What we put into our bodies nutritionally and how we treat our bodies physically can have a huge impact on our overall health, including inflammation. This article will identify five steps that you can start following now to help eliminate, prevent, and/or rude chronic inflammation. Nutrition and lifestyle changes will help you to feel better as well as lower your risk for chronic diseases.

Step one: Go Mediterranean

Many experts recommend the Mediterranean diet as an anti-inflammatory way of eating. The Mediterranean diet is not really a "diet" in the sense that we are used to, meaning it is not a weight loss plan, but instead a healthy and lifelong change to eating and lifestyle.

Step two: Be choosey about carbohydrates

Carbohydrates encompass starches, sugars and fiber. Whole grains are much healthier and offer much more in the way of nutritional value than refined grains do.

Step three: Power up on plant foods

Plant-based foods have loads of benefits including a lower risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer, and hypertension, as well as better blood sugar control and weight management.

Step four: Shoot for a healthy weight

Losing just 10% of your body weight can reduce inflammation by reducing the pro-inflammatory chemicals in the blood.

Step five: Get active

Exercise is a lifestyle habit that plays an extremely important role in managing and reaching a healthy weight and overall better health. Exercise boasts an endless list of health benefits, including improved insulin resistance, better blood sugar control, improved heart health, lowered LDL and increased HDL, improved sleep quality, better immune function, lowered blood pressure, protection against metabolic syndrome, weight loss, and decreased stress.