What is an Anti-Inflammatory Diet?
Inflammation is a healthy response in the body that is part of healing from injury. Your body creates specific chemicals called prostaglandins as part of the inflammatory response. These chemicals are made from the foods that you eat. If your diet is imbalanced, you might create an over-abundance of inflammatory prostaglandins.
What can happen to a body that gets an overabundance of inflammatory foods?
If inflammation in fat tissue increases, it can increase systemic inflammation that eventually results in symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome includes the development of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint pain, fatigue and potentially a host of other chronic diseases.
Why is it important to follow an anti-inflammatory diet?
Recent studies have shown that Mediterranean-type diets exert an anti-inflammatory effect on the cardiovascular system by decreasing cellular and systemic inflammation related to artery wall thickening. This is especially true for those who already have other cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Because diet strongly affects inflammatory processes, the foods we eat influence how our bodies create inflammation. Consumption of certain nutrients, like omega-3 fatty acids, allow your body to produce more anti-inflammatory prostaglandins, which it uses to reduce inflammation.
Anti-Inflammatory Resources
These mainstream blogs discuss anti-inflammatory diets:
This recipe book offers great ways to sustain an anti-inflammatory diet:
What are some anti-inflammatory replacements for inflammatory foods I eat now?
| Foods to Eat: Anti-inflammatory | Foods to Avoid: Inflammatory | |
| asparagus bean sprouts beet greensbroccoli red & green cabbage
cauliflower celery Swiss chard cucumber endive mustard greens parsley radish spinach watercress string beans beets |
Bok Choybrussel sprouts chives Collardskale kohlrabi leeks onion parsley pumpkin rutabagas turnip zucchini artichoke parsnip green peas squash |
Cornstarchcorn syrupHard cheese (except for feta and grating cheeses, such as Romano and Parmesan)HoneyIce cream, frozen yogurt, Italian ices
Jams, jellies and preserves Margarine Molasses Potatoes Pudding Relish Sherbet Snack foods, including: potato chips, pretzels, corn chips, rice and corn cakes, etc. Soda Sugar |
| Almond milk, hemp milk | Cow or Soy milk | |
| amaranthbarleybuckwheatmilletoatmealquinoa
basmati or brown rice rye teff split peas lentils kidney beans pinto beans fermented soy (tempeh or miso) mung beans garbanzo beans aduki and azuki beans |
Tortillas Rice MuffinsNoodles PancakesPastry PiePita bread Pizza Pasta Popcorn fried foods crackers croissants doughnuts egg rolls fast food french fries bagels, breads, rolls, baked goods candy, cake, cookies cereals (except old fashioned oatmeal) Waffles and pancakes |
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| Eat only 1 or 2 pieces of practically any fruit except citrus. If possible, it is preferred to eat the fruit baked (such as a baked apple or pear).Low carbohydrate fruits: cantaloupe, rhubarb strawberries, melons apricot, blackberries, cranberries papaya, peach, plum raspberries, kiwi, apple blueberries, cherries, grapes mango, pear pineapple, pomegranate banana, figs prunes |
Sherbertfruit juice (choose the fruit instead) | |
| Fish:Poach, bake, steam, or broil deep-sea ocean fish (avoid farmed fish)codhalibutmackerelsardines
summer flounder wild Pacific salmon Chicken and Turkey: Bake, broil, or steam the meat (not the skin) of free-range or organically grown chicken or turkey. |
shellfish (shrimp, lobster, crab, clam)hot dogsbeef hamburgerssteak | |
| Virgin coconut oilExtra virgin olive oil | Shortening and margarine | |