A number of anti-inflammatory drugs in the market promise to ease our pain and calm angry allergic reactions. While they may provide quick relief, long-term use of some anti-inflammatory medications such as NSAIDs and steroids can actually weaken our immunity or cause unwanted side effects.
Nature has provided us with many anti-inflammatory foods which don’t just work with negligible adverse reaction, but are also great tasting. Besides their abilities to reduce inflammation, they also supply us with loads of essential vitamins and minerals that boost our immune health. Talking about value for money!
Check out what are the top ten list of anti-inflammatory foods you should know below and start introducing them into your diet regularly if you haven’t.
1. Kelp
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Anti-inflammatory Agent: Kelp such as kombu contains fucoidan, a type of complex carbohydrate that is anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-oxidative. A few studies on fucoidan in recent years have found promising results in using the brown algae extract to control liver and lung cancer and to promote collagen synthesis. The high fiber content of kelp also helps to induce fullness, slow fat absorption and promote weight loss. But whenever possible, get only organic kelps harvested from unpolluted sea.Sidekicks: Need another good reason to re-visit your favorite Japanese restaurants? Besides kombu, wakame and arame are also good sources of fucoidan. A marine vegetable native to the Tongan Islands called limu moui is also a fucoidan powerhouse.
Arch-Enemy: Seaweed snack. Go easy on seaweed snacks as they are usually heavily salted and coated with a thick layer of vegetable oil.
2. Wild Alaskan Salmon
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Anti-inflammatory Agent: Salmon is an excellent source of eicosapentaenoic acids and docosahexaenoic acids, the two potent omega-3 fatty acids that douse inflammation. The benefits of omega-3 have been backed by numerous studies and they range from preventing heart disease and cancer to treating autoimmune diseases and psychological disorders. Be sure to include some oily fish such as wild Alaskan salmon in your diet twice a week. If fish is not your type of food, you can also get omega-3 from high-quality fish oil supplement.Sidekicks: Anchovies, mackerel and sardines are also rich sources of omega-3 fats. But how about plant-based sources of omega-3, like flaxseeds and walnuts? Learn why plants may not be an adequate source of omega-3 fats.
Arch-Enemies: Polyunsaturated vegetable oils. You may be surprised to see polyunsaturated oil (like those from safflower, soybean, corn and sunflower) listed here, but polyunsaturated fats have been found to be unstable and are easily damaged by oxygen. High consumption of omega-6 fatty acids, present in higher amount in polyunsaturated oil, have also been linked to inflammatory response in the body, leading to heart disease and cancer. While omega-6 is important to health, the key is to balance your omega-6 and omega-3 intake so that both are in balance.
3. Turmeric
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Anti-inflammatory Agent: This Asian spice commonly found in pre-mixed curry powder contains a powerful, non-toxic compound called curcumin. Studies found that turmeric’s anti-inflammatory effects are on a par with potent drugs such as hydrocortisone and Motrin, but yet having none of their side effects.Sidekicks: Ginger. This relative of turmeric is also highly prized around the world for its anti-inflammatory benefits, and are used to expel cold and relieve motion sickness and vomiting.
Arch-Enemy: Sugar. It can hardly be called a spice, but the widespread use of sugar rivals that of any spice and has led to a host of illnesses linked to this additive condiment. A diet high in sugar is decidedly inflammation-promoting and should be controlled.
4. Shiitake Mushroom
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Anti-inflammatory Agent: Enjoyed by the Chinese since ancient times, shiitake mushroom is revered for its immune-boosting properties and its mild smoky taste.
Sidekicks: Maitake, enoki, oyster mushrooms. There is no better way to fight cancer and enhance your health than to feast on a plate of stir-fried mixed mushrooms. Yummy!
Arch-Enemy: Deep-fried mushrooms and vegetables. Throwing fresh mushrooms and vegetables into a big pot of boiling oil will not only soak up lots of cancer-causing compounds from the overheated oil, their healing powers will also be greatly diminished by the high temperature.
