Foods that increase inflammation are typically processed and contain additives and preservatives that your body considers foreign or toxic which increases inflammation.

Learn How to Reduce Inflammation and Lose Weight Naturally

Many factors can contribute to weight gain:

  • Eating too much (in portion sizes and calories)
  • Eating a poor-quality diet
  • Not burning enough calories
  • A sedentary lifestyle and/or lack of exercise
  • Hormonal imbalance and inflammation.

Yes, inflammation can lead to unwanted weight gain.  So ready to learn how to reduce inflammation and lose weight naturally?  Let’s start with a brief overview of inflammation and it’s role in weight loss.

What Is Inflammation?

inflammation and weight loss
Inflammation can be caused by cuts, sprains, and even toxins such as the additives and preservatives found in most processed foods.

Inflammation is the natural, healthy response to infection and injury or invasion. It’s a key part of the immune system that helps you heal and keeps you healthy. And it’s activated when a foreign body is recognized by your cells as an invader. Foreign invaders can include bacteria, viruses, plant pollens, or chemicals. Acute inflammation is not only necessary but beneficial.

In response to inflammation, the body releases chemicals from white blood cells into the blood or tissues. The increased blood flow results in redness, warmth, and then swelling. While this is protective process, it can stimulate nerves and lead to pain, so you can better deal with the injury.

Unfortunately, if continually triggered, inflammation can become chronic. This is often due to high levels of stress, environmental toxins, a poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, or often a combination of these. And chronic inflammation is highly disruptive to overall health as well as to losing weight. Chronic inflammation can even stop weight loss in its tracks if you don’t take preventative measures. Worse yet, chronic inflammation is becoming widespread, and you likely have higher levels than you think.

Even if you are currently at a healthy weight and aren’t worried about chronic inflammation, it could be creeping up in your body. Thus, it could be making you more susceptible to long-term issues. In addition to weight gain, chronic inflammation has been linked to:

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • Cancer
  • Arthritis
  • Depression
  • Alzheimer’s

Chronic inflammation is also highly correlated with obesity as well.

What Causes Chronic Inflammation and Weight Gain?

fried chicken image
All fried foods cooked in vegetable oil increase inflammation and ultimately lead to weight gain.

While acute inflammation is caused by an injury, illness, or even something as simple as a bug bite, the causes of chronic inflammation are varied and nuanced. Some of the more common causes include:

Eating too much sugar, including sugar-sweetened beverages like sodas and fruit juice
Consuming too much ultra-processed, packaged, convenience foods (i.e., junk food), which contain refined oils (like margarine, “salad oils,” and shortening), artificial sweeteners, MSG, and other additives
Refined carbohydrates like white bread, pasta, and pastries
Fried foods like French fries, fried chicken, and egg rolls

Nutritional deficiencies
Conventional (i.e., not organic) dairy products
Processed meats like bacon, beef jerky, salami, lunch meats, and hot dogs

foods that cause inflammation
Bacon, sausage, deli meat, beef jerky, hot dogs, and bratwursts all cause inflammation and make losing weight much harder than it has to be.

Trans fats (e.g., shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and margarine)
Gluten for gluten-sensitive individuals
Exposure to environmental chemicals and pesticides
Poor air quality or pollution
Impure drinking water
Industrial chemicals
Autoimmune disorders like arthritis, type 1 diabetes, and lupus
Leaky gut syndrome
Weight gain and obesity
Smoking (including secondhand smoke)
Excess alcohol
Chronic stress
Hormonal imbalances

How to Fight Inflammation and Lose Weight Naturally

sleep reduces inflammation to lose weight faster
Getting a good night’s sleep is important for anyone looking to lose weight. Getting enough sleep helps reduce inflammation and keeps your metabolic hormones balanced which helps aid in long term weight loss.

Looking at the list above, you may feel like you’re being attacked at every angle when it comes to causes of chronic inflammation. Fortunately, nature also provides an abundance of tools to fight chronic inflammation. Here’s how:

Get seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night.

