The Best Foods to Eat on the Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Your diet has a profound impact on your overall health and disease risk. While some foods are known to contribute to chronic inflammation, others have been shown to decrease inflammatory markers and reduce the incidence of inflammation-related disease.

Compounds found in foods, including polyphenols, omega-3 fats, and carotenoids, help prevent and combat inflammation by modulating inflammatory pathways in the body and decreasing inflammatory proteins.

Anti-inflammatory dietary patterns prioritize foods rich in these protective compounds, such as fruits, vegetables, and fatty fish.

Here are 12 foods to include in an anti-inflammatory diet, plus foods to avoid.

1. Berries

Berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, are a staple in anti-inflammatory diets. Berries are packed with anti-inflammatory plant compounds, including anthocyanins, flavonols, and phenolic acids, plus inflammation-fighting nutrients, like vitamin C.

Studies show that berries are effective for reducing markers of inflammation and inhibiting proinflammatory pathways in the body, like the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway, which plays a critical role in inflammation. A number of studies have found that berry interventions are effective for lowering inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and malondialdehyde and that berry-rich diets may protect against the development of inflammation-mediated diseases, such as certain cancers.

2. Cacao Products

If you view cocoa and cocoa products like dark chocolate as unhealthy, think again. Though the added sugar in many cocoa products, like chocolate candy, can contribute to inflammation when consumed in excess, cocoa itself is high in anti-inflammatory compounds such as flavonoids like catechins, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins.

Eating cocoa products like cacao nibs and dark chocolate may help lower inflammatory markers like interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). For example, studies show that consuming dark chocolate with a high percentage of cacao may help reduce hs-CRP, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) , and IL-6 in people with conditions associated with inflammation, such as diabetes and kidney disease.

Try sipping on hot cocoa sweetened with monk fruit or sprinkling cacao nibs on oatmeal, chia pudding, and yogurt for a delicious way to lower inflammation.

3. Citrus Fruits

Adding citrus fruits to your diet can help you meet your daily requirements for important nutrients, such as vitamin C and fiber. Plus, citrus fruits provide an array of anti-inflammatory substances, such as flavonoids like hesperidin and carotenoids like beta-cryptoxanthin.

Research shows that consuming citrus fruits and citrus juices may help lower inflammatory markers, which can lower disease risk. A 2022 review of 21 studies found that drinking 100% orange juice significantly reduced levels of IL-6 and lowered levels of hs-CRP and malondialdehyde in both healthy individuals and those at risk for developing heart disease.

Enjoying whole citrus fruits, like oranges and grapefruits, or sipping on 100% citrus juices could benefit health by lowering inflammation and increasing your intake of antioxidant nutrients, like vitamin C.

4. Carrots

Carrots contain the compounds falcarinol and falcarindiol, which may help the body cope with inflammatory diseases, like cancer, by decreasing the secretion of inflammatory proteins in the blood.

In a 2023 study, healthy people drank 500 milliliters (mL) of carrot juice containing falcarinol and falcarindiol before having their blood drawn. The researchers found that the carrot juice significantly reduced levels of the inflammatory proteins interleukin-1α (IL1α) and interleukin-16 (IL16) in blood samples that were mixed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which triggers an inflammatory response in white blood cells. This suggests that carrots may help the body fight inflammation-mediated diseases, like cancer, by decreasing levels of inflammatory proteins, like IL-16, which play a fundamental role in inflammatory disease development and progression.

5. Grapes

Green and red grapes are concentrated in inflammation-fighting compounds. For example, they're rich in resveratrol, a polyphenol that's been shown to inhibit inflammatory pathways in the body, such as NF-κB, as well as production of pro-inflammatory proteins such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) TNF-α.

What's more, eating resveratrol-rich foods, like grapes, may help increase levels of anti-inflammatory enzymes like heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in immune cells.

This may be why grape intake has been shown to protect against inflammatory diseases like heart disease.

6. Beans and Lentils

Beans and lentils are packed with anti-inflammatory substances, including fiber and polyphenols like kaempferol and cyanidin. Not only do beans and lentils provide your body with inflammation-fighting compounds, but their consumption can increase the production of anti-inflammatory substances in the gut.

Beans and lentils contain soluble fiber, which is broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. This process releases short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which positively influence health in a number of ways, including regulating intestinal inflammation and reducing the production of inflammatory proteins.

7. Olives and Olive Oil

Olives and olive oil are important components of anti-inflammatory dietary patterns like the Mediterranean diet. Olives and olive oil are high in inflammation-fighting polyphenols, like ferulic acid, epicatechin, and apigenin.

Olive oil and olive-rich diets have been consistently linked to reduced rates of inflammatory diseases, including heart disease.

What's more, olive oil has been shown to reduce levels of inflammatory markers such as CRP and reduce disease activity in people with inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.

