By Mariana Rossano

Inflammation is the body’s way of signaling us that it’s lacking balance. And when we lack balance in our lives, the first things to address are our sleep, hydration, movement, and nutrition.

Sleep Deeply
Are you getting restful sleep? Consistent deep sleep throughout the night is crucial to reducing inflammation. We all know how difficult the day can feel when we have a bad night’s rest. Now imagine if this was almost always the case.

Over time, the body’s norm becomes stress. While subtle for some and obvious for others, not resting well stresses the body. Therefore, when you try to reduce inflammation, developing a nightly routine before bed to ensure deep sleep is crucial.

You can begin by turning off your phone 1-2 hours before bed, reducing any stimulation, and drinking a cup of herbal tea. This way, you’ll train your body to calm down and wind down so you ease into slumber.

Some herbs you can drink before bed are valerian, chamomile, lavender, chamomile, and peppermint.

Hydrate Frequently
Water is vital to the healthy functioning of our organs, digestion, circulation, absorption, and more. A rule of thumb for most adults is to drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh daily for optimal health. For example, for one who weighs 100 lbs, drinking 50-100 ounces of water is recommended.

Having a water bottle that you fill throughout the day makes it easy to remember to drink enough water.

Exercise Daily
There’s no need to go to the gym to be healthy. Exercise can be as simple as walking. In fact, a 30-minute daily walk is recommended by health experts to keep everybody healthy.

Exercise also includes dance, yoga, or sports. Any activity that gets you up and moving should be prioritized as you work to reduce inflammation in the body.

Remember that different activities work for different people. Therefore, it’s important you tune into your own voice and be honest about what you can commit to. Choose an exercise that feels exciting to you.

Eliminate Inflammatory Foods
Eliminating inflammatory foods from our diet takes dedication. This may be one of the most challenging tasks for those who are serious about reducing their inflammation. But the long-term result will far outweigh any instantly gratifying taste that ends up causing harm.

Here’s a list of inflammatory foods.

  • Refined Carbs: white bread, white rice, crackers, biscuits
  • Processed Foods: chips, cookies, fast foods, cakes
  • Fried Foods: fries, chicken, cheese sticks
  • Processed Meats: bacon, ham, hot-dogs
  • Sugar-sweetened Drinks: soda, sports drinks, artificial fruit juices

There are many additional foods to avoid, such foods that contain added preservatives, nutrients, flavors, salts, sugars, or fats should be reduced, too.

Foods That Reduce Inflammation
Let’s move on to foods that actually help reduce inflammation. The top ones include:

  • Berries
  • Fatty fish
  • Avocados
  • Green tea
  • Green leafy vegetables
  • Mushrooms
  • Grapes
  • Turmeric
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Cacao
  • Cherries
  • Citrus fruits

One easy way to incorporate a wide array of nutrient-dense anti-inflammatory foods is opting for a meal delivery service such as Z.E.N. Foods (https://zenfoods.com). Z.E.N. Stands for Zero Effort Nutrition, and it’s not a typical meal delivery service; it’s your partner in health! Z.E.N. delivers incredibly fresh, anti-inflammatory, superfood-based meals that are packed with nutrients and can help revitalize your body, boost your immunity, and improve your digestive system, all while making your mouth water.

Get 10% off when ordering from Z.E.N. Foods (https://zenfoods.com) with promo code: LAMOM10

Mariana Rossano, CEO of Z.E.N. Foods (https://zenfoods.com), is an entrepreneur with 20+ years’ experience in the Healthy Food Delivery Business.