My Journey Reducing Inflammation (with accessible tools and NO crazy dieting!)

Naturally Reducing Inflammation

Think about how often you hear the word “inflammation” right now.

It’s everywhere.

From social media to wellness blogs, inflammation is often blamed for everything from fatigue to chronic illness. And while there’s truth to that, it can also leave many women feeling overwhelmed…like they need to overhaul everything just to feel better.

But what if it didn’t have to be that complicated?

👉 What if reducing inflammation started with supporting your body, not stressing it further?

First - if you’re new here - welcome! I’m a Certified Nutritional Practitioner and recipe developer who helps women feel empowered in their health journey, learn how to confidently eat well, find healing and support during chronic illness, and gain kitchen confidence through simple, delicious recipes for you and your family!

Want to know where I would actually START?

If you're trying to support your body through food, you don't need another giant list of things to eliminate.

I've put together 5 simple real-food family dinners that are exactly the kind of nourishing, attainable meals I believe in here at Fallon's Table.

[GET THE FREE 5 DINNERS →]

What Is Inflammation in the Body?

At its core, inflammation is not the enemy. It’s actually a natural and protective response from the body.

When you get injured or sick, inflammation helps your body heal. This is acute inflammation, and it’s a good thing.

But the issue many of us are facing today is chronic inflammation: a low-grade, ongoing state that can affect how we feel day-to-day.

Signs of Chronic Inflammation in Women

This is where things often get missed.

Chronic inflammation doesn’t always look dramatic and can show up in subtle, everyday ways:

• persistent fatigue

• brain fog

• digestive discomfort

• hormonal imbalances

• trouble sleeping

• feeling puffy or inflamed

• difficulty maintaining weight

• allergies & histamine issues

Many women are experiencing these symptoms without realizing inflammation may be playing a role.

What Causes Inflammation in the Body?

There’s rarely just one cause. Instead, inflammation is often the result of multiple stressors on the body over time:

• under-eating or inconsistent nourishment

• environmental toxins

• chronic stress

• poor sleep

• highly processed foods

• over-exercising without proper fuel

• blood sugar imbalances

• hormone imbalances

Notice that many of these aren’t about doing too little, but sometimes about doing too much without enough support.

If you’re feeling inflamed despite trying to “eat healthy,” it may not be about doing more.

It may be about supporting your metabolism and giving your body enough consistent nourishment.

You can read more about that here:
→ Do Calories Matter? A More Nourishing Way to Think About Food and Energy
→ Why Dieting Doesn’t Work (And What to Do Instead for Lasting Health)

If you're ready to actually put this into practice, that's exactly why I created Nourish - a real-food cookbook and nutrition guide built around consistent nourishment rather than restriction.

New here? Start here. 👋🏼

If you found this post because you're tired, inflamed, overwhelmed by wellness advice, or just don't know where to start, here's the simple version of my approach:

1. Eat enough.
2. Prioritize real, nutrient-dense food.
3. Build balanced meals.
4. Get outside and move your body.
5. Stop making food more complicated than it needs to be.

Want me to help you put this into practice?

[GET MY FREE 5 REAL FOOD FAMILY DINNERS →]

Reducing Inflammation, Naturally!

In many ways I don’t feel like the same person I was a year ago. 2025 was really formational for me, and I saw a huge decrease in inflammation alongside noticeably more internal peace and regulation. 

I prioritized a handful of things that left me feeling so FULL. I was on social media a lot less. Outside a lot more. Read a TON.

You know what my FAVORITE detail is about all of this?

I didn't slave away to anything. I pursued attainable, enjoyable, and affordable tools. I did a lot of the “basics”. There wasn’t a 6 day a week exercise plan or crash diet involved.

It was mostly just small daily habits that felt absolutely seamless!

Before I get to the details, though, I want to wear my heart on my sleeve for a moment. I hesitated to even share a big “before and after” pic because my heart for this platform has never been about weight loss, and actually if you have been a part of my journey, you know I was severely malnourished and needed to gain some healthy weight when I started healing my thyroid and metabolism!

So yes, you can probably visibly see my weight reduced this last year, but I hope you hear that I see a girl on both sides who is loved by Jesus, her husband, her children, her friends and family, and did not change in value based on ANY scale number over the years. I’ve been a size 0, a size 14, and everything in-between. I have never been loved less or more because of whatever stage I’m in (and that goes for you too, dear friend!).

I never want my messaging in this regard to change - I still deeply believe that the women’s health and diet industry is good at convincing us that skinnier is better to an unhealthy end, and that our natural healthy weight is often more than we think it might need to be. We sadly can have a very skewed cultural definition of “healthy", often influenced by Hollywood and trends more than true biological health.

Alongside that, however, I will say that this last year I have felt more like myself again. I never “lost” myself by ANY means, but the state I’m in now feels regulated, safe, and good. I’m not striving for it, I’m not crash dieting. My life is a culmination of sustainable, enjoyable rhythms and nourishment that I truly love! I don’t carry the weight of thinking about my body as much as I used to, I think exactly because of my experience with the ups and downs, and as a result, have felt more secure in my true identity along the way!

AND NOW….drumroll….

Here are the top things that made a big difference in my inflammation (and weight!) this last year (stay tuned to the end for some emotional components as well!).

(LAST note, I promise 😂😗 - please keep in mind of all of this is on top of an already very solid foundation. Real whole food with lots of nutrient density, low toxin environment, filtered drinking water, etc. The foundation does matter!!!)