8. Herbs and Spices

Incorporating herbs and spices, like rosemary, turmeric, cinnamon, saffron, sage, and oregano, into your diet can boost your intake of anti-inflammatory polyphenols, like gallic acid, curcumin, apigenin, catechin, and caffeic acid.

Studies show that consuming certain herbs and spices, like turmeric, may help lower inflammatory markers. For example, a 2021 review of six studies found that turmeric supplementation significantly reduced levels of the inflammatory markers CRP and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in people with inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis.

9. Garlic and Ginger

Garlic and ginger are staple ingredients in dietary patterns linked with reduced disease risk, such as Mediterranean dietary patterns and traditional Indian diets. They're both rich in anti-inflammatory compounds and studies show that consuming garlic and ginger may help protect against and improve symptoms of inflammatory diseases.

Ginger has been shown to reduce pain and inflammatory markers in people with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, while garlic intake has been shown to reduce inflammatory markers like CRP and protect against cognitive decline by lowering inflammation in the brain and reducing nerve cell degeneration.

10. Leafy Greens

Leafy greens, like arugula, spinach, Swiss chard, and kale, are high in anti-inflammatory plant compounds and nutrients, such as flavonoids, carotenoids, glucosinolates, and vitamin C. Studies show that increasing your intake of leafy greens is an easy and effective way to reduce inflammation.

A 2022 study, participants followed a nutrient-dense diet that prioritized the consumption of dark leafy greens like spinach and kale or a standard American diet supplemented with a daily smoothie made with eight ounces of dark leafy greens for seven days. Both groups experienced significant reductions in the inflammatory marker CRP plus significant increases in their blood levels of beta-carotene, an anti-inflammatory carotenoid compound. This suggests that simply adding leafy greens to your diet without making other significant dietary changes could be a powerful way to reduce inflammation and boost your body's anti-inflammatory defenses.

11. Seafood

Seafood is an excellent source of anti-inflammatory substances like omega-3 fats and selenium, a mineral that has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the body.

Research shows that both eating omega-3-rich seafood and supplementing with omega-3s can help reduce proinflammatory proteins and improve symptoms of inflammatory conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

A 2020 study found that people at a high risk of developing heart disease and diabetes who followed an oily fish-rich diet for eight weeks experienced significant reductions in hs-CRP and IL-6.

Try eating more oily fish, like salmon, trout, sardines, and herring, to increase the anti-inflammatory power of your diet.

12. Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds, like pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, are excellent sources of anti-inflammatory polyphenol compounds, fiber, and heart health-promoting fats.

A number of studies have found that people who regularly consume nuts and seeds have lower levels of inflammatory markers like CRP, IL-6, and fibrinogen. Having elevated levels of fibrinogen is associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

Eating nuts and seeds may also help increase levels of adiponectin, a hormone that has anti-inflammatory properties and decreases inflammatory responses and cellular damage that may otherwise lead to disease.

Foods to Avoid

While following a nutrient-dense diet that prioritizes foods high in anti-inflammatory compounds can help reduce inflammation and chronic disease risk, consuming some foods and beverages too frequently could have the opposite effect.

In general, it's best to limit your intake of the following foods and drinks:

• Fast food: Fried foods, cheeseburgers, convenience foods

• Sweetened foods and drinks: Candy, soda, sweetened coffee drinks, cookies, cakes, ice cream, energy drinks, sugary cereals

• Packaged and convenience foods: chips, snack mixes, sweetened granola and protein bars, highly processed frozen meals

• Foods and oils high in omega-6 fats: corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, margarine

• Refined grain products: white bread, bagels, crackers, donuts, cupcakes, pastries, pretzels

• Processed meat products: lunch meats, bacon, beef jerky

• Products high in added salt: canned soups, salty snack foods like chips, salty restaurant and takeout meals

While you can enjoy these foods and drinks occasionally while still following a primarily anti-inflammatory dietary pattern, consuming these products too often can harm your health and increase your risk of developing inflammation-mediated health conditions, like cognitive decline, heart disease, and certain cancers.

Other Ways to Reduce Inflammation

In addition to following a healthy, well-rounded diet and avoiding foods known to increase inflammation, there are a few other ways to lower inflammation through lifestyle changes.

For example, quitting smoking, minimizing your alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy body weight, and getting plenty of exercise can significantly reduce your risk of inflammatory health conditions and help you live a longer, healthier life.

If you'd like to transition to a more anti-inflammatory diet or make lifestyle changes to protect your health, consider speaking with a healthcare provider like a primary care physician or a registered dietitian. They can help you get started and share tips on how to start and maintain an anti-inflammatory lifestyle.

A Quick Review

Certain foods, such as leafy greens, berries, nuts and seeds, fatty fish, and cacao, are packed with anti-inflammatory compounds like polyphenols, carotenoids, fiber, and omega-3 fats.

Transitioning to an anti-inflammatory diet can help reduce your risk of developing inflammatory health conditions and benefit those who already have inflammation-driven diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Try incorporating some of the foods listed above into your diet for a delicious and easy way to support and protect your health.

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