The No. 1 way to tell if a food is anti-inflammatory

There’s a reason why doctors and dietitians routinely preach the importance of lowering inflammation. While short-term, acute inflammation is beneficial for the body, high levels of chronic inflammation can negatively affect health in many ways. Everything from acne, gastrointestinal issues and fatigue to heart disease, cancer and cognitive decline is connected to inflammation.

“Chronic inflammation occurs when the body continues to send inflammatory signals without an active threat. The processes that would normally protect us during an infection or begin to heal an injury end up hurting us,” registered dietitian Sara Riehm says.

Riehm explains that chronic inflammation is usually triggered by environmental factors and happens gradually rather than a quick, one-time event. “Things like chronic stress, poor diet quality, disrupted sleep, smoking, alcohol and having an imbalance in our gut bacteria can all lead to chronic inflammation,” she says.

Everything we eat or drink can either contribute to or help prevent inflammation. In fact, a whole way of eating, called the anti-inflammatory diet, is centered around this fact. But you don’t have to memorize lists of what you can eat and what you need to avoid to follow an anti-inflammatory way of eating. The registered dietitians we talked to say you can tell if a food is anti-inflammatory or not just by looking at it.

“Diet plays an important role in preventing high levels of chronic inflammation,” says Maria Emerick, a registered dietitian and the founder of Homegrown Nutrition. She explains that eating a healthy, balanced diet helps regulate the immune system and supports a healthy gut microbiome, both of which reduce inflammation.

Look for deep, rich color

If you want to use your diet as a way to prevent or lower chronic inflammation, Emerick recommends eating lots of fiber-rich foods, such as whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. A high-fiber diet is scientifically linked to lowering inflammation and associated with a decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Besides fiber, registered dietitian Emily Van Eck says foods high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants also help lower inflammation. All of the plant-based foods that are high in fiber also contain antioxidants. As for omega-3 fatty acids, Van Eck says fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds are good sources of this nutrient.

On the flip side, some foods can contribute to inflammation. “Diets high in calories, processed foods and unhealthy fats can disrupt normal fat tissue function and increase the production of inflammatory substances,” Emerick says.

In terms of what makes a food qualify as anti-inflammatory, Riehm says it’s a food or drink that has a high concentration of an antioxidative nutrient. For example, she says broccoli is considered an anti-inflammatory food because it’s high in vitamin C, which is known to be a powerful antioxidant.

Want an easy way to tell if a food is anti-inflammatory? Van Eck and Riehm say to look for a deep, rich color. “Generally speaking, foods that come from plants are going to be considered anti-inflammatory. The polyphenols that help to give plants their colors are bioactive compounds that act as antioxidants in the body. This includes everything from grains to grapes,” Riehm says.

Van Eck adds to this, saying that fatty fish like salmon, brightly colored berries, turmeric, dark leafy greens, olive oil, nuts, coffee and tea are all anti-inflammatory and are great foods to eat on a weekly basis.

But she also says diversity is key. “Think of your diet over the course of a couple of weeks or months, not a single day. Because gut health is important for inflammation, having plenty of diverse fiber sources and probiotics can also help,” van Eck explains.

Anti-inflammatory diet tips

Even though the anti-inflammatory diet isn’t restrictive, it can still be challenging to stick to if you’re used to relying on ultraprocessed foods.

Riehm says her biggest tip for maintaining an anti-inflammatory way of eating long term is to integrate as many plant-based foods into your diet as you can. “You could add larger portions of vegetables on the side with your meals. You could add fruit on top of your yogurt in the morning. You could have trail mix as a snack. Not only are you including more of the anti-inflammatory polyphenols in your diet, but you’re adding more fiber to your nutrition routine. Fiber feeds the good bacteria in our gut, which has been shown to facilitate a healthy gut microbiome and reduce overall inflammation in the body as well,” she says.

If you aren’t used to eating many plant-based foods, Emerick says to make small, incremental changes over time instead of trying to overhaul your diet all at once. For example, you could make it a goal to eat one piece of fruit as part of your breakfast each morning. Once you’ve mastered that, you could make it a goal to stop having soda (which causes inflammation) with your lunch each day.

Emerick says another great way to stick with an anti-inflammatory way of eating long-term is to have fun adding different herbs and spices to your meals. “Flavor meals with herbs and spices like turmeric, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, rosemary, oregano, thyme and cinnamon instead of adding extra salt or sugar,” she says.

Lastly, van Eck points out that diet isn’t the only way to lower inflammation. She says getting enough sleep and regular exercise can also help.