30 Everyday Foods That May Help Support an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

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ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIETS have been promoted for years by figures like Tom Brady, helping spread the idea that certain foods can deliver big health benefits while others should be avoided altogether.

More recently, the discussion has become more nuanced and has moved closer to what research actually suggests: inflammation is a complicated process, and trying to be completely “anti” it is not always the right goal.

That still leaves an important question: should inflammation in the body be a concern, and can the foods you eat influence it?

The answer is both yes and no. Inflammation is not always harmful.

There are two main forms. Acute inflammation is the body’s normal, protective response to an injury or infection. Chronic inflammation, by contrast, happens when that response lingers for weeks, months, or even years. “Even though you might not be able to see or feel [this type of] inflammation, it’s a sign that there’s trouble brewing health-wise,” says Karen Ansel, M.S., R.D.N., author of Healing Superfoods for Anti-Aging: Stay Younger, Live Longer.

What kind of trouble? Chronic inflammation has been associated with conditions such as arthritis, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. It has also been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, erectile dysfunction, and cancer. In addition, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that people with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, face a higher risk of colon cancer.

So chronic inflammation is connected to a number of serious health problems. But can it be prevented in the first place, and does diet make a meaningful difference?

Even if the answer isn’t definitive, experts say food likely plays some role. Frank Hu, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., chair of the department of nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health, says diet may strongly affect gut health, which is tied to the immune system. “Studies have shown that eating a healthy diet can improve healthy bacteria in the microbiome in the gut, and reduce the number of unhealthy bacteria. That can modulate the [body’s] inflammatory response,” he explains.

Hu also says that limiting sugary drinks, refined carbohydrates, and processed meats may help lower the chances of chronic inflammation. While scientists are still working out the exact relationship between diet and chronic inflammation, the foods on this list of possible anti-inflammatory choices offer other nutritional benefits too—and they taste good as well.