6 Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Help Prevent Chronic Inflammation

• Chronic inflammation can lead to health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
• Researchers developed the Dietary Inflammation Index to determine which diets cause the most inflammation.
• The creator of the Index shared 6 anti-inflammatory foods to incorporate into your diet.

Dr. James Hébert, director of the University of South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Program, has spent the last decades of his career studying inflammation. In 2004, he invented the Dietary Inflammatory Indexa way to score diets based on how they stimulate inflammation in the body.

Up until the development of the DII, “there was really no way to quantify the effect of diet on inflammation,” Hébert said.

Inflammation can be good for your body in small doses. When you get sick or injured, your immune system kicks into high gear to kill and remove a foreign invader or heal the injury – a process that causes inflammation. Once the invader is gone or the injury is repaired, the inflammation goes away.

But chronic inflammation—inflammation that lasts for months or even years—can damage healthy cells. It can also increase the likelihood of developing diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, heart disease and asthma.

Diet can play a key role in inflammation. Foods that are white, colorless, and lack flavor — like sugars, white bread, and skinless potatoes — can contribute to chronic inflammation, Hébert told Business Insider.

But luckily, the right foods can also prevent and reduce chronic inflammation.

“Foods that are anti-inflammatory are flavorful, they’re colorful, they’re nutrient dense—they’re high in nutrients—and they’re usually low in calories,” Hébert said.

Here are 6 anti-inflammatory foods to incorporate into your diet.

1. Fish

Fish, especially fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring, are rich in omega-3s and have excellent anti-inflammatory properties.

“If I don’t eat a lot of fish, I would probably consider taking fish oil,” Hébert said.

2. Nuts

Like fish, nuts are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as antioxidants and magnesium, which may also help reduce inflammation.

3. Spices

Spices have excellent anti-inflammatory properties, according to Hébert.

As a general rule, the stronger the smell and taste of the spice, the better the anti-inflammatory properties, said Hébert.

Some great anti-inflammatory spices include garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, and cardamom.

Hébert stirs several different spices such as ginger, turmeric, black pepper, coconut, cinnamon, and star anise into the Masala chai tea that he drinks daily for its anti-inflammatory properties.

4. Leafy, green vegetables

Vegetables are excellent anti-inflammatory foods, Hébert said. Vegetables are particularly anti-inflammatory because they contain less sugar than fruit.

Leafy greens like kale and spinach are rich in vitamin K, which may reduce the likelihood of it occurring develop some chronic diseases.

Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, are also a great choice. Cruciferous vegetables are a staple of cuisine in Sardinia, Italy – one of the world’s Blue Belts – and is full of nutrients such as vitamins A and C, as well as polyphenols, which have antioxidant benefits.

5. Fruit pigments

Although “the sweetness of fruit is a bit pro-inflammatory,” Hébert said, fruit overall is still essential for health and can help reduce inflammation.

Hébert particularly recommends highly pigmented fruits—think blackberries, blueberries, and grapes—because the phytochemicals responsible for pigment, such as anthocyaninswhich is anti-inflammatory.

“Anything that’s highly pigmented will be anti-inflammatory – you can take that to the bank,” Hébert said.

Some other great choices include stone fruits like peaches and plums, pomegranates, and apples, according to Harvard Health.

6. Extra virgin olive oil

Olive oil is a staple in the Mediterranean diet – and has good anti-inflammatory properties.

To maximize anti-inflammatory benefits, Hébert recommends looking for extra virgin olive oil. Younger olive oil is usually richer in phytochemicals, which have antioxidant properties and may help prevent chronic diseases.

If the olive oil feels “a little raspberry,” and “takes you in the back of your throat,” Hébert said, “that’s a sign that it’s very rich in phytochemicals.”

Don’t worry about cutting out foods – think about what to put in

Don’t worry too much about skipping inflammatory foods, Hébert said.

“I will tell people who are not worried about the foods to avoid,” said Hébert. Instead, focus on eating a varied diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods. “They are going to displace other foods.”

For example, Hébert eats regular white pasta. But to make his meal more nutritious and anti-inflammatory, he also adds homemade pesto made with fresh basil from his garden.

“My attitude is to feel good inside your body,” he said.