Top Twelve Common Anti-inflammatory Foods

The food you eat has a big effect on your health and anti-inflammatory food can help the body get rid of visible and invisible inflammations. Wondering what to put on the menu to promote your health? Then read this post on the top twelve common anti-inflammatory foods.

• Avocado
• Ginger
• Olive oil
• Oily fish
• Garlic
• Dark chocolate
• Linseed
• Green tea
• Turmeric
• Leafy vegetables
• Berries
• Apples

Avocado

Avocados are full of antioxidants such as carotenoids and tocopherols. These are effective anti-inflammatory agents. In addition, avocados contain natural sugar that prevents inflammation. The combination of nutrients has an anti-inflammatory effect. Avocados help to prevent or reduce osteoarthritis and rheumatism. It is also widely used in facial masks and other beauty products.

Ginger

The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger have been known for many centuries. Ginger contains many phytonutrients called gingerol and shoagol that are anti-inflammatory in both acute and chronic inflammation. Adding more ginger to your diet can help control inflammation. A tasty and easy way is to add a slice of fresh ginger to your herbal tea.

Ginger not only helps with inflammations but also helps with nausea and digestive complaints. Plus, you can freeze it very well. Handy if you only need a little bit of it all the time.

Read more about The Beneficial and Medicinal Properties of Ginger

Olive oil

Olive oil contains several antioxidants, one of which may even have the same effect as ibuprofen. The vitamin E that is abundant in olive oil also helps to prevent inflammation. The advantages of olive oil are mostly due to the polyphenols it contains. Polyphenols provide the colorful parts of fruit and vegetables. The polyphenols oleocanthal and phytosterol have an anti-inflammatory effect. They have a pain-reducing, anti-inflammatory, and fever-reducing effect. That's why you can use olive oil if you suffer from inflammation. By this, we mean inflammations such as gingivitis and periodontitis.

Oily fish

Oily fish is part of a healthy diet. This is partly due to the anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids that fatty fish is rich in. In addition, fatty acids have a positive effect on the immune system. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help reduce inflammation. To benefit from this it is necessary to eat fish several times a week. If you don't really like fish, you can also use fish oil to supplement your diet.

Garlic

It doesn't really help your breath, but did you know that garlic has a lot of health benefits? Garlic is also part of an anti-inflammatory diet. It contains various substances that contribute to the anti-inflammatory processes in the body.

Note: when you bake or boil garlic, the substance that can protect you from inflammation evaporates. This healthy advantage only applies to raw garlic. The WHO also mentions the prevention of inflammation and arteriosclerosis as effects of taking garlic.

Dark Chocolate

If you eat dark chocolate, you're on the right track. Dark chocolate contains a lot of antioxidants. In order to benefit from the anti-inflammatory effects, it is important that the cocoa content is at least seventy percent. Raw chocolate is preferred. This was demonstrated by the results of two studies presented at the annual meeting in San Diego.

The studies showed that eating dark chocolate with a high concentration of cocoa (at least 70% cocoa, 30% organic cane sugar) has positive effects on stress, inflammation, mood, memory, and resistance. The flavonoids found in cocoa are extremely potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, with known mechanisms that benefit the brain and cardiovascular health.

Linseed

Linseed contains omega-3 fats that have an anti-inflammatory effect. In particular, broken linseed has a beneficial effect. Flaxseed oil contains omega 3. This substance has an anti-inflammatory effect. Vein calcification is caused by low-grade inflammation or inflammation at the cellular level. Linseed can remedy these inflammations. Especially the production of inflammatory cytokines is counteracted by linseed. (Linseed and Flaxseed are nutritionally identical).

ALSO READ: Linseed medicinal properties.

Green Tea

A product that should not be missing from the list of anti-inflammatory foods is green tea. Green tea is one of the least processed teas. Because of this, the tea contains the most antioxidants and natural polyphenols (chemical compounds that make fruit and vegetables so healthy). These are also called Catechins. The natural variant is anti-inflammatory, counteracts viruses, and kills bacteria. Green tea contains about 10 times as many catechins as fruit and vegetables, so it's super healthy!

Turmeric

In Ayurveda turmeric has been used as a healing herb for thousands of years. Not surprising, since the active ingredient curcumin is very anti-inflammatory. The active ingredients in turmeric are curcuminoids. Turmeric contains three different curcuminoids, namely: diferuloylmethane, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin.

Curcumin (Diferuloylmethane) is the most widely studied. Curcuminoids have more than 1,000 positive health effects. Turmeric appears to be good for everything. How's that possible?
Turmeric has an anti-inflammatory effect. And that's why it's so widely applicable. Inflammation plays a role in many complaints and diseases.

Leafy Vegetables (Dark Green)

Probably because of the presence of phenols and carotenoids. You can eat kale and spinach raw, for example by adding these vegetables to your salad or using them in a smoothie. They contain substances that help to tackle inflammations in the body. When you eat them in a good quantity, they help regenerate your cells. It is also a good idea to switch between different green leafy vegetables. Although they are similar, they can provide you with different nutrients.

Berries

Berries help counter inflammatory processes in the body and therefore certainly belong to the category of anti-inflammatory nutrition. Blueberries in particular contribute to good health. This small berry contains anthocyanin, a substance that gives the berry its blue color.

This substance has a good effect on the heart and blood vessels. In addition, blueberries contain antioxidants. These play an important role in the aging process. Antioxidants are anti-inflammatory, cholesterol-lowering, and protect against various diseases, such as cancer.

Apples

The skin of apples is full of enzymes that fight inflammation in our body. Apple skin is also rich in pectin: an important substance to combat infections. According to a study published by the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases of Montana State University (United States), the skin of apples contains enzymes that fight the so-called T-cells, which cause inflammation.

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Further Reading:
Harvard EDU
Tocopherol
Cytokines, Inflammation and Pain
Catechin