Stay physically active—in addition to exercising regularly, find more ways to move your body throughout the day.

physical activity reduces inflammation
You don’t necessarily have to lift weights or even engage in typical forms of aerobic exercise. Gardening, yoga, and any non-sedentary activity can help reduce inflammation and make losing weight much easier.

Enjoy spending time in the sun—10 to 15 minutes a day at least 3 days a week (it’s even better to get into the sun early in the morning to support your circadian rhythm) to ensure you are producing enough Vitamin D.

Reduce exposure to chemicals and toxins from household cleaners, cosmetics, and conventionally grown foods (for example, choose natural cleaners, cosmetics without phthalates, and organic foods when possible).

Don’t smoke and avoid exposure to second-hand smoke.

Incorporate stress-relieving practices into your life—such as meditation, yoga, forest bathing, and deep breathing.

stress reducing activities
Stress causes inflammation which can eventually lead to leptin resistance. Yoga, gardening, and even going for a nice leisurely walk are all great stress management techniques.

Give intermittent fasting a try.

Limit alcohol intake to no more than one to two drinks, and give your body at least a couple of nights without any alcohol.

Eat a mostly whole-foods, nutrient-dense diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

How to Reduce Inflammation and Lose Weight with Small Changes to Diet

foods that reduce inflammation and help you lose weight
Salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which help reduce inflammation naturally.

Foods may, in fact, be one of the best ways to reduce inflammation. Some foods to make sure you include on your menu are:

Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, anchovies, and tuna at least twice a week (or use an omega-3 fatty acid supplement with EPA and DHA daily if you don’t eat fish).

Plenty of vegetables (at least 3 to 4 servings per day) including green leafy vegetables like spinach or kale, as well as broccoli, tomatoes, avocado, peppers (including chilis), mushrooms, onions, and garlic.

Plenty of fresh fruit (2 to 3 portions per day) like berries, cherries, apples, oranges, and grapes.

vegetables that reduce inflammation
Avocados, berries, broccoli and other inflammation reducing foods can help you lose weight faster and keep it off.
blueberries reduce inflammation and help you lose weight
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries all help reduce inflammation naturally.

Additional Foods to Fight Inflammation and Lose Weight Naturally

anti-inflammatory supplements made with green tea
Geen tea is rich in EGCG which reduces inflammation by lowering pro-inflammatory cytokine levels.

Spices like turmeric, which provides curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory nutrient, 4 and ginger, which provides gingerol and zingerone, which have been shown to decrease inflammatory markers. 5, 6, 7
Flavanol-rich foods like cocoa (or at least 70% cocoa dark chocolate) 8 and grapes, blueberries, red wine, and peanuts due to their resveratrol content 18
Polyphenol-rich foods like coffee, 9 cloves and other seasonings, beans, nuts, berries, cocoa, and red wine. 10

Nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, and chia, pumpkin, and hemp seeds.
Beans, which provide healthy, affordable protein with fiber and phytonutrients.
Whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa for their high levels of fiber.
Extra virgin olive oil. 1, 2
Fresh herbs like basil, oregano, and thyme.
Green tea, which provides epigallocatechin-3-gallate. (EGCG) 3

Spirulina, which is a type of blue-green algae and provides powerful antioxidants. 11, 12

Beyond just picking the right foods to fight inflammation, however, it’s important to aim for a healthy diet overall. That means consuming more whole foods, and reducing or eliminating highly processed foods. In addition to decreasing inflammation, this type of diet can help you lose weight, improve mood, and improve overall quality of life. 13

How to Reduce Inflammation and Lose Weight with Supplements

Now that you know how to change your diet and make other lifestyle changes, you may want to consider supplements for inflammation and weight loss. Supplements that may help support your body’s healthy response to inflammation and jumpstart your results include:

Alpha-Lipoic Acid, which is a fatty acid that has a role in metabolism and energy production. It’s also an antioxidant. 14
Curcumin, the powerful component in the spice turmeric that’s been shown in numerous studies to support a healthy response to inflammation, especially when combined with bioperine. 15, 16
Fish oil, which provides essential omega-3 fatty acids. DHA especially has been shown to promote a healthy response to inflammation and may prevent metabolic syndrome. 17

Another supplement for inflammation and weight loss is Tetrogen, as it provides several nutrients that help reduce inflammation.

