Diets 101: Anti-inflammatory Diet

You’ve likely heard of inflammation; not all inflammation is bad, but too much of it can be harmful. The good news is that certain foods may help prevent or reduce inflammation. Today I’ll discuss what inflammation is and how you can reduce it by eating a healthy diet.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is the body’s response to a threat and is necessary in order to help the body fight illness and protect it from injury. This is a normal response, but for some, inflammation can become chronic. Risk factors for chronic inflammation include:

• Having diabetes

• Being overweight or obese

• Eating a high amount of saturated fats, trans fats, and refined sugars

Certain diseases are characterized by chronic inflammation, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, psoriasis, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. High levels of stress can also contribute to chronic inflammation.

Diet and inflammation

There is evidence that eating an anti-inflammatory diet may help manage symptoms of certain chronic diseases that cause inflammation. Rather than there being one specific diet, eating an anti-inflammatory diet is actually a style of eating. The Mediterranean and DASH diets are examples of anti-inflammatory eating.

There is evidence that an anti-inflammatory eating pattern may be helpful for those with rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, anti-inflammatory diets are high in antioxidants and may help reduce the risk of developing cancer which can result from inflammation.

Foods that may worsen inflammation

In general, processed foods tend to be more likely to contribute to inflammation than whole foods. The following foods can contribute to inflammation in the body:

• Sugary foods and beverages: Research suggests that reducing sugar in the diet and replacing with whole foods may reduce inflammation. Additional studies show that reducing sugary beverages in the diet specifically may reduce inflammation.

• Fried foods: Anything fried like donuts, french fries, and fried chicken may contribute to inflammation. This is especially true for foods that are fried in oil that has been repeatedly used, such as for the french fries you may find at many restaurants. It is best to avoid omega-6 oils (vegetable, corn, safflower, and cottonseed oil, for example) entirely, as these may contribute to inflammation even if they are not heated.

• Saturated and trans fat, which is often found in packaged snack foods, like chips and crackers.

• Refined carbs, such as white bread and pasta.

• Excess alcohol, meaning more than 1 standard drink per day for women or 2 standard drinks per day for men.

• Nightshades: This one is a bit more controversial, but some may notice less inflammation with the avoidance of vegetables in the nightshade family, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and bell pepper. These vegetables have tons of great health benefits so unless you notice that eating them worsens symptoms of inflammation, I’d keep eating them!

Foods that may help prevent or improve inflammation

Processed foods tend to contain extra salt, fat, and sugar, so the more whole foods you can eat, the better for overall health. Foods that may help prevent or improve inflammation include:

• Healthy fats, like fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines), olives and olive oil, avocados and avocado oil

• Fruits (all types of berries, especially)

• Vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli, and more)

• High fiber foods, like whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds

• Spices (ginger, turmeric, cinnamon)

Some other things to consider when eating to reduce or prevent inflammation:

• Avoid cooking vegetables until they are mushy. Eating them raw or lightly cooked (steamed or roasted, for example) can help preserve the nutrients.

• Variety is key! Try to eat the rainbow, meaning eat fruits and vegetables of all different colors. If you only eat green fruit and vegetables, then you’ll be missing out on all the important vitamins and minerals in red, blue, and orange fruits and vegetables.

• Some research suggests that a plant-based diet may help reduce inflammation, so eating less meat and more vegetarian protein sources such as beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, and seeds may be helpful.

While it is impossible to completely avoid processed foods, consuming them in moderation and balancing them out with a lot of whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats can help prevent or reduce inflammation. Even if you don’t have a chronic health condition, an anti-inflammatory diet is a healthy way to eat and can improve your overall health.