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Category: > Health > Top 12 Inflammation-Fighting Foods

Top 12 Inflammation-Fighting Foods

Jul 19, 2013 Carly Fraser Save For Later Print

Last Updated: Oct 18, 2020

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Suffer from aches, pains, and stiff joints? These 12 plant-based inflammation-fighting foods are just what you need to re-gain flexibility and banish your pain!

Inflammation is largely caused by the foods we put in our bodies. Consuming highly processed canned, frozen and bagged foods are foreign to the natural flora of our bodies and so the body naturally fights against the products in these foods (as a part of the immune response), leading to high levels of inflammation. Effects of chronic inflammation can range from heart disease to dementia, to cancer and arthritis. Most autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease are linked to excessive inflammation in the body.

The good news is that you can control the level of inflammation in your body by simply changing the way you eat. Getting regular sleep, eating well, quitting smoking, reducing alcohol intake (or quitting altogether), stressing less and engaging in regular exercise will all help make a difference.

Top 12 Inflammation-Fighting Foods

foods that fight inflammation

Here is a list of 12 amazing foods that help combat inflammation in the body:

Papaya

Papaya contains the enzymes ‘papain’ and ‘chymopapain’ which help reduce inflammation  in the body (and also improve digestion). Papaya has powerful antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamins C and E which combat free radicals in the body that trigger inflammation-related diseases.

Avocado

Avocados are polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFAs). PFAs are mostly present in seaweeds and other ocean plants, and are extremely rare in land plants, so this makes the avocado very unusual in this respect. The PFAs and phytosterols in avocados provide our bodies with anti-inflammatory benefits which help fight a variety of diseases. Particularly, avocado’s phytosterols prevent pro-inflammatory prostaglandin E2 synthesis by the connective tissue (and thus reducing inflammation in the joints of individuals experiencing arthritis and gout.

Cranberries

Cranberries contain important anti-inflammatory phytonutrients that protect the cardiovascular system and prevent hardening of the arteries. They also prevent inflammation-associated diseases of the urinary tract (urinary tract infections), stomach (ulcers), and mouth (gingivitis).

Broccoli

Broccoli is an incredible anti-inflammatory food, thanks to it’s abundant sulforaphane compounds which help the body get rid of potentially carcinogenic compounds (a cause of a highly inflamed body) and relieve inflammation and oxidative stress. It is also very high in vitamin C which is another powerful anti-inflammatory agent which cuts the levels of inflammation markers by up to 45%!

Red Cabbage 

If we do not ingest anti-inflammatory foods, our body cannot regulate the inflammation in our body we acquire from stress and the environment, as well as highly processed foods, wheat, and animal products. Anthocyanins found in red cabbage have been researched numerous times and time and time again they have been found to be one of the best anti-inflammatory vegetables out there!

Hemp seeds

Raw hemp seeds contain an ideal ratio of omega’s 3 and 6. Omega-6 fats contain GLA which works in the body as an anti-inflammatory, decreasing inflammation and helping people suffering from things like asthma, arthritis and other body pain associated from exercising or being bruised. This healthy fat also improves the health of our skin and inhibits cancer cell growth.

Blueberries

Inflammation and damage by free radicals have been linked with pretty much every disease we witness today. Many studies have found that blueberries prevent oxidative stress and inflammation. Blueberries help increase natural killer cell activity which help eradicate free radicals and fight disease. As well, they promote the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the body which leaves us with lower levels of inflammation and thus reduced chance of falling ill.

Chia seeds

Many arthritis sufferers have reported reduced inflammation associated pain after just a few weeks of taking chia seeds. They contain important omega-3 fatty acids which are converted to prostagladins which have pain relieving and anti-inflammatory effects. Chia seeds are also a great source of antioxidants (they contain more than blueberries!), and antioxidants help keep the body healthy and reduce pain arising from inflammation in the body.

Ginger

Ginger contains potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols which inhibit the production of nitric oxide (which naturally forms potent and very damaging free radicals called peroxynitrites). Ginger has also been found to suppress pro-inflammatory compounds like cytokines produced by synoviocytes, chrondrocytes and leukocytes, and thus making our immune system and joints stronger.

Walnuts

Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, phytonutrients (tannins, phenolic acids and flavonoids), quinones and other anti-inflammatory nutrients. Consuming walnuts has been linked to decreased markers for blood vessel inflammation (reduced C-reactive protein) for those at risk for heart disease. Including walnuts as a part of your diet will ensure you gain these benefits.

Turmeric

Turmeric, if you haven’t already heard, is one of the best anti-inflammatory foods out there! Thanks to the active ingredient, curcumin, this root can inhibit the activity and synthesis of COX-2 and 5-LOX, two important enzymes involved in the inflammatory response. One study found that osteoarthritis patients had significantly reduced pain and increased mobility when taking just 200 mg of curcumin per day (the control group with no curcumin had no significant improvements). Curcumin has also been found to block inflammatory pathways, and thus prevents proteins from triggering pain and swelling.

Celery

A specific nutrient in celery, called “luteolin”, is particularly effective against inflammation and cancer. This compound is found in smaller amounts in peppers, parsley, thyme, basil and peppermint. It is a biofalvonoid which means that it has double the antioxidant properties of vitamin C! Luteolin essentially prevents the inflammatory pathway in the brain to get switched on, and thus helps reduce the amount of inflammatory responses triggered in the body.

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Filed Under: Food Education, Health Tagged With: anti-inflammatory, inflammation, Nutrition

Carly Fraser

About the Author

Carly Fraser has her BSc (Hons.) Degree in Neuroscience, and is the owner and founder at Live Love Fruit. She currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with a determined life mission to help inspire and motivate individuals to critically think about what they put in their bodies and to find balance through nutrition and lifestyle. She has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals to re-connect with their bodies and learn self-love through proper eating habits and natural living. She loves to do yoga, dance, and immerse herself in nature.

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Comments

  1. Health & Organic Wellbeing (H.O.W.) says

    Jul 20, 2013 at 6:02 am

    Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  2. BN says

    May 17, 2014 at 3:19 pm

    Great article, thanks for sharing! Love your site! 😀

    Reply
  3. mary kay says

    May 20, 2014 at 7:32 pm

    I’m in Ohio and I just don’t have a good source for papayas…so for everyone beware, that most papaya from Hawaii is GMO.

    Thanks for the article and the facts.

    Reply
    • Carly Fraser says

      May 21, 2014 at 5:10 pm

      You bet they are! The ones from Mexico, which are most abundant where I live, are not GMO, to my understanding. And Hawaii actually recently introduced a GMO ban on all foods, so I am not sure how this will be affecting the papayas from Hawaii!

      Reply
  4. Ibumiri says

    Oct 2, 2019 at 2:44 pm

    It is always a blessing to find health food conscious people…I grew up in a 900 year old Temple , which has now been destroyed and we advocate healthy very organic foods …..being Asian ,of course Avocado,coconut, Tumeric and ginger being the most outstanding proper food for everyday health and sustenance for a healthy environment of the stomach…For humans the stomach is the weakest and vulnerable organ..If you had a strong constitution everything else will follow….Humanity has created the world of health crisis with its ignorance of healthy food intake…So good to know that food again, can assist in the healing process and that you are here to remind us….I am in the process of writing a book on Temple Food and how it affects us with what we ingest and with awesome recipes too…..thank you for your food Intelligence info….Ibumiri

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 7 reasons to eat more avocados and 19 different avocado recipes says:
    Mar 20, 2014 at 9:34 am

    […] turns out that avocados have polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols, which is something that is normally found in ocean plants like seaweed. These help to reduce the […]

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