9 anti-inflammatory foods to incorporate into your diet
written by Jasmine Irven
Inflammation has its place in the body; it's the body's immune response to injury, stress, or infection, giving the body time to heal. It is common, natural, innate, and your survival depends on it.
This describes acute inflammation; what happens when you get a sore throat from a cold, a cut or sprain, where the symptoms come on quickly and generally only persist for a few days or weeks.
However, as with most things, inflammation only has its place in moderation. If inflammation becomes chronic and consistent, it can lead to weight gain and disease.
When we look as so many of the chronic diseases that plague our communities today, the root of so many of them stems from inflammation. With our modern sedentary, high stress lifestyles, where reliance on fast foods is common, and our schedules are packed to the brim, leaving little time for self-care, connection with nature, and other natural stress relievers like meditation, our bodies are dealing with chronic stress and inflammation far too often.
With our modern sedentary, high stress lifestyles, where reliance on fast foods is common, and our schedules are packed to the brim, leaving little time for self-care, connection with nature, and other natural stress relievers like meditation, our bodies are dealing with chronic stress and inflammation far too often.
anti-inflammatory foods
One of my main goals is to help you navigate the physical and mental impacts of stress and inflammation through simple lifestyle changes that support your body rather than tax it. And while the best approach is a holistic one involving the mind, body, and soul, today’s post focuses specifically on the body, and how we can better support our bodies through nourishing, anti-inflammatory foods.
In general, shifting to a mostly whole foods, plant-based diet is the best route for reducing inflammation! But if you’re not there yet, here are 9 anti-inflammatory foods you should work on incorporating into your life:
leafy greens like kale, collard greens, and spinach
You’ve likely heard the phrase “eat your greens” so often that it’s ingrained in your mind, but are you intentionally including greens in your diet? Nutrient-dense foods like leafy greens are filled with antioxidants, helping us prevent inflammation and lower levels of stress.
Leafy greens are also a great source of:
Magnesium (and magnesium supplements are often used as a natural treatment for anxiety + stress relief)
Vitamins K, and C
Antioxidants like beta-carotene (which the body converts to vitamin A)
Calcium (specifically kale and collard greens; while spinach is high in calcium most of it is bound with oxalates meaning it’s less bioavailable)
Incorporating salads into your seasonal meal rotation in summer months, as well as adding a few handfuls of greens into your morning smoothie can be great ways to sneak additional greens into your day.
garlic
Garlic is quite the powerhouse, and I love promoting its nutritional benefits because it’s so easy to sneak into meals! Garlic contains a sulfur compound called allicin which is thought to be responsible for most of garlic’s health benefits. Garlic is:
Anti-bacterial
Anti-parasitic
Antioxidant
Anti-inflammatory
Immune boosting (it appears to quiet the molecules that promote inflammation!)
And these properties are activated when raw garlic is crushed, chewed or chopped and the allicin is activated! So, to get the most out of your garlic, chop it and let is sit before adding it to anything else.
ginger
Raw ginger is another delicious herb that’s easy to sneak into smoothies and juices, to have in some hot water with lemon (an age old tummy soothing remedy), or as part of stir-frys, pumpkin and squash recipes, and dipping sauces.
Ginger is known for its anti-nausea effects, and offers anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and immune boosting properties. It’s believed to lower levels of messaging molecules that trigger inflammation, thereby decreasing the body's inflammatory response.
turmeric
Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties come from curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric). Curcumin is a powerful anti-inflammatory, helping to ease inflammation, curb indigestion and heartburn, effective for relieving colds and flus, and reducing risk of diseases like cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart attack and stroke.
Incorporate turmeric into rice and lentil dishes and curries, use it to make an immune booster, or try it topically as a face mask with water or honey to reduce external inflammation like acne. If using it in dishes, note that curcumin is poorly absorbed in the bloodstream, but you can enhance bioavailability by up to 2000% by combining it with black pepper!
pineapple
Pineapple contains a powerful enzyme called bromelain (p.s. This is also the enzyme that may cause a tiny bit of irritation on your tongue when you eat a bunch of pineapple!), which is anti-inflammatory (seeming to work by blocking production of molecules that trigger inflammation).
Pineapple also contains:
Some vitamin A
Vitamin C
Potassium, calcium, and the trace minerals manganese and selenium
Phytonutrients (natural chemicals or compounds produced by plants, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties)
green tea
Flavonoids are another popular group of phytonutrients, known for being rich in antioxidant properties and anticancer activity; often reducing inflammation by blocking synthesis of messenger molecules that promote inflammation.
Containing flavonoids, as well as another anti-cancer amino acid L-theanine, and polyphenols which have historic use as antioxidants, green tea has become popular for its anti-inflammatory effects and health benefits. Try swapping out your morning coffee with green tea a couple days a week to see how you feel!
P.s. I love the rules of food synergy (certain foods working together), and the vitamin C in lemons appears to help the body absorb antioxidants in green tea, increasing the health benefits! So, add a lemon wedge to your tea to boost the effects.
berries
Berries are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants which can help with inflammation. They are also lower on the glycemic index meaning they won’t spike blood sugar as much as other fruits and therefore will help with keeping insulin levels at bay (another important factor in reducing inflammation, balancing hormones, and reducing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes).
Consider starting your day with:
Oatmeal and blueberries
A berry smoothie (adding in a handful of spinach or kale as well!)
Coconut yogurt with strawberries and cinnamon
Chia pudding with blueberries and lemon
cruciferous vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, and Brussel sprouts. Known mainly for their role in balancing hormones, they’re also powerful anti-inflammatory foods.
Cruciferous vegetables are also known for their high phytonutrient levels. Specifically glucosinolates, known for helping regulate inflammation and stress responses, eliminating toxins in the body, and being associated with cancer prevention.
Try incorporating some stir-frys into your weekly meal plan, or add these vegetables to a warm + filling quinoa and roasted veggie bowl in the fall and winter months.
chia seeds
Chia seeds are an important plant-based source of omega-3s (containing the essential fatty acid ALA), which are often disproportionately balanced in today’s fast food heavy culture. These long chain, unsaturated fatty acids have anti-inflammatory benefits, helping to lower unhealthy blood fat levels (triglycerides) and LDL and total cholesterol levels, while raising HDL (“good” cholesterol) levels. This makes omega-3 fatty acids important in treating and preventing cardiovascular disease and helping reduce risk of heart attacks, but also makes them potentially useful in a number of other inflammatory conditions.
Chia seeds are also antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and contain a number of vitamins including A, B, E, and D, and minerals including iron, magnesium, niacin, and thiamine.
Super easy to incorporate into your diet, consider adding a tablespoon to your morning yogurt parfait, smoothie, baked goods, or oatmeal, or making chia pudding.
final thoughts
And there you have it! 9+ foods that if you’re intentional about adding them into your daily life, you’ll likely notice some incredible anti-inflammatory benefits.
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about the author
Hey there! I’m Jasmine, founder of the Sustainable Bliss Collective, a Certified Meditation Teacher, and lover of all things self-care, slow-living, and personal development.
I believe that ambition and self-care can coexist, and as such I hope to encourage and inspire you to take care of yourself, breathe deeply, connect with who you are, manifest your dreams, enjoy the blissful moments of each day, and make an impact in this beautiful world we call home.
Connect with me on Instagram here!
