Top 10 Inflammation Fighting Foods

Inflammation has a positive and negative affect in your body. Inflammation has a positive side because it helps your body respond to stress. But chronic, low-grade inflammation is thought to be one of the leading causes of disease, premature aging, and illness.

You can help your body fight inflammation by reducing stress, eliminating sugar and processed foods, and getting enough sunshine. Diet is a key part of your inflammation-fighting plan, and some foods have amazing anti-inflammatory properties.

Here are 10 excellent inflammation-fighting foods:

1. Fermented foods and liquids like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, tempeh, miso and kombucha should be at the top of your list of inflammation-fighting foods. They are anti-inflammation superstars for many reasons. One example is that they build immunity and help control infections that are often an underlying cause of inflammation.

2. Broccoli has tons of vitamin C and plenty of calcium. It also fights eye inflammation. Make sure you lightly steam your broccoli to digest it well.

3. Hemp oil (and all other oils with omega-3 fatty acids) reduce inflammation. Most Americans consume too many omega-6 fatty acids, so it’s important to incorporate more omega-3 fatty acids. Hemp oil also has gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) to further fight inflammation. Remember to look for unrefined organic oils.

4. Wild-caught salmon is another way to get beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. You can also try other fatty fish like cod and sardines.

5. Bone broths contain minerals in forms that your body can easily absorb calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and others. They contain chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, the compounds sold as pricey supplements to reduce inflammation, arthritis and joint pain.

6. Walnuts are packed with phytonutrients and are essential if you are following a diet without a lot of meats. Add omega-3-rich walnuts to green leafy salads drizzled with olive oil for a satisfying anti-inflammatory meal, or grab a handful for an on-the-go snack.

7. Coconut oil benefits include fighting free radicals with its high levels of antioxidants, it’s a leading natural treatment for osteoporosis. It can be included in topical preparations as well as culinary — and as a heat-stable oil, it’s excellent for sautéing anti-inflammatory vegetables.

8. Turmeric with its high anti-inflammatory properties, is highly effective at helping people manage rheumatoid arthritis.. Documented for its affects against inflammation in numerous circumstances, turmeric health benefits prove invaluable in an anti-inflammatory diet.

9. Ginger can be used fresh, dried, or in supplement form and extracts, and is another immune modulator that helps reduce inflammation caused by overactive immune responses.

In Ayurvedic medicine it is believed that because ginger is so effective at warming the body, it can help break down the accumulation of toxins in your organs.

10. Green Leafy Vegetables are the easiest foods to incorporate into your diet to help fight inflammation. Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants that restore cellular health, as well as anti-inflammatory flavonoids. Swiss chard nutrition, for example, is extremely high in the antioxidants vitamin A and C, as well as vitamin K, which can protect your brain against oxidative stress caused by free radical damage. Eating chard can also protect you against the common vitamin K deficiency. So, pile on the greens!