What Is the Anti-Inflammatory Diet? A Detailed Beginner’s Guide

anti inflammatory diet
Whole, fresh fruits and veggies are staple foods in an anti-inflammatory diet.iStock (2); Depositphotos
Changing what you eat can help you reduce inflammation, but what exactly is inflammation, and why does controlling it help to fight disease? Inflammation happens naturally as part of the body’s?immune response. When your body is fighting an infection or injury, it sends inflammatory cells to the rescue. This results in those classic signs — swelling, discoloration, and sometimes pain. That’s completely normal and natural, according to Cleveland Clinic.

However, if inflammation lingers, it can become chronic, leaving the body in a state of high alert, and it can contribute to your risk of health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. Fortunately, diet changes can form part of a broader lifestyle approach to reducing inflammation. Some experts say adjusting the foods and drinks you consume could be better for lowering inflammation levels than relying on medication, per Harvard Health Publishing.

How Does the Anti-Inflammatory Diet Work?

There isn’t a formal inflammatory diet plan that outlines exactly what to eat, how much of it, and when. Rather, the anti-inflammatory diet is about filling your meals with foods that have demonstrated inflammation-fighting effects in studies and — just as important — cutting out foods that contribute to inflammation, per Cleveland Clinic.

Brittany Scanniello, RD, the founder of Eat Simply Nutrition in Boulder, Colorado, says to think of the anti-inflammatory diet as a lifestyle rather than a strict eating approach. “An anti-inflammatory diet is an eating plan that works to reduce or minimize low-grade inflammation within our bodies,” she says.

Ideally, you would eat eight to nine servings of fruits and veggies per day, limit your intake of red meat and dairy, choose complex carbohydrates over simple ones, and swear off processed foods, per the Cleveland Clinic.

Choose foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids rather than omega-6 fatty acids, research?shows.

According to the National Institutes of Health, fish, nuts, seeds, and plant oils provide plenty of omega-3s.

Scanniello says eating this way is a good idea for everyone because many of the foods with the potential to lead to inflammation aren’t healthy anyway. “I believe everyone can benefit from limiting or eliminating sugar and highly processed foods and choosing unsaturated fats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and lean proteins,” Scanniello says.

She says an anti-inflammatory diet could be especially helpful for someone who’s dealing with chronic inflammation as a result of a health condition. Athletes and people who exercise at a high intensity and are looking to lessen their baseline inflammation could also find it beneficial, she says.

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Types of Anti-Inflammatory Diet

No formal anti-inflammatory diet plan exists. However, a few popular diets fall under the anti-inflammatory umbrella.

Mediterranean Diet

Even if you’re unfamiliar with the anti-inflammatory diet, chances are you’ve heard of the very popular Mediterranean diet. It emphasizes healthy fat, plant-based foods, veggies, fruit, and whole grains, according to Cleveland Clinic.

The fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidants help combat inflammation.

DASH Diet

The DASH diet is short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and is designed to help people avoid high blood pressure, according to Mayo Clinic.

It focuses on many of the same foods as the Mediterranean diet and also limits sodium to 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day.

MIND Diet

The MIND diet, which stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, is a mashup of the Mediterranean and DASH diets. According to the?Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, it prioritizes brain-healthy foods, many of which also fall on the anti-inflammatory foods list below.

Potential Health Benefits of an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Plenty of research shows the negative effects of inflammation?— in fact, chronic inflammatory diseases are the most significant cause of death in the world, according to?StatPearls.

Per that research, inflammation may have links to health issues such as:

Research has also linked inflammation with an increased risk of?colorectal cancer, with those eating pro-inflammatory foods (such as refined carbohydrates and red meat) at twice the risk of developing the cancer, according to a study.

What’s more, a pro-inflammatory diet seems to increase the risk of mortality overall by 23 percent, according to a?meta-analysis.

Here are some of the specific health benefits associated with anti-inflammatory diets:

  • Improved cancer outcomes,?per a small prospective cohort study involving participants with colorectal cancer

    , and another study that suggests this way of eating relates to a reduced premature death risk in smokers

  • Recovery in athletic training,?per?one study

  • Management of pain associated with aging,?according to Cleveland Clinic

  • Heart protection,?per a study in the?Journal of the American College of Cardiology

  • Improved quality of life for people with?multiple sclerosis (MS),?per an?article

  • Reduced rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms and reliance on RA medication,?according to a paper

  • Delaying neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s,?per a?review

Can the Anti-Inflammatory Diet Lead to Weight Loss?

