Anti Inflammatory Foods

As discussed in my previous post, inflammation is linked to increased risk of chronic depression, as well as a myriad of other health issues. Today’s post lists the highest nutrient foods that are also least likely to produce inflammation in your body and brain. There’s no bias here. I don’t subscribe to any particular diet. I’m simply passing along the latest research I’m aware of….

FRUITS: The best fruits to eat are avocado, blackberries, coconut, cranberries, lemon, lime, raspberries, blueberries and pineapple. My second tier for fruit is strawberries, tangerines, grapefruit and pomegranate. That being said, drinking its juice isn’t the same thing as eating the fruit. For example, chugging a glass of pineapple juice can spike your blood sugar too quickly and mitigate any of its potential health benefits. 

VEGETABLES: Most vegetables would generally qualify for this list, so I’m going to name the veggies with the highest health benefits to lowest inflammatory factors ratio. The top veggies to eat raw are cauliflower, celery, cucumber, fennel, olives, lettuce, radishes, carrots, green onions and parsley. The next group are better cooked in order to aid in digestion. You could eat them raw, but you may actually get more benefit from them if they’re a little broken down from a gentle cooking method before consumption. The best cooked vegetables are asparagus, bokchoy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, fennel, cabbage, collards, kale, spinach, zucchini and arugula. 

PROTEIN: The top tier for protein is pasture raised beef, lamb and chicken eggs. Low mercury wild caught fish like sardines, haddock, sockeye salmon flounder and trout also make the top list. Further down the list is pastured pork, chicken and duck. Being pasture raised start to finish is important because you are what you eat. If your animal has been fed an inflammatory diet of primarily grains, their fat content will be high in inflammatory fats. As will you after you eat it. The best plant protein is probably hemp protein, but it’s high in omega 6 fatty acids, which are inflammatory, so use moderately. Pea protein could also be good, but it may be high in harmful lectins that cause inflammation, especially in people with increased lectin sensitivities. It’s also okay to supplement with collagen protein and to a lesser degree whey protein isolate. Dairy is primarily inflammatory with the exception of fats from dairy, so you can half grass fed ghee and if you’re not sensitive to dairy you can enjoy grass fed butter. And speaking of fats…

FATS and OILS: This is perhaps the most important category. Fats can be powerfully inflammatory or anti inflammatory. The best fats, as far as I know are MCT oil, pastured egg yolks, grass fed meat fat, avocado oil, coconut oil and fish oil. Remember that fish can come with an array of damaging ocean contaminants, like mercury, which can build up in your system. Small fish like sardines will likely have far less mercury than big fish like tuna. I would also recommend supplementing with a high quality fish oil product. As mentioned before, grass fed butter and ghee are also good, as well as olive oil and sunflower lecithin. 

STARCH: You can enjoy starchy vegetables like pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes, yams and carrots, but starch in general can be inflammatory. White rice, cassava, taro and plantains are good. I would also consider bananas a healthy starch rather than a healthy fruit. 

SPICES and HERBS: These can be powerful anti inflammatory agents, especially when combined with healthy fats. My favorites are cilantro, ginger, parsley, lavender, oregano, rosemary, thyme, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon and cloves. “Flavor enhancers” like apple cider vinegar, sea salt and mustard also make the list. I suppose coffee can be thrown into the spice category as well.

So there you have it. Consider this a list of foods to try to eat more of. Keep in mind that nutrition science is ever evolving. Things we think are healthy today can always be proven unhealthy in the future. And speaking of unhealthy, come back tomorrow for a list of my most inflammatory foods.