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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nResearch has shown chronic inflammation to be associated <\/a>with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis. Not only is it a possible contributor to serious disease, chronic inflammation makes you feel bad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For me, it developed slowly over a period of time. I knew I\nhad inexplicable pain that kept me awake. More than likely, that was related to\ninflammation. It went away when I eliminated gluten from my diet. After a few\nweeks, I was acutely aware that I no longer felt \u201ctight\u201d in my skin. Once I\nrealized how much lighter I felt, I never wanted to go backward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But because my condition changed gradually over a period of years, I became desensitized to the overall changes in how I felt. I knew something was going on because I was weak and tired and I ached, but the acute symptom that kept me seeking answers was an itchy rash<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With chronic inflammation, your body is constantly\nresponding as if it\u2019s under attack. The immune\nsystem pumps out white blood cells and chemical messengers that are helpful for\na time after an injury or illness like a virus, but if the process lingers,\nthey become detrimental. Just typing that makes me feel tired. It seems obvious\nthat constantly fighting itself would not result in optimum health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diet and exercise are key to managing chronic\ninflammation. For me, eliminating gluten was what it took to rid myself\nof chronic inflammation and eventually my itchy rash. Even now, after 17 years,\nit doesn\u2019t take much accidental gluten ingestion to trigger another round of\nblistery itching. Maybe that\u2019s a good thing. It certainly keeps me on the\nstraight and narrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To reduce chronic inflammation, eliminating foods you\nrecognize irritate your system is a good place to start. Anything that produces\nan allergic reaction, stomach discomfort, swelling, redness, or rash can go in\nthe first round. Dairy, eggs, soy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish\nmay fall in this category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next up, consider limiting consumption of processed foods.\nThe chemicals in soft drinks, deli meat, baked goods, and preformed meals may trigger\nan undesired response from your body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond that, it may be helpful to eliminate sugary, starchy\nfoods like white bread, pancakes, doughnuts, and pasta. This will help prevent blood\nsugar spikes. Keeping the body even keel allows it to use available energy to\nrepair itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n