By: Caroline Phipps
The following blog post is written by Caroline Phipps, Health Counselor. To read more of her ideas for healthy living, check out her website, www.carolinephipps.com.

In a recent session with Joan, I proudly remarked that my fingers had become thinner. A whole ring size actually! This happened miraculously after I had added a number of anti-inflammatory foods to my diet.

During my training at The Institute For Integrative Nutrition in New York I had been fortunate enough to study with doctors Mark Hyman, Barry Sears and Andrew Weil. They all had the same message - one of the most important things you can do to be healthy is to get rid of inflammation.

Among other things imflammation has been linked to heart disease. I made this shift because my Father died of his second heart attack at 68 and I have high levels of “bad” cholesterol and didn’t want to take drugs to lower it.

We are all familiar with inflammation. Bruise yourself and the signs are evident. It hurts until the swelling disappears. It is the body’s clever way of protecting the injury to allow the healing to take place. Here’s Merriam-Webster’s definition: “A local response to cellular injury that is marked by capillary dilatation, leukocytic infiltration, redness, heat, and pain and that serves as a mechanism initiating the elimination of noxious agents and of damaged tissue.”

What does inflammation have to do with health?
Besides the local inflammation that appears at the site of an injury, “silent” inflammation, often invisible, can occur in less obvious places. Many of the chronic conditions that plague our post-modern lives such as allergies, Alzheimer’s, asthma, obesity, cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and migraine have inflammation at the root. This list also includes any condition ending in “itis” such as bronchitis, arthritis and so on. Coincidently I used to show signs of arthritis in my joints and in my hands and feet in particular. Now there’s no trace.

What has caused this silent epidemic?
During the last thirty years we have been eating less “whole” and more processed food. In particular increasing our intake of white (or refined) carbohydrates and omega 6 fats (e.g. vegetable oil such as corn and sunflower) while simultaneously decreasing the number of omega 3’s (e.g. fish oil/ flax seed). This confluence of events has created a nutritional firestorm that can affect every organ in our bodies.

Our efficient immune systems regard these highly processed substances – not as food but as something alien that the body needs protection from. It then goes on the offensive to eradicate the enemy and inflammation is the result. Unless we change the way we eat, the inflammation takes up residence creating permanent damage and chronic un-wellness.

Changing your diet can begin to reverse this process in a matter of days.

What should we eat? Here are some ideas:

1. Colorful fruits and vegetables
2. Beans
3. Whole grains (but watch out for gluten sensitivity in wheat/oats/rye/barley/spelt/kamut)4. Omega 3 fatty acids (wild fish/flax seed)
5. Oils – Olive/Flax Seed/Walnut/Sesame/Expeller-pressed Sunflower
6. Lean animal protein (includes wild game)
7. Nuts (not peanuts) and seeds (walnuts and almonds particularly good)
8. Organic eggs from chickens living outside and free to roam

9. Turmeric
10. Garlic
11. Rosemary
12. Evening Primrose
13. Black current seed oil
14. Cinnamon
15. Cumin
16. Dill
17. Oregano
18. Coriander
19. Tarragon
20. Thyme

Additional comments from Elaine:
I really like the idea that changing what we eat can change our health, this is 100% true. Unfortunately there are so many people out there who don't realize this, and so many health professionals who first recommend a prescription before mentioning diet change, if they ever mention it at all.

I'd also like to add something about inflammation that Caroline touched on, that is- inflammation at an area of injury. There are many treatments for this type of inflammation, but one is similar to what Caroline is talking about in this article, (changing the way we eat to improve our health). If we want to reduce inflammation of a site of injury, we must change the way we move. So often, repeative improper biomechanics create a painful, inflamed area on the body. From my prospective, practicing pilates and Alexander Technique can help change the way we move, and improve our health. Of course, any type of mind-body movement that speaks to you will have a positive and similar effect.