5. Green Tea
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Anti-inflammatory Agent: The flavonoids in green tea are potent natural anti-inflammatory compounds that have been shown in numerous studies to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.Sidekicks: Water. What can be more cleansing for the body than zero contamination water?
Arch-Enemy: Processed cow’s milk. Non-organic milk carries antibiotics and growth hormone residues that can irritate immune system when they are consumed long-term. Many people, especially those in the East, also cannot digest milk properly, causing disruption in the digestive tract.
6. Papaya
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Anti-inflammatory Agent: Coined by Christopher Columbus as the ‘fruit of the angels’, papaya contains papain, a protein-digesting enzyme. Together with other nutrients such as vitamin C and E, papain helps to reduce inflammation, and improves digestion and healing from burns.Sidekicks: Pineapple. A tropical fruit worthy of mention, pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that aids in the healing of indigestion, sports injury, trauma, arthritis, and other kinds of swelling. Extracts of bromelain have also proven to be as effective as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Arch-Enemy: Preservative-laden fruits. Dried fruits can contain high levels of chemicals such as sulphur dioxide, a preservative which has been linked to increased respiratory disease. Eat fresh fruits whenever possible, but if you must opt for the dried form, make sure it’s preservative-free.
7. Blueberry
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Anti-inflammatory Agent: An antioxidant powerhouse, blueberry is high in phytonutrients that confer anti-inflammatory protection against many diseases such as cancer and dementia.Sidekicks: Blackberries, cranberries, goji berries, strawberries and raspberries. These berries are comparable alternatives to blueberries and are equally high in antioxidants. So start feasting on one type of berries each week.
Arch-Enemy: Berries with pesticides. Insects and fungi love berries as much as we do. So berries are often sprayed with pesticides to ward off diseases and pests. To make matter worse, it is hard to wash away pesticides from berries due to their size. So it is safer to opt for organic or wild crafted version as much as possible.
8. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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Anti-inflammatory Agent: Virgin olive oil is Mediterranean’s secret to longevity. Its rich supply of polyphenols protects the heart and blood vessels from inflammation. The monounsaturated fats in olive oil are also turned into anti-inflammatory agents by the body that can lower occurrences of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.Sidekicks: Avocado oil. Also known as alligator pear, avocado produces oil that has a composition similar to olive oil, containing high heart-beneficial monounsaturated fats. But, it has an even higher smoke point than olive oil, making it the ideal oil for cooking.
Arch-Enemy: Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. This commercial oil contains trans-fatty acids that lowers the ‘good’ cholesterol and raises the ‘bad’ ones — a shortcut to contracting cardiovascular disease.
9. Broccoli
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Anti-inflammatory Agent: Broccoli is a highly nutritious vegetable that contains anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer phytonutrients, which help the body to get rid of potentially carcinogenic compounds.
Sidekicks: Cauliflower. A close relative to broccoli, this cruciferous vegetable also contain similar goodness as broccoli that aids the body’s detoxification.
Arch-Enemies: Nightshades vegetables. Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and others are classified as nightshade vegetables, which contain high alkaloid — a substance that may affect the joints, nerve-muscle function and digestion in some individuals. If you are suffering from any of these problems, you may want to try cutting down on the consumption of nightshades vegetables.
10. Sweet Potato
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Anti-inflammatory Agent: Sweet potato is often overshadowed by other exotic vegetables and fruits. But it is also a good source of complex carbohydrate, beta-carotene, manganese, vitamin B6 and C as well as dietary fiber. Working in concert, these nutrients are powerful antioxidants that help to heal inflammation in the body.
Sidekicks: Yam. Do not confuse sweet potato with yam. They are not the same and neither are they related to one another. There are many types of yam and one particular type called Chinese yam or Shan Yao is esteemed in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a lung, stomach and kidney tonic.
