How to Fight Inflammaging

Foods to Enjoy and Supplements to Consider

The term inflammaging, or age-related inflammation, plays a pivotal role in understanding the aging process. Being 52 years old ourselves, we are intrigued by the amount of things we can actually do to influence our future health. Healthy aging is a life goal, and we’d like to share our simple 6-step “anti inflammaging protocol”.

“The link between age, inflammation, and disease is so well established, it has a name: inflammaging.”

National Geographic

Let’s break down the art of how to control inflammaging:

What causes Inflammaging?

Inflammaging is the chronic, low-grade inflammation that naturally develops as we age. While inflammation is a protective response to injury or infection, chronic inflammation can do more harm than good over time.

The dangers of persistent inflammation include:

• Damage to healthy cells and tissues.
• Accelerating the onset of age-related diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s.
• Contributing to physical signs of aging, like reduced skin elasticity and slower healing.

The secret to ageing gracefully – powered by gut health

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Why Does It Happen?

Inflammaging Theory

As we age, several factors combine to increase inflammation:

Immune System Aging: The immune system becomes less efficient at fighting infections, leaving the body in a prolonged inflammatory state.

Gut Microbiome Changes: A less diverse microbiome and an imbalance between good and bad gut bacteria can trigger systemic inflammation.

Cellular Senescence: Old or damaged cells that no longer divide but don’t die off release inflammatory molecules.

Lifestyle Factors: Poor diet, stress, lack of exercise, and insufficient sleep can all exacerbate inflammation.

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How Inflammation Speeds Up Aging

Chronic inflammation:

• Increases oxidative stress, damaging cells and DNA.
• Impairs collagen production, leading to wrinkles and sagging skin.
• Affects brain health, contributing to cognitive decline.
• Disrupts metabolism, leading to weight gain and insulin resistance.

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6 Simple Steps

Managing inflammaging is all about adopting anti-inflammatory lifestyle habits. Prioritize these 6 simple steps throughout the week:

1. Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods: Include plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, omega-3-rich fish, nuts, and seeds. Check out the detailed overview and FREE GUIDE for you to download below.
2. Support Gut Health: Fiber-rich can reduce gut-related inflammation, so make sure to eat plenty. Similarly, fermented foods are fantastic for aging well due to their ability to improve gut health, boost the immune system, and reduce inflammation. Read more about gut health and aging below!
3. Stay Active: Regular exercise lowers inflammatory markers.
4. Manage Stress: Practices like meditation, yoga (at Guts & Glory Health we looove face yoga!), and deep breathing help regulate stress-related inflammation.
5. Prioritize Sleep: Quality sleep is crucial for reducing inflammation and supporting repair processes.
6. Consider supplements. While supplements should never replace a varied, healthy diet, they can provide that effortless boost and an ‘extra muscle’ in how to fight inflammaging.

Healthy aging supplements

In a market overflowing with supplements and their promises of near-overnight success, at Guts & Glory Health we swear by the science-backed, tried & tested alternatives. Soul by Rain International is backed by science and a personal favorite at Guts & Glory Health!

Soul seed nutrition contains Nigella seeds, known for their medicinal properties. Legend has it that they were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb and is the oldest spice known to be used. Nigella seeds are full of antioxidants and may therefore help control inflammaging – a key to healthy aging.

*These are affiliate links, meaning we may receive a small amount should you choose to buy. This will not in any way affect the price you pay.

Deep dive into anti-inflammatory foods

At any age, managing inflammation is key to preventing and treating various diseases. Today we know that inflammation is linked to diabetes 2, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and skin & mental health issues, to name a few. So no need to wait until you pass the 50-year-old mark to focus on anti-inflammatory foods in your diet.

