It’s becoming increasingly clear that chronic inflammation is the root cause of many serious illnesses, including heart disease, many cancers, diabetes, rheumatic disease, and more. We all know inflammation on the surface of the body as redness, heat, swelling, and pain. In fact, our source Medical Dictionary states that inflammation is a localized protective reaction of tissue to irritation, injury, or infection, characterized by pain, redness, swelling, and sometimes loss of function. Inflammation is the cornerstone of the body’s healing response, bringing more nourishment and more immune activity to a site of injury or infection. But when inflammation persists or serves no purpose, it damages the body and causes illness and the onset of chronic disease. Learning how specific foods influence the inflammatory process is the best strategy for containing it and reducing long-term disease risks. The anti-inflammatory diet isn’t a “diet” in the popular sense. It isn’t intended as …