Anti-Inflammatory Diets: What You Should Be Eating

Diet is a vital part of addressing gut inflammation. Some of the best foods to combat inflammation in the digestive tract are the following:

Omega-3 fatty acids: These fatty acids are found in oily fish like salmon or herring. If you are vegan, you can eat walnut, chia seeds, or flax seed instead of fish. However, vegetable sources of omega-3 are not that great compared to fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the most potent anti-inflammatory agents you can get through your diet. I recommend eating fatty fish or taking a fish oil supplement to help reduce inflammation throughout the body.

Leafy green vegetables: There are a lot of different options when it comes to leafy green vegetables. You can have broccoli, spinach, celery, or bok choy, to name just a few. There are many different anti-inflammatory compounds in leafy green vegetables.

Onions and garlic: Many of the allium family vegetables contain quercetin, which is a flavonoid with powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic is even more potent than onion. Every day, try and have some onions, leeks, shallots, garlic, or chives in your diet.

Pineapple: Pineapple contains bromelain. Bromelain is a digestive enzyme and anti-inflammatory that is great for both gut and musculoskeletal inflammation.

Anthocyanins: Anthocyanins are a blue, red, or purple colored compound. Foods with blue, red, or purple coloration are anti-inflammatory. Blueberries would have to be one of the best and well-known of all the blue kind of foods to eat. Other good choices are red onion, blue plums, and black currants. Blueberries are in my list of the top five foods for digestive health.

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Beets: Beets contain incredible amounts of vitamins and minerals like folate, magnesium, and manganese. Beets also contain betaine, which reduces inflammation and the risk of certain chronic diseases.

Coconut oil: Coconut has terrific anti-inflammatory properties. I recommend cooking with coconut oil. Having up to a tablespoon of coconut oil per day is perfectly good for your health.

Cultured and fermented foods: Foods like kefir, sauerkraut, and yogurt can down-regulate inflammation in the gut. Just remember, go slow with kefir. Kefir can cause more problems if

your gut is quite imbalanced. I recommend waiting until your health has improved to include kefir in your diet.

Bone broth: Bone broth is fantastic because it provides substances that help to build up gut health, while at the same time reducing inflammation.

Spices: Turmeric and ginger are just two of the spices known for their anti-inflammatory actions. I particularly recommend adding fresh turmeric and ginger to your diet.

Cherries: Tart cherries have been shown to be even more anti-inflammatory than ibuprofen in some clinical trials.

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