The Ultimate Anti-Inflammatory Food List

Inflammation is typically uncomfortable and unpleasant, and it can be a sign of serious infection, but it isn’t only a reflection of something bad. 

An inflammatory response is a natural reaction that your body produces to protect itself from injury or infection. Normally, this response includes the release of chemicals called cytokines, which help the body to heal itself. 

Inflammation can occur at any point due to external and internal factors, such as stress, a paper-cut, smoking, or disease.

However, when inflammation becomes chronic, it can lead to a number of health issues, including heart disease, stroke, and cancer. To reduce your risk of developing inflammatory diseases, it’s important to eat a balanced diet full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

What are the 5 Classic Signs of Inflammation?

When you're feeling a little under the weather, you might think to yourself "I must be coming down with something." But what if your body is trying to tell you something else? Inflammation isn’t just a sign of an injury or an infection, it could be something bigger. 

Inflammation helps our body to create more white blood cells, which help with fighting off infection. These release chemicals to the affected area(s) leading them to become red and warm. In the case of autoimmune diseases, the immune system sends a ‘false alarm’ of inflammation leading the body to attack the healthy tissues.

There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic.

• Acute inflammation is a process that the body uses to protect itself from infection or injury. The body's immune system responds to the problem by releasing chemicals that cause the affected area to swell and become red and hot. This helps to contain the problem and prevents it from spreading. Acute inflammation usually lasts for a few days, after which the body repairs any damage that has been done. This is the body’s healthy response to attacking bacteria.

• Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is a long-term condition in which the body's immune system remains active even after the original problem has been resolved. This can lead to tissue damage and a wide variety of health problems. Chronic inflammation is often associated with diseases such as arthritis, asthma, and Crohn's disease.

Here are 5 main signs that you could have acute inflammation:

1. Redness
2. Swelling
3. Heat
4. Pain
5. Loss of function

Chronic inflammation is less obvious and make take longer to identify, but these are 5 main signs that you could have chronic inflammation:

1. Fatigue
2. Muscle weakness
3. Skin rash 
4. Dizziness
5. Chest Pain

What is Anti-inflammatory Food?

Food holds more power than you probably realize, it is one of the most important aspects of our lives when it comes to decreasing inflammation. What you eat can either add to inflammation or help decrease it. When you’re eating foods that are anti-inflammatory, you’re giving your body the nutrients it needs to fight off disease and help keep you healthy. 

There are a few things to look for in an anti-inflammatory food. Generally speaking, fruits and vegetables are good choices because they are high in antioxidants and other nutrients that help reduce inflammation. You’ll also want to find foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids.

Some specific examples of anti-inflammatory foods include berries, leafy greens, tomatoes, oranges, and sweet potatoes. These foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can help improve your health overall and reduce inflammation.

What Vitamin Helps Fight Inflammation?

One thing that may help is getting more vitamin C in your diet. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that can help reduce inflammation. In fact, studies have shown that it can be just as effective as some medications in reducing inflammation. Foods high in vitamin C include citrus fruits, bell peppers, strawberries, and broccoli.

Another vitamin that may help fight inflammation is vitamin E. This nutrient is also a powerful antioxidant and has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

What Foods are Anti-Inflammatory?

We’ve created an anti-inflammatory foods list PDF for you to download and use as a reference.

The list of anti-inflammatory foods is relatively long, each food category has a number of options to pick from and most are available in all supermarkets. So you’ll never have to feel short of options.

There are 8 food groups to our Ultimate Anti-Inflammatory List:

1. Fruits
2. Vegetables
3. Starchy Vegetables
4. Herbs and Spices
5. Healthy Fats 
6. Proteins
7. Beans and Legumes
8. Grains

At Turmeric Zone we truly believe in the benefits of turmeric, especially when it comes to helping fight inflammation. We have a variety of turmeric products on our website that are paired with other ingredients, such as honey, which help to promote the effect of turmeric.

Download our list of anti-inflammatory foods here.

There are a few anti-inflammatory diets that you can subscribe to, which offer guidance on how best to eat these lists of foods. Some are the Mediterranean diet, the Nordic Diet and the Okinawan Diet.

If you find that a diet isn’t helping with the inflammation you are experiencing, we advise that you contact your doctor.

Written by Caryn Mackenzie on behalf of Turmeric Zone