For most people, weight loss isn’t the primary objective in following an anti-inflammatory diet, but the diet’s healthy foods can help in that respect.

“The anti-inflammatory diet may not result in immediate weight loss, but the elimination of processed foods, added sugar, and increased fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will result in improved overall wellness,” Scanniello says.

Some evidence has shown that the Mediterranean diet, a type of anti-inflammatory diet, has links to a lower risk of overweight and obesity, according to a systematic review.

A?study?looked specifically at a reduced-calorie anti-inflammatory diet and concluded it could help younger adults manage obesity.

After six months, the participants lost about 7 percent of their body weight, but they also reduced their caloric intake.
It's important to keep an eye on calories if weight loss is your goal. Because this diet is relatively flexible and you don’t need to restrict calories, it is possible to gain weight if you don’t pay attention to portion size.

Are There Any Disadvantages to the Anti-Inflammatory Diet?

The anti-inflammatory diet has no major downsides, though there may be a learning curve to master which inflammation-fighting foods to eat and which foods to avoid.

If your diet currently consists of processed foods, meat, and dairy, you may have a bit of an adjustment period. You’ll want to clear your fridge and pantry of potentially inflammatory foods, and you’ll likely need to devote more time and effort to meal prep since stopping for fast food is a no-go on this diet.

A Detailed Anti-Inflammatory Diet Food List

An anti-inflammatory diet means increasing foods that research has shown can help lower inflammation while also reducing your intake of foods that have the opposite effect. One of the best things about the diet is that there are plenty of food options and lots of wiggle room, so you can choose the foods you like best.

What to Eat and Drink

  • Fresh fruit, including grapefruit, grapes, blueberries, bananas, apples, mangoes, peaches, tomatoes, and pomegranates
  • Dried fruit, including plums, figs, and prunes
  • Vegetables, especially broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, dark leafy greens, and bok choy
  • Plant-based proteins, such as chickpeas, seitan, tofu, beans, and lentils
  • Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, albacore tuna, herring, lake trout, and mackerel
  • Whole grains, including oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, barley, and whole-wheat bread
  • Leafy greens, including kale, spinach, and romaine lettuce
  • Ginger
  • Nuts, including walnuts and almonds
  • Seeds, such as chia seeds and flaxseed
  • Foods filled with omega-3 fatty acids, such as avocado and olive oil
  • Coffee
  • Green tea
  • Dark chocolate (in moderation)

What to Limit or Avoid

  • Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, pastries, and sweets
  • Foods and drinks that are high in added sugar, including soda and other sugary beverages
  • Red meat
  • Processed meat, such as hot dogs and sausages
  • Margarine, shortening, and lard
  • Fried foods
Illustrative graphic titled How to Build an Anti-Inflammatory Diet Plate shows 50% dark colored fruits and vegetables, 25% plant based protein or fatty fish, 25% whole grains. Everyday Health logo
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A 7-Day Sample Inflammatory Diet Meal Plan

The following sample menu isn't one-size-fits-all, but it does offer some creative ideas for adding anti-inflammatory foods to your meals. If you're managing a certain disease, such as diabetes, you may have dietary needs that this meal plan doesn't address. Be sure to consult your healthcare team before making any major changes to your eating habits.

