You manage inflammation with diet by cutting the foods that drive it. These are refined carbohydrates, sugar-sweetened drinks, processed snacks, processed meat and trans fats. Then eat more whole foods such as vegetables, leafy greens, fatty fish and nuts. A low-carbohydrate diet reduces inflammation, particularly in people who are obese or have metabolic syndrome.
Redness, hotness, swelling, and pain are the key signs of inflammation. Inflammation is not all bad. It warns us that there is an injury or infection. But it turns harmful when it is chronic. Chronic inflammation may last for weeks, months, or even years. Recent evidence suggests that the root cause of many chronic diseases is linked to it. The best remedy for the chronic diseases associated with chronic inflammation may be to prevent it. This article shows how diet can be used to prevent chronic inflammation.
What Is Inflammation?
Inflammation is a defense. The body uses it to protect itself from infection, illness, or injury. When it occurs, the body makes more white blood cells and immune cells. It also makes substances called cytokines that help fight infection. Acute inflammation usually comes with pain at the site, redness, hotness, and swelling. Chronic inflammation may not have these signs. Besides injury and infection, it may also be caused by diet and high stress levels. Lifestyle diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes may cause it too.
Which foods cause inflammation?
Some foods have been linked to inflammation. When you eat them often, you are likely to get diseases tied to inflammation.
Refined carbohydrates are foods made from carbs that have been processed. For example, white rice is a refined food while brown rice is not. Other refined foods include white bread, pasta, cakes, and other pastries made from refined flour. Some studies have linked refined carbs with inflammation, insulin resistance, and obesity. Processed and packaged foods are also likely to contain trans fats. Trans fats have been linked to inflammation. They have also been linked to the destruction of endothelial cells, the cells that line the arteries in the heart. Trans fats are partially hydrogenated fats. They are used to make most processed foods such as pizzas, cookies, and cakes. Processed meat such as bacon and sausages also contain unhealthy fats that may trigger chronic inflammation.
Numerous studies have linked chronic inflammation to an unhealthy diet. To reduce it, eat fewer foods that cause it and more foods that fight it. This means a diet rich in fiber and nutrients, with as few processed foods as you can. Diets that contain antioxidants can lower your chances of chronic inflammation. Your body makes free radicals as a natural part of its metabolism. Antioxidants fight them off. When free radicals are not held in check, they can lead to inflammation.
The ideal anti-inflammatory diet gives you enough protein, carbs, vitamins, minerals, and fat in the right amounts. Make sure these come from real whole foods, not processed ones. The Mediterranean diet is one diet that has been shown to reduce inflammatory markers.
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet comes from the countries around the Mediterranean Sea. It is built on healthy fats. It is centered on vegetables, fruits, fish, nuts, and real olive oil. It also leaves out refined and processed foods. For alcohol, the Mediterranean diet allows red wine in moderation. A low carbohydrate diet also reduces inflammation, particularly for people who are obese or have metabolic syndrome.
Vegetarian Diet
People choose a vegetarian diet for many reasons: ethical, animal rights, environmental, health or personal. Research has shown that vegetarian diets are linked to reduced inflammation and reduced cardiovascular risk. These diets leave out meat, poultry, and fish.
Which foods should you eat or avoid to lower inflammation?
Most foods that have been linked to type 2 diabetes are also associated with inflammation. These foods are also likely to cause weight gain and obesity. It appears that what is in these foods plays its own role in causing inflammation.
It is no surprise that most chronic diseases are now being linked to inflammation.
On the other hand, foods and drinks that reduce inflammation have been linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases. Foods such as blueberries, apples, and leafy greens are high in natural antioxidants and polyphenols. These compounds have cardioprotective (heart-protecting) effects. They also have anti-cancer effects. Whole nuts have also been linked to lower markers of inflammation. They are linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes too.
By changing what you eat, you could lower your chances of chronic inflammation. To wrap this up, here are foods to eat and foods to avoid.
Foods to Avoid
You should avoid or minimize foods linked to inflammation. They include:
- Refined carbohydrates such as white bread and white rice
- Sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas
- Sweetened baked treats such as cakes, cookies
- Processed snacks such as chips and pretzels
- Processed meat such as bacon and sausages
- Excessive alcohol intake
Foods to Eat
Create a diet plan that has more of these foods:
- Red meat
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Natural juices
- Real olive oil
- Red wine
- Dark chocolate
- Fatty fish that is rich in omega oils such as salmon, herring, and anchovies
- Nuts
- Peppers
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst foods that trigger inflammation?
The worst offenders are refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice and pasta. The list also includes sugar-sweetened drinks such as soda, and sweetened baked treats such as cakes and cookies. It includes processed snacks such as chips and pretzels, and processed meat such as bacon and sausages too. Packaged foods often add trans fats, the partially hydrogenated fats. These are linked to inflammation. They are also linked to damage of the cells that line the arteries.
How do you flush inflammation out of your body?
You lower chronic inflammation by changing what you eat every day. Eat fewer of the foods that drive it. Eat more whole, unprocessed foods that are rich in fiber and antioxidants. Antioxidants keep free radicals in check. A low-carbohydrate diet reduces inflammation, particularly in people who are obese or have metabolic syndrome. Stress counts too, because high stress levels are one of the causes of chronic inflammation.
What are the signs your body has inflammation?
Redness, heat, swelling and pain at the site are the classic signs of acute inflammation. This is the kind that follows an injury or an infection. Chronic inflammation is harder to spot because it often shows none of those signs. It can last for weeks, months or even years. Diet, high stress and conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes all drive it.
What foods reduce inflammation?
Build meals around vegetables, leafy greens and peppers, fruits such as blueberries and apples, whole nuts, and fatty fish. Choose fish rich in omega oils such as salmon, herring and anchovies. Blueberries, apples and leafy greens are high in natural antioxidants and polyphenols. Whole nuts are linked to lower markers of inflammation. They are also linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Related reading
- Diet and Inflammation: The Messy Facts
- How to Reduce Gut Inflammation
- The Carnivore Diet: What Is It?
- Foods behind chronic inflammation
- Eat, Don’t Eat: What to Eat and Avoid
References
1. NCBI (2012): Comparison with ancestral diets suggests dense acellular carbohydrates promote an inflammatory microbiota, and may be the primary dietary cause of leptin resistance and obesity. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22826636
2. NCBI (2014): The effects of the Mediterranean diet on biomarkers of vascular wall inflammation and plaque vulnerability in subjects with high risk for cardiovascular disease. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24925270
3. NCBI (2013): Very low carbohydrate diet significantly alters the serum metabolic profiles in obese subjects. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24224694
4. NCBI (2004): Effects of a long-term vegetarian diet on biomarkers of antioxidant status and cardiovascular disease risk. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15474873
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
Interventional pain physician, addiction medicine specialist and obesity medicine diplomate.
Licensed in Missouri and Illinois.
Last reviewed June 18, 2026