Here’s our favorite list of tasty anti-inflammatory ingredients! We try to add as many as possible to our weekly menu in our quest to stay ahead of inflammaging:

15 Foods to Fight Inflammation

• Broccoli. Wok, steam, add to soups or salads, and bake the stems with parmesan.
• Blueberries. Snack, in smoothies, salads, or with pancakes.
• Dark 70% chocolate. Take a bite after meals or to satisfy your sweet tooth and beat that afternoon energy slump.
• Fatty fish. E.g., salmon & sardines.
• Fermented foods. Kefir, yogurt, kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut are all great options.
• Ginger. Add to a wok, smoothies, or make ginger-turmeric shots.
• Grapes. Perfect as a snack, in your lunch box, or frozen as a cold summer treat.
• Green tea. Sip at your leisure throughout the day, but avoid late evenings due to the caffeine content.
• Kale. Use in salads, smoothies, or make kale chips.
• Nuts and seeds. Eat nuts and seeds as snack or in salads and muesli.
• Olive oil. Use extra-virgin olive oil in dressings or cooking (low heat).
• Rosemary. Add to dressings, stews, soups, homemade bone broth, marinades, and roasted vegetables.
• Spinach. Add to soups, salads, smoothies, and juices.
• Strawberries. Eat as a snack, in smoothies, in salads, or make jam.
• Tomatoes. Use in soups, stews, salads, and tasty pasta sauces. PS: Cooking strengthens the anti-inflammatory benefits.
• Turmeric*. Add to roasted vegetables, rice, soups, make tea or ginger-turmeric shots. PS: Always combine turmeric with black pepper for maximum benefit. This is because the piperine in black pepper activates the curcumin in turmeric.

Inflammaging and Gut Health

The gut is a major player in managing inflammation. A healthy, diverse microbiome helps regulate the immune response, preventing chronic inflammation. Conversely, an imbalanced gut can “leak” inflammatory molecules into the bloodstream, contributing to inflammaging.

• Discover delicious and nutritious recipes that allows you to effortlessly boost energy and wellbeing!

By addressing gut health through diet, stress management, and probiotics, we can help slow this process down and support graceful aging from the inside out.

Check out this free guide featuring 50 foods for gut health to help you easily incorporate gut health into your lifestyle. Keep in mind that eating for gut health is about adding the good stuff so that your body can thrive and function at its best.

• Download your personal copy of the eBook 50 FOODS FOR GUT HEALTH today (it’s free!).

The Power of Anti-Inflammatory Seed Nutrition

Rain International’s Soul is formulated with ingredients known for their anti-inflammatory properties, making it a suitable choice for reducing inflammation in the body.

*This is an affiliate link, meaning we may receive a small amount should you choose to buy. This will not in any way affect the price you pay.

Key components include:

Rain International’s Soul is formulated with ingredients known for their anti-inflammatory properties, making it a suitable choice for reducing inflammation in the body. Key components include:

– Black Cumin Seed: Historically utilized for its medicinal properties, black cumin seed is rich in antioxidants and compounds that may help reduce inflammation.

– Black Raspberry Seed: Known for its robust phytonutrient profile, the raspberry seed has the power to fight oxidation and helps to reduce symptoms of inflammation.

– Chardonnay Grape Seed: Each chardonnay grape seed contains enormous amounts of antioxidants and other anti-aging compounds.

These ingredients work synergistically to combat oxidative stress and support the body’s natural inflammatory response.

Additionally, Rain International offers other products that may aid in reducing inflammation:

– Core: Contains ingredients like chlorophyllin, dandelion, kale, spirulina, aloe vera, cranberry seed, black cumin, wheatgrass, milk thistle, and chlorella, which support mitochondrial and liver health.

– Form: A vegan, plant-powered protein supplement that combines seed nutrition with all-natural protein to build your body the right way.

A Word of Caution

PS. While these products contain ingredients associated with anti-inflammatory benefits, individual responses can vary. It’s advisable to consult with a healthcare professional before incorporating any new supplement into your regimen, especially if you have underlying health conditions or are taking other medications.

*Why turmeric supplements are not a great idea

“One challenge of turmeric is that curcumin and other active ingredients are not bioavailable, meaning they are not easily absorbed by the body. Also, the digestive process breaks these beneficial compounds down and eliminates them quickly,” says Mary-Eve Brown, an oncology clinical dietitian/nutritionist at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

With that in mind, incorporating the spice regularly into your meals can safely boost your intake. Combining the spice with black pepper may help increase your body’s ability to absorb turmeric’s beneficial compounds. A substance in black pepper called piperine, when combined with curcumin, has been shown to increase bioavailability by 2000%.

“It’s better to get curcumin and most other nutrients in whole food form rather than to take turmeric pills, tinctures, capsules, or gummies,” she says.

• Dis you know that you can ease the symptoms of menopause by including these tasty foods in your diet?

Frequently Asked Questions