Fighting Inflammation, The Healthy Way

In sports nutrition we talk about inflammation a lot. In fact, even in the clinical setting, we talk about inflammation. We talk about it because it promotes negative outcomes. It's associated with cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other conditions as well as sports injury, becoming ill (e.g. flu) and lack of ability to recover optimally. Therefore, we put emphasis in our practice to educate athletes on how to fight inflammation. Its important to understand though, that inflammation is an important process for an athlete as it is naturally created due to activity. However, we want to fight it in a healthy manner. Research shows that fighting sports related inflammation with drugs such as Aleve, Ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatories, may prevent the natural healing process muscle and even increase inflammation.

Here are some things you can do to help fight inflammation the healthy way:

• Sleep well! For a college athlete recommendations are about 8-10 hours per day. If you did not meet this quota at night, consider taking a nap in the middle of the day. Lack of sleep prevents healing and promotes inflammation. 
• Avoid or limit alcohol. Alcohol promotes inflammation and also decreases deep sleep (as mentioned above, sleep is important).
• Avoid or limit fried fatty foods (pizza, fried chicken, fries, etc.) and concentrated sweets (Pop Tarts, soda, cookies, cake, milkshake, candy, etc.) as they promote inflammation.
• Hydrate. Mainly with water. Fluids are important to help deliver nutrients to different parts of the body, including nutrients to fight inflammation. Moreover, dehydration decreases your immune function, which could cause you to get ill (=inflammation).
• Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are rich with antioxidants and phytochemicals that help fight inflammation. When you get injured, the first thing most people do is put ice. Think of fruits and vegetables as your ice inside the body. Very powerful anti-inflammatory.
• Omega 3's, the fat located mainly in fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, etc.) as well as some nuts and seeds (flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, etc.) are a great source of anti-inflammatories. It is recommended to have at least 8 oz of fish per week. In certain cases, a supplement could be considered (please consult with a medical professional before taking any supplement).
• Vitamin D aka the sun vitamin has been shown to be quite the immune booster. Vitamin D can be found in fortified products such as orange juice, dairy, soy foods as well as fish. Supplements can also be considered (please consult with a medical professional before taking any supplement).
• Vitamin C, Vitamin A and Zinc. These micro-nutrients have been shown to boost our immune system and help with healing. 
• Eating enough calories. Calories are a measurement of energy. If we do not eat enough calories, we will not have enough energy to fight inflammation or recover optimally from exercise.
• Keeping your stomach healthy. Positive bacteria is important to keep a healthy gut. A healthy gut can help maintain healthy immune function. By eating a balanced diet, containing pre and probiotics with a good variety of whole grains, dairy (yogurt), fruits, vegetables, legumes and lean meats, you can help sustain a healthy gut. 
• Rest. We all know the importance of recovery for performance. Overtraining and overreaching have a lot to do with chronic inflammation. Make sure you take rest seriously, as you would your training. 

This winter, "let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" to help you fight inflammation and keep a healthy immune system. Here is a great handout by NCAA Sport Science Institute of how to promote immune function.