Healthy food is nice to talk about in theory and annoying to practice in reality. We all want to believe that we follow a great diet and our treating our body with care. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to downing cups of kombucha and eating kale all day in order to achieve the results of a healthy diet. Often our diseases, fatigue, and other issues can come up from eating an inflammatory diet. This means that the foods we eat could be irritating our bodies and making it more prone to developing a sickness.

Common diseases like diabetes, heart disease, or irritable bowel syndrome can be traced back to having untreated and chronic inflammation. By following tasty and nutritious anti-inflammatory foods, some symptoms you have can be reduced or even disappear overall in time. Let’s cover the best foods that contain anti-inflammatory properties to start eating right now!

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

With enough inflammation, our immune system starts providing a stash of white blood cells to areas of concern for treatment in our body. Short term inflammation can be from minor cuts and scrapes, short sicknesses, and other issues. This is our body’s normal and healthy response to keep us functioning strong in the long term. However, if our immune system starts attacking body tissues that are healthy, people start to see disorders like fibromyalgia, celiac disease, asthma, and even diabetes. Since there’s no direct cure with medication, it helps to eat foods that help combat the inflammation inside in a natural way. In fact, patients in a 2014 medical study did find that they were able to stop using at least one of their medications after eating anti-inflammatory foods.

To start moving toward an anti-inflammatory diet, we have to avoid foods that are overly processed in factories and contain loads of scary chemicals or dyes. There’s been a massive number of recalls for foods that contained dangerous blue and red dyes in common cereals, juices, and packaged desserts. Many doctors suggest following the eating patterns of the Mediterranean diet, a diet incorporating various fresh fruits, lean meats like fish, and fiber abundant vegetables. It contains little to no red meat, absolutely no chemicals, and a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids that aid  heart health.

Other Anti-Inflammatory Foods

1. Get your sweets in by eating good fruits like fresh berries instead! Eating foods like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries are great because each serving contains a large dose of vitamin C. Grapefruit, watermelon, and apples are also great to get into hydration and extra fiber in throughout the day. You’ll feel more energized not feel as tempted to reach for the candy bar next time to sweet tooth hits you. If you do need to give into the craving, alternative desserts like Halo Top or protein cookies are a great choice that have less additives than the traditional food.
2. Eat more whole than white grains. White grains are highly processed and area totally drained of their nutritional content in the factory. All the fiber and grains are depleted in the manufacturing process and lots of sugars are added to boost the taste. Instead opt for Ezekial bread, sprouted breads, and even whole grain pitas so you can get in healthy carbohydrates throughout the day.
3. Eat meats that have health fats.Fatty fish and some lean meats are a great source of protein and the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. Each acid does a great job to reduce inflammation in your body. Chronic inflammation patients swear by eating at least a few servings a week for the nutrition it provides. If you can’t get enough of fatty fish in the week, you can also get supplement omega-3 fatty-acids by pill form and take it in the morning or night. Go for the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, or anchovies. These are great to incorporate into baking, stir fry recipes, soups, and other snacks!
4. Eat your high fiber vegetables.Broccoli and its close relative cauliflower are great for decreasing the risk of heart disease with its antioxidants. Broccoli is rich in sulforaphane as well,  an antioxidant that strongly fights signs of inflammation and boosts your immune system. Veggies like zucchini, celery, carrots, and potatoes are great as well to get in fiber and additional taste in your meals. Avocados are also packed with extremely high levels of potassium, magnesium, fiber and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. They’re a tasty addition to any salad, breakfast burrito, and works great in dessert recipes as well. Explore what amazing dishes are out there!
5. Drink your water black teas, red teas, and tasty green tea. Unsweetened tea is one of the best beverages you can drink for its anti-inflammatory properties. It also lowers our risk of obesity, heart disease, and cancer along with boosting your metabolism with consistent use. As someone who loves to drink coffee, green tea is a great alternative for a small boost in the evening that will calm down your system at the same time!

Follow An Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Eating a new diet that prevents inflammation might be hard, but the long term benefits well worth the upfront changes to your lifestyle. Sometimes it takes trial and error to see what meals you like and what ones you are fine avoiding. Lots of resources and articles are available today to incorporate the foods into your breakfasts, lunch, and dinners. Even snacks that you bring to work can be anti-inflammatory if you prepare them in advance. Make sure to look up what resources are available, especially if you’ve been suffering from inflammatory issues or diseases that root from chronic inflammation!

Eat organic for it’s anti-inflammatory benefits.