Habits, Tools, & Rhythms That Reduced My Inflammation

1. I focused on lymphatic support

   I did this mainly through dry brushing & the big 6 routine; two incredibly easy, accessible, and nearly free tools with huge impact! I got a dry brush at a local health store and focus on broad strokes towards my heart - there are plenty of great videos and tutorials out there!
   
   

2. Daily morning sunshine‍ ‍
   I wrote an entire blog post on the benefits, instructions, and effects of this practice - it not only helped lower inflammation through the hormone balance it provides, but it also greatly impacted my vision as well (you can read more about that in the linked post)! I often combine my morning sunshine with my big 6 routine!

3. LOTS of outdoor walking/hiking/rucking
   The benefits of walking truly cannot be overstated! For me, this looked liked playing a ton of disc golf with my family, as well as solo neighborhood walks! Hiking several miles through differing terrain with a backpack in the Texas heat? That’ll do some good 😂
   
   
   

4. I really leaned into slow-cooked bone-in meats and lots of fresh herbs.
   The historical practice of eating plenty of braised and slow-cooked meat on the bone provides more amino acids and more nutrient-density than quick-cooked muscle meats. It is SUPER important to our mineral balances and oxidative stress levels to have a good ratio of slow-cooked bone-in meat alongside our other meat consumption throughout the week. And fresh herbs offer anti-inflammatory properties, heavy metal clearance, flavor, and can truly bring pizazz to a simple meal!
   
   This is exactly the philosophy behind Nourish!
   

   Bone broth is also one of my absolute staples (as the creator of the OG internet viral bone broth hot chocolate, it checks out, right 😉).

   
   One of the reasons bone-in meats can be so beneficial is that beautiful gelatin content. If you’d like to grab my Homemade Gummy Recipe Collection: 6 Easy Nourishing Gummies for Kids & Families, head here!

5. I pattern my eating more with the sun.
   I have found I do well now without a bedtime snack and focusing primarily on my three main meals! If you’ve been here for a while, you know I have felt strongly about the bedtime snack in the past! I always want to be someone who is humble enough to talk through individual needs, seasons - changing and learning as I grow! My Nourish book outlines all my food pursuits!
   
   This is certainly more bio-individual and not concrete in my opinion, however, I have seen in my personal journey that having a great, nourishing dinner about 6pm and then being done eating for the night has been hugely beneficial both in terms of weight and inflammation - especially in the winter when the sun has already set!

6. I use the sauna (or sweat!) regularly.

   This is my bougiest tool for SURE, which is why I put it at the end! I don’t think you HAVE to own a fancy sauna to be healthy, please don’t hear that! Sweating and detoxing, however, that’s up there as an important tool! I have a pop-up, cheaper-end (the prices for these get up there y’all), combination red light and sauna that I love (it’s actually on major sale right now, conveniently!). This is the first year I’ve been super consistent and used it about once a week! I know a lot of places offer sauna therapy and that’s a great tool as well, but otherwise, get outside on a hot day and get some movement in! 😉

Emotional Support that Has Helped My Peace & Regulation

1. I read through the Bible in a year. In all my years of following Jesus I hadn’t committed to that, and it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. The word of God is so beautiful and so life-giving. I do fully believe in that beautiful connection of mind-body-soul and that internal peace truly influences our physical body! Of course this is not to say that physical ailments are always directly rooted in spiritual or emotional conflict, but I do certainly believe there can be a link. I won’t dive too far into this topic today and am mostly giving a lot of caveats to avoid assumptions around things I am not stating 😂
   

2. We are still keepin’ on with renting a small house & more minimal living pursuit, and boy is it a good one. I have reduced a LOT of stress by having a home that is easier to clean and maintain! It’s also so freeing to step away from the cultural pressure of owning more and keeping up with the Joneses. I have a lovely, comfortable, adorable home that I love SO much, and it’s nice to call someone else when a problem comes up 😉
   

3. I stopped mindlessly scrolling on social media. I can immediately feel the stress and insecurity rise when I don't stick to that habit!
   

4. I read and puzzled and spent lots of time with friends. It is SO important to have hobbies that are life-giving and people around you that point you to truth and gentleness and fill your cup!
   

5. I made sure I carved out time for rest. Easier said than done! This last year I felt an especial call to create a Sabbath rhythm and honor it. I’d love to share more about this specific bullet point another time! It both caused me to think proactively on the front end and rejuvenated my desire for work and order on the back end!

In no way is this list prescriptive, just sharing my heart and year recap. If it encourages you, I’m so thankful! This is not medical advice, just sharing my journey!

If You’re Feeling Stuck

If you’ve been trying to “eat healthy” but still feel inflamed, tired, or off, you’re not alone.

And it may not be that you need to do more. You may need to support your body differently!

If You Want a Simple, Nourishing Approach

Want to make this way simpler?

You don't need a complicated anti-inflammatory diet.

You need a foundation of real, nourishing food that you can actually eat consistently.

That's why I created Nourish.

It's my practical guide to building balanced, nutrient-dense meals without restrictive diets, complicated rules, or spending your entire life in the kitchen.

Inside Nourish you'll find:

• How to build balanced breakfasts, lunches, dinners & snacks

• Weekly + daily nourishment goals

• Meal pairing ideas

• 40+ nourishing recipes

• A practical sourcing guide

• Seasonal produce guidance

• A simple 3-day meal plan to get you started

Explore the Nourish Cookbook here!

Thank you as always, for being here and letting me have the privilege of sharing my life and learnings with you!