Your body isn’t designed to function in a state of constant inflammation. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what many people experience from day to day. They often battle a variety of unpleasant symptoms, from daily fatigue to heartburn and indigestion. If you’re one of those people, the wonderful news is that you can take steps to reclaim your health and wellness naturally by eating foods that fight inflammation.

When you fuel your body with nutritious, inflammation-reducing foods instead of consuming heavily processed foods, your body will start to heal from the inside out. Here are a few natural ways to reduce inflammation by simply modifying what you put on your plate every day.

What Is Inflammation and Why It Happens

Inflammation has a bad reputation, but it’s not automatically a bad thing. Sure, it can cause redness, swelling, and discomfort. However, when the immune system is working as intended, these symptoms indicate that your body is fighting off bacteria, viruses, and other invaders. The uncomfortable symptoms should go away once your immune system has done its job and destroyed harmful intruders or healed the site of injury.

The real problem occurs when your body gets stuck in a state of constant, or chronic, inflammation. This can happen if you constantly eat “junk foods” that trigger an inflammatory response in your body. In this context, the body’s inflammatory response can cause more harm than good. That’s why it’s so important to reduce inflammation by following an anti inflammatory diet plan.

When Inflammation Becomes Harmful 

Processed foods may look, smell, and taste delicious, but they don’t always have the nutrients your body needs to thrive. Additionally, eating a diet that’s heavy in inflammatory foods could increase your risk of these health risks:

• Neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
• Autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or lupus
• Type 2 diabetes,
• Heart disease
• Certain cancers

There is also mounting evidence to suggest that chronic inflammation may be linked to anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.

Can You Reduce Inflammation Through Your Diet?

Yes, you can reduce chronic inflammation by following an anti-inflammatory meal plan. If changing your diet sounds overwhelming, don’t worry. It’s much easier than you may think and isn’t as restrictive as many of the popular diets out there. The Mediterranean diet is a popular way of eating for those seeking to improve gut health and inflammation. However, you don’t have to adhere to a particular diet to feel better and soothe systemic swelling and irritation. You just need to eat fewer processed foods while filling your plate with more whole foods.

The best anti-inflammatory foods are whole foods that don’t contain added sugars and aren’t ultra-processed. They’re typically found around the outsides of grocery stores, while the middle aisles are often reserved for heavily processed, sugary ingredients and treats. Whenever possible, fill your grocery cart with whole foods from the perimeter of your grocery store. Better yet, skip the lines and schedule anti-inflammatory grocery delivery with Hungryroot.

Foods That Fight Inflammation

If you’re wondering what ingredients to add to your anti-inflammatory grocery list, here are some delicious and healthy options:

• Leafy greens
• Berries
• Vegetables
• Dry beans
• Avocados
• Fatty fish
• Whole grains
• Nuts and seeds
• Green tea
• Olive oil and other healthy sources of omega-3 fatty acids

Red meat is a bit more controversial when it comes to whether or not it causes inflammation. For some people, lean cuts of red meat don’t cause digestive irritation or swelling. However, others may find that their bodies don’t respond well to red meat. Therefore, it’s important to test this ingredient out for yourself to see whether it causes inflammation in your body. Whenever possible, choose lean cuts of red meat to limit your intake of saturated and trans fats.

Benefits of Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Eating whole foods for inflammation can offer many benefits to your physical and mental health, including:

• Reduction of chronic inflammation symptoms
• Improved mood and mental health
• Reduced risk of diseases linked to chronic inflammation
• Enhanced immune function
• Improved weight management
• Boosted heart health

In short, eating delicious anti inflammatory recipes can improve your overall well-being and lead to greater longevity.

Healthy Eating Tips to Reduce Inflammation

Need a little help reducing inflammation in your body? Here are a few of our favorite healthy eating tips:

• Fill half of your plate with vegetables and eat them before moving on to the other items on your plate.
• Swap heavily processed grains with whole grains. For example, eat steel-cut oats instead of instant oats.
• Increase your intake of fiber by eating foods like sweet potatoes, artichokes, legumes, and beans.
• Aim to eat fatty fish at least twice per week.
• Limit processed foods and foods with added sugars, artificial flavors, artificial colors, and artificial sweeteners.

These simple tips make eating a healthy diet much easier. 

Chef’s Tip

Anti-inflammatory foods can sometimes taste bland compared to salty and greasy convenience foods. To make your anti-inflammatory diet more enjoyable, rely heavily on herbs and spices known to calm inflammation. Some great options include ginger, turmeric, clove, basil, and rosemary.

The Key to Anti-Inflammatory Eating Is Consistency

It takes time to turn positive changes into lifelong habits. If you’re used to eating a diet rich in processed foods and sugar, don’t expect to change overnight. Consistency is the key to anti-inflammatory eating. Set yourself up to succeed by planning your meals in advance.

Hungryroot can help by bringing the best groceries for inflammation right to your door. Get started on your healthy eating journey by scheduling your first anti-inflammatory food delivery service today. One Trustpilot described their experience with Hungryroot this way: “Really tasty food!! All the items I ordered were better than I expected! I am ordering off the anti-inflammatory menu and the food was excellent.”

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