1-844-246-6335
Aloe Vera Juice: Healing the Skin (Inside & Out) - Blog Image

The Anti-Inflammatory Context

BY: Andrea Nakayama

DATE: 2015-08-27


What’s on my plate this month?

Context vs. Strategy

FxNA-blog-header-blueberries-300x169

For years now I’ve called myself a “contextualist”.

I claimed the name far before doing the work I do now.

What I learned for myself early on was this: Context matters.

Without context and the understanding of why, why wouldn’t a million other things get in the way of me making change and moving forward? And why would I ever venture to make dietary alterations or stick to them?

You likely can relate. . . The strategy for upgrading your diet and supporting your health may have been laid out before you by numerous books, articles, even health care practitioners. You know something’s gotta shift.

Yet you’re stalled. There’s something that prevents you from taking action. This happens time and time again. The evasion itself has become exhausting!

And I’d like to propose why. . .

Strategy is far less effective without context.

It’s the duality that really drives the intention home and motivates you to put the plan into practice and achieve the results you want. Context matters. And it matters for your success as well as mine.

Back when I was in college, studying art history as an art major, I knew that in order to understand the art, I had to understand the context in which the artists made their art ~ the politics surrounding them, their place and age and their personal turmoil. With this connection I could easily identify an artist’s work and even name the time in her or his life when it was inspired and executed.

But throw three paintings on the wall by one artist without giving me that framework and I’d just look at them blankly. Without context I had no connection to the material.

And as I was listening to a business training this past weekend on this very subject ~ context vs. strategy ~ in terms of my own obstructions for action in my work, I quickly realized that this is exactly what we do at Replenish. We deliver context.

Right now it’s my mission to impart the reasons why adopting an anti-inflammatory dietary protocol is beneficial and manageable for each and every one of us.

It’s the cornerstone of our health.

It’s the path we can return to again and again ~ whether we get more lenient or more strict at other times.

Embracing an anti-inflammatory strategy for living not only thwarts the progression of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, it can also activate your longevity genes,allowing you to look and feel younger and stronger.

Anti-inflammatory eating IS the context for longevity.

Tick Tock Detox: Anti-Inflammatory. Anti-Aging. Pro-Longevity is the context AND strategy to get you there. You can learn more about the Tick Tock Detox, available for registration any time of the year. For now, let’s get back to context. . .

Let’s put inflammation into simple context.

Thousands of years ago the Romans described the major components of inflammation:

  • calor (heat)

  • rubor (redness)

  • tumor (swelling)

  • and dolor (pain)

All four of these symptoms are due to increased blood supply to the infected area.
Inflammation is a key part of the immune response and as we now hear more and more, it’s THE root cause of all disease. Diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disorders and cancer are linked back to chronic and invisible inflammation that lies just below the body’s pain threshold.

But inflammation is also to blame for these common health challenges:

  • body aches and pains

  • congestion

  • irregular elimination

  • indigestion

  • skin outbreaks

  • frequent infections

  • advanced aging

  • arthritis

  • weight gain & weight loss resistant

That’s stuff that’s effecting just about all of us (or at least everyone who walks through our doors)!
So how do you turn off the heat, redness, swelling and pain when you might not even know it’s there? (Because you can, you know!)
An anti-inflammatory protocol can do the trick.

The cool thing about diet is that it’s well, cooling! Your diet has the power to either turn up the heat or put out the fires, those fires of inflammation.

Foods can either be pro-inflammatory, exciting those states of chronic disease or they can be anti-inflammatory, suppressing that entire response.

The very coolest part is that you make the vote!

Pro-Inflammatory or Anti-Inflammatory? Which will you choose?

Today I’m going to create the inner context to tame inflammation. Today I’m going to commit to include at least three of these top anti-inflammatory foods in my diet.
Won’t you join me?

  • berries (particularly blueberries)

  • turmeric

  • wild fish (salmon or sardines are good choices)

  • cold-pressed virgin, unheated olive oil (drizzle it on)

  • cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli or kale)

  • ginger

  • garlic

  • green tea (hello morning matcha!)

To taming the flames and creating the context to turn back the hands of time!

Warmly,

Andrea-sig-158px

What else is on my plate this month?

Strawberry Mint Lemonade

This seasonal strawberry mint lemonade makes a nice refreshing drink on a hot day. You can make it a bit sweeter by adding more coconut palm sugar or if you like a more tart flavor use more lemon juice. It’s fit for an anti-inflammatory detoxer and the whole family!
STEP 1
Ingredients:

¾ cup coconut palm sugar

2 cups filtered water
Directions

Combine coconut palm sugar and filtered water in a sauce pan, bring to a boil and whisk until sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool.
STEP 2
Ingredients

4 cups whole organic strawberries, stems removed

1 cup loosely packed mint leaves

3 cups filtered water

¾ teaspoon green stevia powder

¼ teaspoon sea salt
Directions

Blend ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Transfer to a large pitcher.
STEP 3

Add dissolved sugar and water mixture along with 1 ½ cups fresh squeezed lemon juice to the pitcher along with the strawberry mixture. To this, add 4-5 cups of filtered water (depending on how tart/sweet you want it). Add some extra chopped or whole mint leaves and lemon slices to the pitcher, stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Serve chilled in glasses with ice and fresh mint leaves.
Recipe provided by Andrea Livingston for Replenish PDX

Andrea Nakayama

By: Andrea Nakayama, FxNA Founder & Functional Medicine Nutritionist

Functional Nutrition Alliance provides the comprehensive online Functional Nutrition training in the Science & Art of the Functional Nutrition practice. Learn to address the roots of your clients’ suffering with client education, diet & lifestyle modifications.

Comments?

Get Program Information

Plus, exclusive access to tuition discounts, bonuses and FREE live events.

I consent to being contacted by Functional Nutrition Alliance.
Want to talk to someone?

Give Us a Call Now At 1-844-246-6335