STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of virtually all disease, including cancer, obesity and heart disease. Your diet plays a significant if not primary role as it can either trigger or prevent inflammation
- Leafy greens, berries and mushrooms are potent anti-inflammatory foods. People with autoimmune diseases may want to limit vegetables high in lectins, though, as they may cause more problems than they solve
- Traditionally fermented and cultured foods are anti-inflammatory staples that work their “magic” by optimizing your gut flora. Examples include kefir, yogurt, natto, kimchee, miso, tempeh, pickles, sauerkraut, olives and other fermented vegetables
- Marine-based omega-3 fats found in fatty cold-water fish that are low in environmental toxins are important anti-inflammatories that are particularly crucial for brain and heart health
- Other anti-inflammatory foods and supplements include green tea, spices such as cloves, ginger, rosemary and turmeric, herbal remedies such as white willow bark, maritime pine bark and Cat’s claw, and supplements such as resveratrol, curcumin, capsaicin, vitamin D, zinc and SAM-e