Nutrition, Lifestyle & Inflammation: How to Support Your Body’s Healing Cycle
Inflammation often gets a bad reputation — but the truth is, it’s essential for healing and immune function. The problem isn’t inflammation itself, but when it doesn’t resolve properly. Understanding how your body triggers, maintains, and resolves inflammation can empower you to make choices that support long-term health.
What is Inflammation?
Inflammation is your body’s natural response to injury, infection, or stress. Think of it as your immune system springing into action: redness, heat, swelling, or pain are all signs that your body is protecting and repairing itself.
There are two types of inflammation:
Acute inflammation: short-term and protective (like a sprained ankle or a sore throat).
Chronic inflammation: subtle, long-lasting, and potentially damaging, linked to fatigue, joint aches, gut issues, mood changes, and cardiovascular risk.
When Inflammation Doesn’t Switch Off
Normally, inflammation has a resolution phase — the body signals that the danger has passed, immune activity calms down, and tissues repair. But sometimes, this phase doesn’t happen efficiently.
Chronic low-grade inflammation can persist silently.
In extreme cases, the immune system can overreact, causing a cytokine storm — an excessive inflammatory response that can damage the body.
The Cell Danger Response: Why Your Cells Stay on High Alert
Here’s where it gets really interesting. Scientists have been exploring something called the Cell Danger Response (CDR) — essentially, it’s your body’s built-in survival mechanism at a cellular level.
When your cells detect a threat — infection, injury, toxins, chronic stress, or even past trauma — they switch into protective mode. In this state:
Normal repair slows down
Immune activity stays active
Energy metabolism shifts to focus on defence instead of growth or maintenance
This is brilliant when you need it — it helps you survive acute danger. But if your cells stay “stuck” in danger mode, chronic inflammation can develop, healing slows, energy dips, and other systems like the gut or nervous system can be affected. You can even gain weight that feels impossible to shift.
Think of it like a castle under siege: the gates are closed, everyone’s on high alert. If the siege ends, the castle thrives. If it doesn’t… the inhabitants can’t rest, rebuild, or enjoy normal life.
The CDR helps explain why some people experience persistent low-grade inflammation even when they’ve improved their diet, stress levels, or lifestyle. Essentially, the cells are still sending “danger signals” that keep the immune system active.
Even though it sounds complex, the takeaway is simple:
Your body has an intelligent self-protective system at the cellular level.
Chronic stress, poor diet, gut issues, or sleep disruption can keep that system “switched on.”
By supporting your nervous system, gut health, hormones, and nutrition, you help your cells exit danger mode, which helps inflammation resolve and healing complete.
Emerging research into the CDR is exciting because it gives us a scientific explanation for experiences that many of us intuitively know — feeling “on edge,” tired, or inflamed for no obvious reason.
Drivers of Chronic Inflammation
Several lifestyle factors can keep the body in a state of persistent inflammation:
Diet high in sugar, refined carbs, and ultra-processed foods
Gut dysfunction and intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”)
Chronic stress and cortisol dysregulation
Hormonal changes, such as reduced oestrogen and progesterone in menopause
Poor sleep, inactivity, and environmental toxins
Nutrition for Healthy Inflammation Resolution
Food isn’t about suppressing inflammation — it’s about giving your body the raw materials it needs to complete the healing cycle. Key nutrients include:
Omega-3 fatty acids (oily fish, walnuts, flax, chia) → precursors for molecules that switch off inflammation
Polyphenols & flavonoids (berries, onions, apples, quercetin) → calm immune signalling
Vitamin D → modulates immune activity
Antioxidants (vitamins C & E, colourful vegetables) → protect tissues
Magnesium → supports calming of the immune system
The Gut–Inflammation Connection
Your gut is a frontline for immune activity. A healthy gut barrier prevents unwanted particles from entering the bloodstream and triggering immune responses. Strategies to support gut health:
Eat a variety of fibre-rich, colourful plant foods
Include fermented foods for beneficial microbes
Enjoy polyphenols (tea, berries, herbs) to feed the microbiome
Hormones & Inflammation
For women, hormones play an important role in immune function:
Oestrogen has anti-inflammatory effects
Progesterone helps calm immune activation
Menopause shifts the balance, which can increase inflammation risk
These hormonal changes are normal — and there are lifestyle and nutritional strategies that can help support immune balance.
Stress, Cortisol & the Nervous System
Acute stress is protective: cortisol dampens inflammation temporarily. But chronic stress disrupts this system, leaving the body less able to resolve inflammation.
The vagus nerve, part of the parasympathetic (“rest & digest”) system, plays a key role here. When activated through practices like yoga, meditation, or breathwork, it:
Signals the body that it is safe
Dampens inflammatory signalling
Supports the resolution of the Cell Danger Response
Think of the vagus nerve as the body’s “brake pedal” for inflammation — practices that stimulate it help your cells know it’s safe to heal.
Lifestyle Strategies to Support Healthy Inflammation
Prioritise whole, minimally processed, colourful foods
Include omega-3-rich meals regularly
Move daily (even gentle walking or stretching)
Prioritise sleep and restorative practices
Incorporate yoga, meditation, or breathwork to activate the vagus nerve
Manage stress and create environments where your body feels safe
Inflammation isn’t the enemy — it’s your body’s natural way of protecting and repairing itself. The challenge comes when it doesn’t resolve properly, whether due to stress, gut imbalance, hormonal shifts, or even trauma. By supporting your body with whole foods, restorative practices, gentle movement, and mindful stress management, you give your cells the signal that it’s safe to heal.
Remember: even small, consistent changes can help your body exit “danger mode,” calm chronic inflammation, and restore energy and balance. Treat your body as the intelligent, self-healing system it is — and give it the tools it needs to thrive.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can inflammation ever be completely eliminated?
A: No — inflammation is a necessary and protective process. The goal isn’t to remove it, but to ensure it resolves properly after the threat passes.
Q: How do I know if I have chronic inflammation?
A: Chronic inflammation can be subtle. Common signs include persistent fatigue, joint aches, digestive issues, skin problems, or low mood. Blood markers (like CRP) can help, but lifestyle patterns often give clues.
Q: Which foods are most anti-inflammatory?
A: Whole foods rich in omega-3 fats, polyphenols, and antioxidants are particularly supportive. Think oily fish, nuts, seeds, berries, colourful vegetables, olive oil, and herbs/spices.
Q: How does stress affect inflammation?
A: Chronic stress dysregulates cortisol, which normally helps regulate the immune system. Prolonged stress keeps the body in a low-grade inflammatory state. Practices that activate the vagus nerve (yoga, meditation, breathwork) help calm this response.
Q: What role does the gut play in inflammation?
A: A healthy gut barrier prevents immune overactivation. Dysbiosis or “leaky gut” allows immune triggers to enter the bloodstream, fuelling inflammation. Supporting gut health with fibre, fermented foods, and polyphenols is key.
Q: Can hormones influence inflammation?
A: Yes — oestrogen generally reduces inflammation, while progesterone helps calm immune activity. Menopause and hormonal shifts can increase susceptibility to chronic inflammation.
Q: How quickly can lifestyle changes improve inflammation?
A: It varies by individual and severity, but even small changes in diet, movement, stress management, and sleep can begin to influence inflammation within weeks. Consistency over time is key.
