Ep 178: The Link Between Diet, Stress, and Inflammation

Inflammation is part of the body's defense mechanism. It is the process by which the immune system recognizes and removes harmful and foreign stimuli and begins the healing process. Inflammation can be either acute or chronic. However, harmful stimuli may not be so foreign, and can actually be induced by ourselves. 

Body shame, weight stigma, weight bias, is sizeism. Sizeism is a prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of a person’s size or weight. This means that there is an ever present and chronic level of stress and negativity about their body. 

This stress, induced by emotional or mental negativity, can influence food choices. Often, we use hyper-palatable foods to help cope or soothe ourselves under these stressful situations. And, what's ironic is that stress is that very stimuli that increases inflammation. So is it the food or the stress that's leading to inflammation. 

In this episode I'll discuss the interplay between food choices, mental health, and inflammation. I will discuss... 

• What inflammation is
• The types of inflammation
• The effects of inflammation on our health and longevity
• What we don’t know about inflammation
• Discuss how inflammation is connected to our nourishment
• How inflammation is connected to sizeism or weight stigma
• Provide you with One Small Bite to manage inflammation