Lauren Kroeger
In Nutrition
Many people ask me for an anti-inflammatory diet. First, we must remember that no single food/nutrient will have a direct impact on health. It’s our patterns over time that matter the most. Please don’t let these popular diets trick you into thinking they are the answer for an anti-inflammatory eating pattern. Many diets like Whole30, the Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diet, and the avoidance of nightshades are a few examples of eating patterns that boast about their anti-inflammatory effects on the body.
I want to point out one thing that has a strong effect on inflammation…Fiber, something all of those diets limit. Whole30 cuts out legumes and grains, two main sources of fiber in our diet. AIP cuts out legumes, grains, and nuts/seeds to name a few things that contain fiber.
Foods proven to be anti-inflammatory:
Tomatoes
Apples and berries
Deep yellow/orange veggies (peppers)
Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli)
Omega-3’s in fatty fish: salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, sardines
Beans/legumes especially soybeans
Nuts
Extra-virgin olive oil
Avocado
Turmeric
While eating more turmeric isn’t going to fix chronic inflammation in the body, limiting the foods that cause it in the first place can help get a handle on it.
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Causes Inflammation:
Added sugar
Refined grains
Processed meats
Fast food and fried foods
Chronic stress
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I tend to believe that any eating pattern that focuses on increasing your fruit and vegetable consumption, while eliminating processed foods and added sugars, will promote better health. Please remember that variety is good, restriction and omission of entire food groups is not good. Obsessing over every food choice is very stressful and isn’t a good place to live either.
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