LITMIR.BIZ

      The most effective way to STOP inflammation in its tracks is by assessing our diet, which in many cases is the most obvious and clear trigger. Looking at a number of large population studies, the benefits of eating a largely vegetarian diet, from the perspective of reducing inflammation, is undeniable. A number of researchers have demonstrated that eating a western diet made up of refined sugars and carbohydrates, large amounts of animal protein, processed foods and poor-quality fats is related to higher amounts of inflammation signals when measured in the blood.⁸⁴

      Conversely, putting more plant foods and fibre in your diet, including good-quality fats that we obtain from nuts and seeds, and eating less animal protein, is linked to significantly lower measures of inflammation.^{85, 86} Essentially, it is a fairly Mediterranean-style of eating and we can reasonably infer from these studies that reduced inflammation is related to less disease and general health protection.⁸⁵

       EXCESS BODY FAT

      Fat, also known as adipose tissue, is a very useful part of our bodies that we have required during our evolution. Without fat, we wouldn’t have survived long periods where food was scarce. This explains why those who have a genetic predisposition to putting on fat, particularly around their organs and waists, may have actually been at an evolutionary advantage when it came to harsh winters, famine and lack of nutrition for energy.⁸⁷ Essentially, it would have acted as a storage form of energy that was readily accessible when food was not available.

      Today, however, the ability to put on and retain fat is a clear disadvantage considering our current food environment full of ‘convenient’, energy dense and nutritionally poor options. With no famine around the corner there isn’t any use to carry fat on our body and we do not end up burning it for energy. To add insult to the situation, if we do accumulate fat predominately around our organs and waistline, it is ‘metabolically active’. That is to say, it promotes inflammatory signals that can contribute to the burden of diseases we’ve mentioned.⁸⁸ This is why the scientific community promote ‘weight loss’ and reducing ones’ body mass index (BMI) as a strategy to counter the effects of excess fatty tissue.

      While I agree that fat tissue is pro-inflammatory and people who lose fat can reduce their inflammatory burden,⁸⁹ a narrow focus on weight alone is sometimes a negative goal for a lot of people who struggle to understand the wider context. I believe health can be independent of weight. It is your lifestyle, mindset and diet that are the biggest determinants of a happy, healthy life. I’d rather you focus on building healthy habits with wellbeing as your main goal, rather than a number on a set of scales. When you adopt a diet that reduces refined sugars and carbohydrates and replaces them with fibre, largely plants and colourful vegetables, coupled with the lifestyle changes I discuss throughout this book, you are lowering inflammation.⁹⁰ These are also the habits that can protect against the dangerous type of fat accumulating around our body’s organs (known as visceral fat) that promotes inflammation and leads to health problems. Before we naively use our scales as a measure of success, I implore you to embrace healthy habits and the subjective measurement of how you feel as a better marker of health.