Arch-Enemies: Processed potatoes. Although potato is a good source of vitamin C and other minerals, potato chips and french fries aren’t. Commercially processed potatoes are usually prepared in overheated polyunsaturated or hydrogenated oils, and are loaded with high amounts of sugar and salt, increasing the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes for anyone who munches on them.
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EVOO, green tea, blueberries, and sweet potatoes–loves to see these superfoods on the list. And you know what’s even better? Teaming them when you can. Olive oil can be used to make a sweet potato pie; blueberry pancakes (olive oil for the frying pan or griddle); green tea and a bowl of fresh blueberries…
Love this article. Yes, Mother Nature’s finest can do you mind, body, and spirit good.
Thanks for your suggestions, Cal. They sound delicious, especially the blueberry pancakes!
This was very concise and helpful. I had heard of some of these and was intrigued by others.
Thank you, Molly. I’m glad that you find this list useful. A lot of diseases are a result of chronic inflammation in the body that carries on for prolonged period. I hope to write more about this issue and how to prevent it in the future. Do stay tuned!
I’ve been loading up on these foods here and I am literally feeling much better regarding fatigue and depression. I’m not joking around here. This is a lifesaver.
Hi Walking Queen, Wow! I’m happy to know that you’re feeling much better now. While loading up on more anti-inflammatory foods, we’re also making less room for foods that are pro-inflammatory. So, the effects can be quite dramatic when such a change is introduced. Keep it up!
I “got to know” them? How did I do that? I don’t even remember anyone introducing them to me.
Ahh, so great to see seaweed and shiitake mushrooms listed on here. And so, what about coconut oil? I keep hearing about how amazing this stuff is.. where is it in the anti-inflammatory picture?
Hi Gina, Glad to hear from you again. Apparently, unlike saturated fats, some studies suggest that fats from coconut oil are less likely to be deposited as plaques in our blood vessels. Instead these medium-chain fatty acids are used up as energy like carbohydrates. Then I did a check on Nutrition Data on coconut oil’s Inflammation Factor Rating and found to my surprise that it scored -111 for 1 tbsp and that makes it moderately inflammatory. So while there are some claims about the benefits of coconut oil, I wouldn’t swap my extra virgin olive oil for it anytime soon.
Having said that, I think it wouldn’t harm to include some fresh coconut milk (if available) in desserts and curries once or twice a week. Where I live, coconut milk is used quite liberally and it really lifts the taste of foods to a heavenly state! Yum, yum!
Thank you for such an informative post.
Hi Greenearth, I’m glad that you find this article informative. I hope the information here will help you to incorporate more anti-inflammatory foods in your diet. By being more conscious of the foods we eat, it’s possible to reduce or even prevent chronic inflammation.
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I’m glad to see sweet potatoes made the list. We like to
slice them, season & EVOO, & bake in the oven. So good. I am allergic to Aspirin products, I have Uticaria and Fibromyalgia. So this list is very helpful for me to eat as healthy as possible because I do live a very active life.
Thanks
Great article- very concise and beautiful looking too.
What food would you recccomned for rosacea?
Thank you for your comment, Cetana. If you’re not on any anti-coagulant, and not allergic to fish, you may want to consider eating more oily, cold water fish like sardine and salmon. They are high in omega-3 fatty acids which have been found to be one of the best naturally occurring anti-inflammatory compound. Go for wild fishes if you can afford it. Otherwise, you can also opt for omega-3 oil supplement which does not contain toxic pollutants. I’ve written an article on the importance of a balanced omega-3 and omega-6 ratio which you may like to read. You may also want to check out the anti-inflammation resources on this blog.
Note that rosacea can be triggered by certain food. But one food that causes an inflammation response in one may be perfectly okay for another person with rosacea. There are people who react to spicy food, and there are also some who flare up when they come in contact with alcohol. The key is to be aware of the type of food that you react to, and avoid them as much as you can.
I hope this bit of information is of use to you. Good luck!