These include Irvingia gabonensis or African Mango, Dyglomera, and green tea extract. It also provides melatonin, which may help reduce inflammation indirectly. This combination of evidence-based supplements is designed to not only support the healthy response to inflammation but to help rebalance metabolic hormones.

Most Popular Thermogenic Fat Burner to Lose Weight?

When it comes to losing fat quickly, many people think that what they really need is an old-school thermogenic fat burner. That is, a diet aid that increases the rate the body burns calories by promoting a heat reaction. And yes, these types of supplements may help promote fat burning, at least in the short term.

Some of them have been found to be both safe and effective, such as capsaicin, which is what gives hot peppers their heat. Unfortunately, many of these types of supplements also provide high amounts of caffeine and other stimulants, which can lead to jitters, anxiety, headaches, a rapid heart rate, and gastric issues like diarrhea. 19 Not fun!

Instead of looking for an old-school, popular thermogenic fat burner, there are other supplements that may begin to work a bit more slowly but can aid in a longer-term lifestyle change, so you not only lose the weight but keep it off.

Tetrogen is Specifically Formulated to Reduce Inflammation to Lose Weight Naturally

supplements that reduce inflammation and help you lose weight
Tetrogen is made from 5 active ingredients to rebalance metabolic hormones, reduce inflammation, and help you lose weight naturally.

If you want to know how to reduce inflammation and lose weight naturally, look no further than Tetrogen.

In addition to supporting a healthy response to inflammation, Tetrogen has been shown to help reset the metabolic hormones. So, you’ll not only start burning fat more quickly, but you may better control cravings, feel more satiated after eating, and boost metabolic rate. That means losing weight will become easier—even painless. While every body is different, in a double-blind 10-week study, participants using Tetrogen lost an average of 24.8 pounds, 8.6 inches, and experienced a 20% reduction in body fat. 20

This was because Tetrogen helped them eat fewer calories naturally. And more importantly, it helped address underlying problems like metabolic hormones and chronic inflammation.

How to Reduce Inflammation and Lose Weight for Long-Term Success

Many supplement companies claim to help you lose fat rapidly—with no changes to your diet or exercise plan. This is completely unrealistic. To transition your body to be healthier, happier, and thinner, it takes an integrated approach that includes a healthy diet, more activity (to burn more calories), combined with specific nutrients to help reset your body and reduce inflammation.

Fortunately, once you have addressed the underlying issues like inflammation, metabolic hormone disruption, and cravings for unhealthy foods, you can more easily lose fat without starving yourself, depending on stimulants that just make you feel bad, eating foods you hate, or living in the gym.

References:

1. Konstantinidou V, Covas MI, Muñοz-Aguayo D, Khymenets O, de la Torre R, Saez G, Tormos MD, Toledo E, Marti A, Ruiz-Gutiérrez V, Mendez MV. In vivo nutrigenomic effects of virgin olive oil polyphenols within the frame of the Mediterranean diet: A randomized controlled trial. The FASEB Journal. 2010 Jul;24(7):2546-57.

2. Lucas L, Russell A, Keast R. Molecular mechanisms of inflammation. Anti-inflammatory benefits of virgin olive oil and the phenolic compound oleocanthal. Current Pharmaceutical Design. 2011 Mar 1;17(8):754-68.

3. Tipoe GL, Leung TM, Hung MW, Fung ML. Green tea polyphenols as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent for cardiovascular protection. Cardiovascular & Haematological Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets-Cardiovascular & Hematological Disorders). 2007 Jun 1;7(2):135-44.

4. Panahi Y, Hosseini MS, Khalili N, Naimi E, Majeed M, Sahebkar A. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcuminoid-piperine combination in subjects with metabolic syndrome: A randomized controlled trial and an updated meta-analysis. Clinical Nutrition. 2015 Dec 1;34(6):1101-8.

Additional References

5. Arablou T, Aryaeian N, Valizadeh M, Sharifi F, Hosseini A, Djalali M. The effect of ginger consumption on glycemic status, lipid profile and some inflammatory markers in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 2014 Jun 1;65(4):515-20.

6. Karimi N, Roshan VD, Bayatiyani ZF. Individually and combined water-based exercise with ginger supplement, on systemic inflammation and metabolic syndrome indices, among the obese women with breast neoplasms. Iranian Journal of Cancer Prevention. 2015 Dec;8(6).

7. Hoseinzadeh K, Daryanoosh F, Baghdasar PJ, Alizadeh H. Acute effects of ginger extract on biochemical and functional symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness. Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 2015;29:261.

8. Pa J, Gazzaley A. Flavanol-rich food for thought. Nature Neuroscience. 2014 Dec;17(12):1624.

Additional References

9. Rebello SA, Chen CH, Naidoo N, Xu W, Lee J, Chia KS, Tai ES, van Dam RM. Coffee and tea consumption in relation to inflammation and basal glucose metabolism in a multi-ethnic Asian population: A cross-sectional study. Nutrition Journal. 2011 Dec;10(1):61.

10. Riccioni G, Gammone MA, Tettamanti G, Bergante S, Pluchinotta FR, D’Orazio N. Resveratrol and anti-atherogenic effects. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 2015 Aug 18;66(6):603-10.

11. Selmi C, Leung PS, Fischer L, German B, Yang CY, Kenny TP, Cysewski GR, Gershwin ME. The effects of Spirulina on anemia and immune function in senior citizens. Cellular & Molecular Immunology. 2011 May;8(3):248.

12. Park HJ, Lee YJ, Ryu HK, Kim MH, Chung HW, Kim WY. A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study to establish the effects of spirulina in elderly Koreans. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2008;52(4):322-8.

Additional References

13. Harvard Publishing. Foods that fight inflammation [Internet]. Harvard Health. 2018 [cited 9 June 2020].

14. Andrea Moura F, Queiroz de Andrade K, Celia Farias dos Santos J, Oliveira Fonseca Goulart M. Lipoic acid: Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory role and clinical applications. Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry. 2015 Mar 1;15(5):458-83.

15. He Y, Yue Y, Zheng X, Zhang K, Chen S, Du Z. Curcumin, inflammation, and chronic diseases: How are they linked? Molecules. 2015 May;20(5):9183-213.

16. Panahi Y, Hosseini MS, Khalili N, Naimi E, Majeed M, Sahebkar A. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcuminoid-piperine combination in subjects with metabolic syndrome: A randomized controlled trial and an updated meta-analysis. Clinical Nutrition. 2015 Dec 1;34(6):1101-8.

Additional References

17. Tabbaa M, Golubic M, Roizen MF, Bernstein AM. Docosahexaenoic acid, inflammation, and bacterial dysbiosis in relation to periodontal disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and the metabolic syndrome. Nutrients. 2013 Aug;5(8):3299-310.

18. Nøhr MK, Dudele A, Poulsen MM, Ebbesen LH, Radko Y, Christensen LP, Jessen N, Richelsen B, Lund S, Pedersen SB. LPS-enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion is normalized by resveratrol. PloS one. 2016;11(1).

Additional References

19. Campbell BI, Zito G, Colquhoun R, Martinez N, Kendall K, Buchanan L, Lehn M, Johnson M, Louis CS, Smith Y, Cloer B. The effects of a single-dose thermogenic supplement on resting metabolic rate and hemodynamic variables in healthy females-a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2016 Dec;13(1):13.

20. Kuate D, Etoundi BC, Ngondi JL, Muda W, Oben JE. Anti-inflammatory, anthropometric and lipomodulatory effects Dyglomera® (aqueous extract of Dichrostachys glomerata) in obese patients with metabolic syndrome. Functional Foods in Health and Disease. 2013 Nov 18;3(11):416-27.

SIGN UP NOW FOR YOUR FREE WEEKLY EMAILS!

Get brand-new healthy recipes (easy ones), tips 'n tricks, and more...

Bonus: Get discount coupons for our products on a subscription!

You will receive one tip per week. You can unsubscribe at any time. We will never share your information with third parties.

    Sidebar banner