My Top 5 Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Merry Christmas!

I hope you find yourself surrounded by friends and family today as you count your many blessings.

There’s sure to be lots of good food and a few libations as you celebrate.

But don’t worry. I WON’T tell you to say no to another Christmas cookie or skip the eggnog.

Instead, I’ll share five powerful anti-inflammatory foods you should eat MORE of.

Eat them regularly to ensure you’re around and healthy for MANY more Christmases to come.

Recently, I revealed how carrot juice can send inflammation plummeting in one hour flat.

That’s impressive.

But if carrot juice isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other inflammation-busting foods you might find more appealing.

After all, combatting chronic inflammation reduces your risk of conditions like arthritis, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease.

And if your go-to anti-inflammatory is ibuprofen, try including more olive oil in your diet instead.

Believe it or not, studies show that extra virgin olive oil is as effective at fighting inflammation as ibuprofen. That’s because one of the compounds in the oil (oleocanthal) works in a similar way to the drug.

I’ll admit, you’d have to consume a LOT of olive oil to obtain those benefits—but the cumulative effect matters here.

When you eat olive oil in various ways throughout the day—and then add in the OTHER anti-inflammatory foods I’m about to share with you—their inflammation-fighting power really starts to add up.

It’s easy to load up on berries—and plenty of good reasons to do so. Berries of all kinds are potent antioxidants with anti-inflammatory actions.

One study showed that when overweight folks regularly ate strawberries, they had significantly lower inflammation levels than those who didn’t.

Grab a handful of nuts or seeds to balance out the berries. Both are associated with lower inflammation levels.

In one study, eating just five 1-ounce servings of nuts or seeds a week led to significantly lower C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a primary marker of inflammation.

Walnuts are one of the most effective at reducing inflammation, likely because of their omega-3 content. Omega-3s are healthy fats proven to reduce inflammation.

Fatty fish is also high in omega-3s. I recommend eating fish like salmon at least twice a week.

Lastly, you can end your day with a few bites of dark chocolate. This delicious and healthy snack contains potent anti-inflammatory compounds like flavanols and polyphenols.

In a study of type 2 diabetics, eating 30 grams of 84 percent dark chocolate daily for two months significantly reduced inflammatory biomarkers.

Of course, loading up on anti-inflammatory foods won’t be as beneficial if you’re also eating a bunch of inflammatory foods like processed meat, fried foods, and added sugar.

That’s like pouring water into a bucket full of holes.

Go ahead and indulge today as you celebrate the holidays. But don’t make it a habit.

P.S. BONUS… this “Dinner Table Staple” COMBATS inflammation.

SOURCE:

“Inflammation,” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, nih .gov