BreakfastLunchDinnerSnack
Day 1Steel-cut oats with slivered almonds and blueberries and a cup of coffeeChopped kale salad with chickpeas, beets, and pomegranate seeds tossed with an olive oil and lemon juice vinaigretteAnchovy, salmon, and tomato-topped pizza on a cauliflower crustSmall handful of homemade trail mix with unsalted nuts and raisins
Day 2Steel-cut oatmeal topped with walnuts and sliced strawberries; a cup of coffeeSalmon sashimi with a side of broccoli and a side of brown rice and gingerGinger curry with whitefish, kale, and barleySliced mango
Day 3Quinoa bowl with sliced banana, blueberries, and a drizzle of almond butter; a cup of green teaArugula salad with albacore tuna, grilled peaches, and walnutsSpinach salad with grilled salmon and a side of brown riceFrozen grapes
Day 4Kale and mushroom frittata, half a grapefruit, and a cup of coffeeGrain bowl with brown rice, chickpeas, and sautéed bok choyVeggie burger on a whole-grain bun with a side of roasted Brussels sproutsSmall handful of unsalted mixed nuts
Day 5Chia seed pudding, apple slices with almond butter, and a cup of green teaSpinach salad with tuna and shredded carrotsRed peppers stuffed with ground turkey, quinoa, and chickpeasSmall handful of unsalted almonds
Day 6Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries and a cup of coffeeQuinoa bowl with sardines, tomatoes, black beans, sautéed spinach, and avocadoSalmon with lentils and a spinach saladA square of dark chocolate and a small handful of unsalted mixed nuts
Day 7Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole-wheat bread and a cup of coffeeSmashed avocado and halved cherry tomatoes on top of whole-grain toast, and a side of cottage cheeseSeitan with bell peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli stir-fried in olive oilCherries

How to Get Started With an Anti-Inflammatory Diet: 5 Beginner Tips

Here's how to get started on the anti-inflammatory diet.

1. Adjust Your Diet Gradually

There’s nothing more intimidating than completely changing your diet overnight. Set yourself up for success by slowly making these changes until they become second nature.

2. Embrace the Rainbow

By incorporating colorful foods, which tend to be fruits and veggies, you’ll be adding foods that will fight inflammation.

3. Commit to DASH if You Need More Structure

Some people need more structure in their diet to stick with it. If that’s you, that’s okay. Simply choose one of the types of anti-inflammatory diets. The DASH diet, for instance, comes with more parameters and still qualifies as anti-inflammatory.

4. Opt for Whole Instead of Processed Foods

By eating more real foods and fewer that are highly processed, you’ll automatically be filling up on those that can fight inflammation.

5. Add Whole Grains and Healthy Fats to Your Grocery List

“Fats from fish such as salmon, flaxseeds, walnuts, as well as some fortified foods such as eggs, are vital to a healthy diet and have been associated with reducing inflammation,” Scanniello says. Unrefined grains such as brown rice, steel-cut oats, whole-wheat bread, and quinoa are filled with fiber and anti-inflammatory substances helpful in preventing inflammation.”

Support for People Trying an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Favorite Resource for Info About the Anti-Inflammatory Diet

American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

A Google search for “anti-inflammatory diet” is bound to deliver loads of information. But for a quick intro to inflammation and specifically how food plays into it, check out this page from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It includes five steps to making your plate less inflammatory and offers lifestyle tips for fighting chronic inflammation as well.

Favorite Resource for Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Planning

Suggestic

This is an app available for free in the Apple app store. It offers personalized eating plans for a number of diets, one being the anti-inflammatory diet. Once you download, create a profile, and select the anti-inflammatory diet as the program for you, the app will give you a broad overview of what to eat, eat less of, and avoid, and then will map out recipes for your daily meals. If you log what you eat, the app will also track your nutrient intake.

Favorite Resource for Getting Started

Arthritis New South Wales

This health charity site has a helpful list of anti-inflammatory foods to try in place of some of your usual go-tos. For instance, do you love chips? Try snacking on kale chips or nuts instead. The page lists swaps for every meal, plus has extra tips to make it easier to stick with this way of eating.

Favorite Anti-Inflammatory Diet Cookbook

The Anti-Inflammatory Kitchen

It’s one thing to know which foods are anti-inflammatory, and it’s a whole other thing to have an entire cookbook filled with recipes that turn those foods into meals. The Anti-Inflammatory Kitchen (Amazon.com) by the registered dietitian Leslie Langevin is a must-have if you’re committing to this way of eating. In it, you’ll find more than 100 recipes, a 30-day meal plan, a guide to sticking to the diet while eating out, and tips on how to live an anti-inflammatory lifestyle.

Favorite Podcast Episode Featuring the Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Liz’s Healthy Table

This podcast from the registered dietitian Liz Weiss features Carolyn Williams, PhD, RD, the author of Meals That Heal: 100+ Everyday Anti-Inflammatory Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less: A Cookbook. The two knowledgeable registered dietitians chat about what inflammation is, why you want to avoid it, and how you can do so by trying out some of their favorite anti-inflammatory meals.

