joint health. It can also increase the level of pain you experience. We want to minimize and control inflammation, and of course there are things you’re doing here in the clinic that help; therapies, exercises, and stretches, so keep those up.

You also want to think about what you’re putting into your body. Sugars increase inflammation and therefore your pain levels. To decrease sugars, cut out the desserts, the pies, pastries, and cakes. Try to minimize high-sugar tropical fruits, starchy vegetables like potatoes, rancid oils found in some vegetable oils, and of course alcohol and sugary drinks. I don’t like to focus on what I can’t eat; I think about what I can. There’s an abundance of foods you can eat: a rainbow of fruits and vegetables like green apples, berries, cauliflower, and leafy greens.

Here’s the hardest part for me: I love bread. Croissants, white bread, brown bread, and I love cheese and dairy. You should cut those down too because they can increase dietary sugars and inflammation. To curb my cravings for bread and dairy, I eat healthy fats found in avocados, seeds, nuts, avocado oil, olive oil, and fish oils. These good fats help control cravings for the carbohydrates I love.

Stress also drives inflammation, and it comes in many forms: physical stress (accidents, injuries, slips, falls) and emotional stress (family, work, even sitting in traffic). It’s easy to say, but try not to focus on what’s out of your control. Instead, do what you can: meditate, sleep well, practice breathing exercises, and move your body daily. Along with reducing sugars, these habits help control inflammation and pain.

I think in terms of longevity. I want a long life, but also a good life, one with minimal pain where I can do what I love. By consistently removing excess sugars, eating well, and reducing stressors, you can support a long, healthy, productive, pain-free life. Remember: consistency is key. I know you can do i. Try these changes and let me know how it goes.

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