What Is the Anti-Inflammatory Diet? A Detailed Beginner’s Guide
How Does the Anti-Inflammatory Diet Work?
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.
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.
8 Potential Health Benefits of Tomatoes
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
DASH Diet
MIND Diet
Potential Health Benefits of an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Per that research, inflammation may have links to health issues such as:
- Heart disorders
- Arthritis and joint diseases
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Allergies
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
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.
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.
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
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.
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack | |
Day 1 | Steel-cut oats with slivered almonds and blueberries and a cup of coffee | Chopped kale salad with chickpeas, beets, and pomegranate seeds tossed with an olive oil and lemon juice vinaigrette | Anchovy, salmon, and tomato-topped pizza on a cauliflower crust | Small handful of homemade trail mix with unsalted nuts and raisins |
Day 2 | Steel-cut oatmeal topped with walnuts and sliced strawberries; a cup of coffee | Salmon sashimi with a side of broccoli and a side of brown rice and ginger | Ginger curry with whitefish, kale, and barley | Sliced mango |
Day 3 | Quinoa bowl with sliced banana, blueberries, and a drizzle of almond butter; a cup of green tea | Arugula salad with albacore tuna, grilled peaches, and walnuts | Spinach salad with grilled salmon and a side of brown rice | Frozen grapes |
Day 4 | Kale and mushroom frittata, half a grapefruit, and a cup of coffee | Grain bowl with brown rice, chickpeas, and sautéed bok choy | Veggie burger on a whole-grain bun with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts | Small handful of unsalted mixed nuts |
Day 5 | Chia seed pudding, apple slices with almond butter, and a cup of green tea | Spinach salad with tuna and shredded carrots | Red peppers stuffed with ground turkey, quinoa, and chickpeas | Small handful of unsalted almonds |
Day 6 | Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries and a cup of coffee | Quinoa bowl with sardines, tomatoes, black beans, sautéed spinach, and avocado | Salmon with lentils and a spinach salad | A square of dark chocolate and a small handful of unsalted mixed nuts |
Day 7 | Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole-wheat bread and a cup of coffee | Smashed avocado and halved cherry tomatoes on top of whole-grain toast, and a side of cottage cheese | Seitan with bell peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli stir-fried in olive oil | Cherries |
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
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.
Additional reporting by Laura McArdle.
Common Questions & Answers
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.
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.
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
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- Foods That Fight Inflammation. Harvard Health Publishing. March 26, 2024.
- Poggioli R et al. Modulation of Inflammation and Immunity by Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Possible Role for Prevention and to Halt Disease Progression in Autoimmune, Viral, and Age-Related Disorders. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. August 2023.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. July 18, 2022.
- Mediterranean Diet. Cleveland Clinic. March 7, 2024.
- DASH Diet: Healthy Eating to Lower Your Blood Pressure. Mayo Clinic. May 25, 2023.
- Diet Review: MIND Diet. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. August 2023.
- Pahwa R et al. Chronic Inflammation. StatPearls. August 7, 2023.
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- Buonocore D et al. Anti-inflammatory Dietary Interventions and Supplements to Improve Performance during Athletic Training. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2015.
- How an Anti-Inflammatory Diet Can Relieve Pain as You Age. Cleveland Clinic. September 26, 2019.
- 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.
- Riccio P et al. Nutrition Facts in Multiple Sclerosis. ASN Neuro. February 9, 2015.
- Khanna S et al. Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis With Dietary Interventions. Frontiers in Nutrition. November 8, 2017.
- Gardener SL et al. Diet and Inflammation in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Chronic Diseases: A Review. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 2016.
- Dominguez LJ et al. Mediterranean Diet in the Management and Prevention of Obesity. Experimental Gerontology. February 17, 2023.
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- The Anti-Inflammatory Diet: 5 Things to Know. The American Osteopathic Association. May 8, 2019.
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.?