Resources We Trust

  • Cleveland Clinic: Inflammatory Diet: What to Eat (and Avoid)
  • Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Can Diet Help With Inflammation?
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison: The Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle
  • Harvard Health Publishing: Quick-Start Guide to an Anti-Inflammation Diet
  • Arthritis Society Canada: Anti-Inflammatory Meal Prep for Beginners

Takeaway

The anti-inflammatory diet is a healthy approach to eating, whether you suffer from chronic inflammation or not. “An anti-inflammatory diet is a way of life and will, in the end, better your health, well-being, and overall quality of life,” Scanniello says. “I believe everyone can benefit from a diet plan such as this, and I especially have found it helpful in populations with chronic inflammation and health conditions.”

Once you start eating this way, you’ll probably start to feel better overall. “People may feel better, with less bloating, gastrointestinal discomfort, and achiness,” Scanniello says. You may also see your mood improve as you change your eating habits, according to Harvard.

But don’t expect to notice immediate changes with regard to a health condition — it’ll likely take two or three weeks for you to notice that kind of effect and possibly up to 12 weeks to know whether the results will stick.

Additional reporting by Laura McArdle.

Common Questions & Answers

What is the fastest way to get rid of inflammation in the body?

It’s hard to define the quickest way to get rid of inflammation, but your doctor may recommend certain supplements or medications. You can also lower your inflammation by filling your diet with anti-inflammatory foods.

Are eggs inflammatory?

It depends on the individual. Research has shown that eggs promote inflammation in healthy individuals and can be anti-inflammatory for people who are overweight or who have metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes.

What are some examples of cheap foods that fight inflammation?
Oatmeal, leafy greens and other vegetables, bananas, apples, coffee, and green tea are examples of inexpensive foods that have anti-inflammatory properties.
Which diseases can an anti-inflammatory diet help fight?
Research has shown that an anti-inflammatory diet can help people with rheumatoid arthritis, colorectal cancer and other types of cancer, multiple sclerosis, and cardiovascular disease.
Can an anti-inflammatory diet help me lose weight?
Switching to an anti-inflammatory diet may result in weight loss because many of the foods that lead to inflammation are unhealthy and high in calories. You’ll be swapping sugar and processed foods for fruits, veggies, and lean protein.
Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Sources

  1. Inflammation. Cleveland Clinic. March 22, 2024.
  2. Foods That Fight Inflammation. Harvard Health Publishing. March 26, 2024.
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  4. Omega-3 Fatty Acids. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. July 18, 2022.
  5. Mediterranean Diet. Cleveland Clinic. March 7, 2024.
  6. DASH Diet: Healthy Eating to Lower Your Blood Pressure. Mayo Clinic. May 25, 2023.
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  12. Kaluza J et al. Influence of Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Smoking on Mortality and Survival in Men and Women: Two Prospective Cohort Studies. Journal of Internal Medicine. September 12, 2018.
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  14. How an Anti-Inflammatory Diet Can Relieve Pain as You Age. Cleveland Clinic. September 26, 2019.
  15. Li J et al. Dietary Inflammatory Potential and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Men and Women in the U.S. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. November 2020.
  16. Riccio P et al. Nutrition Facts in Multiple Sclerosis. ASN Neuro. February 9, 2015.
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Roxana Ehsani, RDN

Roxana Ehsani, RD

Medical Reviewer

Roxana Ehsani, RD, is a Miami-based licensed dietitian-nutritionist, board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, and media spokesperson, consultant, and content creator for food and nutrition brands. She is an adjunct instructor for sports nutrition at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

Ehsani?appears as a food and nutrition expert for television stations across the nation and in national publications, including Runner's World, Women's Health, Glamour, and more, and?is a contributing writer for EatingWell.?She has a strong background in sports nutrition and has worked with professional, Olympic, collegiate, and high school teams and individual athletes, whom she sees through her private practice.?

Moira Lawler

Author
Moira Lawler is a journalist who has spent more than a decade covering a range of health and lifestyle topics, including women's health, nutrition, fitness, mental health, and travel. She received a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two young children, and a giant brown labradoodle.
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