Inflammation is a natural process that plays a key role in your body’s immune response—but it has a dark side, too. While acute (short-term) inflammation is integral to fighting infection and healing wounds, chronic inflammation—a low-grade variety that lasts for several months to years—is downright harmful. Like the proverbial trickle of water that erodes a boulder over millennia, it moves slowly but has a devastating impact.
Chronic inflammation drives significant “longer-term health complications,” Vincci Tsui, RD, a certified intuitive eating counselor based in Canada, tells SELF. In fact, it’s “associated with most chronic diseases,” Desiree Nielsen, RD, a recipe developer with a focus on plant-based nutrition, says—including big bads like cancer, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, and neurodegenerative disorders from Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s. Together, inflammation-related maladies rank as the most significant cause of death in the world, contributing to more than 50% of all deaths, according to a 2019 article published in the scientific journal Nature.
Thankfully, there’s plenty you can do to prevent or counter chronic inflammation. Just a few basic lifestyle changes can make a big difference, since factors like high stress, irregular sleep, and inactivity are all known triggers—not to mention poor nutrition. Here’s everything you need to know about how your diet affects the development and progression of chronic inflammation, and what foods can help beat it back.
How your eating habits influence your chronic inflammation risk
When it comes to fighting chronic inflammation, your diet can be a friend or foe: some types of food encourage chronic inflammation, while others discourage it. Notably, “people who follow more of a plant-based eating pattern tend to have less,” Tsui says.
Whether a specific food proves pro- or anti-inflammatory comes down to four main considerations, according to Nielsen. Here’s a brief rundown of each.
- How it impacts your blood sugar: “Chronically high blood sugars can increase chronic inflammation over time,” Nielsen says. While blood sugar naturally rises and falls in response to a snack or meal, foods plentiful in refined carbs and added sugars can cause more drastic fluctuations, producing a “roller coaster of high highs and low lows” that spells bad news.
- What fat type it contains: While nutrition lumps “fats” into a single category, the inflammatory footprint (or lack thereof) really depends on “the type of fat we consume,” Nielsen says. Harmful saturated fats—found in animal products like red meat, beef tallow, and full-fat dairy—are “associated with increased chronic inflammation.” Meanwhile, healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats (including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) are tied to reduced inflammation.
- Whether it has anti-inflammatory nutrient contents: “Many nutrients have been shown to support anti-inflammatory pathways in the body,” Nielsen says—from fiber, to vitamins (like C and E), to minerals (like zinc and selenium), to a class of antioxidant plant compounds known as polyphenols. Flavonoids, a major family of polyphenols, exhibit particularly potent antioxidant activity and, in turn, are super effective at staving off inflammation-inducing oxidative stress, “so flavonoid-rich foods are a major category that you want to consume more of if you are interested in an anti-inflammatory dietary pattern.”
- How it affects your gut microbiome: Quick refresh in case you need it: Your gut microbiome refers to the community of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in your digestive tract. While some of those microorganisms can improve your digestion and make you feel better overall, others can have the opposite effect—and your diet plays a big role in mediating that balance. Certain foods (refined carbs and added sugars again, plus red meat, fried foods, artificial sweeteners, and more) spur on harmful bacteria that are “more pro-inflammatory,” Nielsen says. On the other hand, healthier choices (fiber and probiotics, say) “drive the growth of beneficial bacteria” that do the reverse.
The best foods to fight inflammation
Generally, limiting highly processed products, saturated fats, trans fats, and refined sugar—and prioritizing a diverse array of nutrient-rich items instead—is the most effective way to stave off chronic inflammation through diet. Considering that a plant-based diet is tied to lower inflammation, “leaning more toward plant-based foods” never hurts, Tsui says—but there are exceptions. Without further ado, here are seven of the top options.
1. Turmeric (but not the supplements)
Turmeric—the Indian and Middle Eastern spice known for its bright yellow color and distinctive earthy flavor—is among the most well-studied anti-inflammatory foods, according to Nielsen: It’s “quite evidence-based,” she says. For these anti-inflammatory benefits, we have polyphenols to thank, especially curcumin, turmeric’s active ingredient. While turmeric is best known as a staple in curries (and perhaps, now, lattes and wellness bevs), you can also add the spice to soups, smoothies, and other dishes, Nielsen says: Shoot for “half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of turmeric over the course of the day.” Keep in mind that this advice only applies to actual turmeric: you’ll want to avoid turmeric supplements (like those that come in pill form), as the dose is so concentrated that it can cause liver damage.
2. Plant oils (oils derived from fruits, seeds, nuts, and legumes)
There’s a reason more and more people are adopting some version of the olive oil-heavy Mediterranean diet, according to Tsui: Consuming plant oils—not only olive oil, but others like avocado oil as well—“is associated with lower inflammation for two reasons,” Nielsen says. One: They have a healthy fat profile, as they are higher in healthy unsaturated fats and lower in harmful saturated fat than comparable animal products like lard, butter, and tallow. Two: They’re high in polyphenols (especially extra-virgin olive oil), so you get that “anti-inflammatory nutrient as well,” Nielsen says.
