Our immune system is supposed to be our great defender; the army which protects us against invading pathogens and rebuilds damaged tissue that was caused by injury. One of its main strategies is inflammation. Inflammation is caused when the body floods the injured site with plasma and white blood cells, causing visible redness and swelling. Without inflammation, wounds would never heal and germs would always win the battle.

Chronic inflammation can lead to an autoimmune disease, which develops when your immune system confuses your healthy cells with foreign bodies and as a result, starts attacking the healthy cells.At our core, we probably all understand that taking care of ourselves is important. We all know we should eat right, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly but that doesn’t always happen, especially if we have others in our lives that depend on us to take care of their needs as well. This is where it helps to really take a look at what you find enjoyable and what really provides you with energy and fulfillment.

Although inflammation is part of the body’s natural defense system, however, chronic inflammation is the root cause of many illnesses. These illnesses can range anywhere from atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, arthritis, food intolerances, diabetes, fibromyalgia, heart disease, etc. Chronic inflammation also accelerates the aging process, and is a major contributor to obesity. Basically being fat is being inflamed! Our daily choices have a major impact on this.

Here is a list of some of the anti-inflammatory foods that you should include in your everyday diet: