Body on Fire: How Inflammation Triggers Chronic Illness and the Tools We Have to Fight It

How many of us go to the doctor for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insomnia, depression, etc., and are given a pill to make it go away? Well the goal of this book is to make us honestly assess our lives, and take some responsibility for our choices. Poor diet, sedentary lifestyles, and poor sleep habits are stressors to the body that cause inflammation. This book goes over ways to improve those poor habits, thereby decreasing inflammation and helping your body heal itself. Each chapter is presented in a clear and concise manner. One of the things that I really liked is that the book isn’t too preachy in its message. The author’s acknowledge that change can be difficult, and also acknowledge that even small changes are a step in the right direction. This is a pretty short and easy read and I would recommend it for pretty much anyone who is experiencing health issues. It certainly won’t cure everyone, but it could definitely help some of us.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Reading this book made me consider three choices. The first would be to follow all the advice and maybe live a few years longer. (I have kidney disease so life expectancy is already less.) The second would be to increase vegetable and fruit intake and reap some more health benefits. The third is to eat whatever you want and live a shorter life. To me it comes down to a choice between quality vs. quantity. Do you want to live a shorter life and enjoy yourself more or live a longer life with many diet restrictions. The choice is really up to you. Obviously if you want to live longer then you might want to do some of the things this book suggests.

I personally can't imagine a life without drinking a glass of milk with a brownie or eating a steak or having no butter. It has been proven that a little fat with your vegetables increases nutrient absorption and you do need good sources of protein and B-12. This book goes as far as to say that all oils are unhealthy, even olive oil. But since I don't live on brownies and only eat them occasionally and use only moderate amounts of oil and butter those two things don't really worry me.

But what this book teaches about vegetables is good. I'm always willing to consume more garlic, guavas, pumpkins, oranges, eggplant, grapes and spinach. Veggies and fruit are usually delicious. So this book promotes a plant-based lifestyle and in books I've read that dealt with chronic illness, that is what people did – they ate more fruit and vegetables to get well. So the experiences of many, many authors has been verified as true.

Some helpful chapters in this book include a section on spices and herbs, a chapter on the importance of drinking more water for overall health and a chapter on sleep and what deprivation can do. A lot of health issues would be nonexistent if we got more sleep and drank more water.

I do think the book should however have mentioned Beano right after the authors suggested that you eat beans daily. There are also no recipes which would have been helpful to people trying all the foods suggested. Maybe they will work on a cookbook! The authors also do not seem to differentiate between saturated fats in coconut oil and butter. A reading of one of Bruce Fife's books will give you guidance on coconut oil and the benefits.

There is however some interesting information on how to use flax seeds which have been a life saver for me and my kidney health. So I recommend it!

For lifestyle benefits, this book recommends yoga and meditation but I find it very difficult to find DVDs for nonreligious yoga and meditation which is only what I'd recommend. Yoga for Inflexible People is a good nonreligious yoga DVD that has a gazillion workouts on it and it is very relaxing with a beautiful setting out in nature. I do not personally recommend Kundalini yoga as I had a bad experience with it in the past.

There is a chapter on fasting but nothing extreme. Just know that fasting itself needs a whole other book because it can be dangerous to go off a fast too quickly. However I do the 12 hour fasting all the time with no problems. It is more like when you fast for three or more days that things can be more critical when you are coming off a fast. You don't want to shock the body with too much food at first. That is what I've read in other books.

So this is an interesting book about healthy lifestyle changes that are doable if you are willing to modify your life to be healthier.

Please consult with your own physician before taking the advice in this book as you may be on other diet restrictions for high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease. This book does recommend lower salt and less sugar.

~The Rebecca Review