Excellent article, and I added almost all items to my list of such foods. Maybe many people are not aware, but it’s a well known and researched fact, that most deceases start from inflammation somewhere is the body. cancer is one of them.
I want to add a two other essential foods to the list:
=== Hemp Oil
=== Walnuts.
if you’re not digesting walnuts well, then soak a little in water). I guess also all other nuts are good. But be careful with Almonds from California, they are Pasteurized now by a command given by FDA mafia.
Pasteurization kills all nutrients in a flash. So also all the so called “juices” are useless, dead. Don’t waste your money on them. Even the organic juices and smoothies are pasteurized.
So always look for either organic almonds or any almonds NOT from USA.
Hi ZAlman, Thank you so much for leaving your thoughts! While walnuts are nutrients-packed, do note that they contain quite a high amount of omega-6 fats. So you don’t want to go overboard with them. You may want to refer to the article Balancing Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fats on why it’s important to keep our omega-6 intake in check.
I think it’s still possible to get healthy foods that are unpasteurized in the US. Perhaps you want to try searching on Google? Actually, the same thing is happening in Singapore. A lot of foods are subjected to pasteurization or homogenization. But the good thing is there are still plenty of choices to choose from. So, don’t give up, keep looking.
Unpasteurized juices in North America don’t exist. FDA is all over the food industry. I’ve never seen any juice that is UNpasteurized. Everything, incl. organic juices and smoothies are pasteurized, and they are sold as “healthy”… So, the best is to avoid processed food all together. It’s very easy to do. Organic produce now is everywhere and spreading.
But also the GM products(genetically modified). It’s Monsanto corp. unlimited greed and thirst for money. But people are learning what is good and what is bad.
These ugly food processing mafias underestimate the power of the Internet. It’s not their time. Either they change or dissappear. I see the changes already, so Monsanto’s fate can be predicted. People are standing up everywhere, and choose health food, back to basics, not the packaged “food”.
With the global shift in consciousness and realization of practices that harm not just our health but that of Mother Nature (with the help of Internet of course), more people are rejecting processed and unnatural foods. So yes, I believe that the “food processing mafias” will find themselves slowly out of business. Meanwhile, you may want to stay away from unpasteurized juices, like I did, and squeeze your own. Or eat the whole thing, which is even better because you get the gut-scrubbing fibers too.
Thanks for sharing!
That’s stupid, the amount of magnesium you would need is a gram (1000 mg) and Kelp would just have a few milligrams. its like saying “take 1/30th of a aspirin pill for a headache. Retarded.
Hi Tone,
First of all, the recommended daily intake for magnesium is about 400 mg per day for a healthy adult, not 1,000 mg. But you’re right in pointing out that kelp is not high in magnesium. I’ve removed the part on kelp’s magnesium level and replaced it with fucoidan, which is a type of anti-inflammatory carbohydrate found in brown seaweeds. I apologize for the oversight. Thanks for the alert!
I have another food that is anti-inflammatory. It’s red cabbage. I’ve read about it in a similar article in “Vitality” magazine some time ago. maybe I’m wrong, though. But since then I always eat red cabbage, raw, with avocado, broccoli, tomato or cucumber, turmeric, cayenne, cumin…
That’s my lunch and dinner…;-), green tea and black coffee with 70% dark chocolate or kitkat(just tastier, can’t resist..)
WP, what is your opinion on red cabbage?
Hi Zalman, red cabbage is abundant in anthocyanins, the same flavonoid pigment found in blueberries and tart cherries. A recent study on tart cherries found that obesity-prone rats fed with tart cherry powder mixed into a high-fat diet for 90 days exhibited lower body weight, lower cholesterol and reduced overall inflammation. And researchers believed that anthocyanin is the compound in tart cherries that is responsible for the results. So yes, I think red cabbage is a great addition in any anti-inflammatory diet too! Thanks, Zalman! (P.S.: You should also try red cabbage kimchi. They contain friendly bacteria that may help to keep chronic inflammation at bay too!)