The Inflammation Question: Food & CBD Regimen
"Hello, I began my journey in health as a therapist. Over the years, I've observed the interaction between the body, mind, and nutrition. Today we are focused on the topic of inflammation." - Allen Rader.
Specifically, we will look at:
How does inflammation affect the body?
Foods to eat to reduce inflammation
Adding CBD
I. Inflammation and the Body
The questions are, is inflammation a good thing or is inflammation a bad thing? And the answer to these two questions is a simple yes.
Inflammation occurs as a natural protective response when the body is harmed. There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic. Researchers consider acute inflammation a part of healing. So, what does acute inflammation look like?
It appears as the redness, warmth, swelling, and pain around tissues and joints that occur in response to an injury. Have you ever pulled out a cuticle or slammed your finger in the door? Then you've seen and felt your immune system go to work and release white blood cells to surround and protect the area.
Chronic Inflammation
What happens when the body will not stop protecting itself? Chronic inflammation is the opposite of acute inflammation. And chronic inflammation happens when the body will not stop protecting itself, and frequently there aren't any visible signs to inform you it's happening.
II Reduce Inflammation by Easting
Addressing Chronic Inflammation
We find a powerful tool to battle chronic inflammation in the grocery store and not in the pharmacy tucked into a corner of the grocery.
Dr. Frank Hu, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, has showed that experimental studies have shown that components of foods or beverages may have anti-inflammatory effects.
Developing Your Personal Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Based on current research, many major diseases that plague us have been linked to on-going chronic inflammation. These diseases include cancer, heart disease, arthritis, depression, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.
Eating to reduce inflammation is a valid way to favorably impact chronic inflammation. The eating plan that naturally follows the tenets of anti-inflammatory eating is the Mediterranean diet.
The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating that's based on the traditional cuisines of Greece, Italy, and other countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. Plant-based foods, such as the following, are stars in this diet:
Whole grains
Vegetables
Legumes
Fruits
Nuts
Seeds
Herbs
Spices
Along with the Mediterranean diet (and often eaten with that diet), these foods offer anti-inflammation support: tomatoes; olive oil; green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, and collards; nuts, especially almonds and walnuts; fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines; and fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges.
Choose the right anti-inflammatory foods, and you may reduce your risk of illness. Consistently pick the wrong ones, and you could speed up the inflammatory disease process.
Besides lowering inflammation, a more natural, less processed diet can have noticeable effects on your physical and emotional health.
Avoiding Foods
What are bad foods? Does it seem like the good stuff is bad for you? If you really like it and crave it, and it's on the list below, you probably would do best to avoid it. The following is a list of foods to limit and avoid:
Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages
Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and pastries
Cookies
Candy
Cake
French fries and other fried foods
Donuts
White pasta
Red meat (burgers, steaks) and processed meat (hot dogs, bologna, sausages)
Crackers
Chips
Pretzels
Excessive alcohol consumption
Margarine, shortening, and lard
To reduce levels of inflammation, aim for an overall healthy diet. A healthy diet is beneficial not only for reducing the risk of chronic diseases but also for improving mood and overall quality of life.
III CBD is Part of a Daily Health Regimen
About the CBD Lifestyle
Although research is still in its early stages, people find using CBD is an option to promote a healthy lifestyle. Many are reaching for CBD and including it as a part of their daily anti-inflammatory regime.
Research has shown that cannabis is a plant that people have used since at least 4000 B.C. Cannabis sativa contains over 400 different chemical compounds. Two of the best-known are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD.
The different cannabis plants include:
Cannabis indica
Cannabis sativa
Hybrids
There is limited research available on the use of specific cannabis strains for pain and other symptoms. As a result, strain-specific recommendations are not medically proven. At HOKO Holistics, we utilize a hybrid mixture in order to get the best out of the plants.
Takeaway
Several studies report the benefits of cannabis to support health issues.
The side effects of cannabis use are usually minimal, especially in comparison with opioid side effects.
Is CBD legal?
The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the legal definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act. Now hemp-derived CBD products with less than 0.3 percent THC are federally legal. However, CBD products containing more than 0.3 percent THC still fall under the legal definition of marijuana, making them federally illegal but legal under some state laws. Be sure to check state laws, especially when traveling.
When you are ready to talk with a HOKO team member, click here for our contact page.
Author, Allen Rader – LinkedIn
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