Foods and Herbs for Reducing Inflammation

Mar 29

Written By RR

Inflammation is the natural way our body responds to an injury or disease to stay healthy. However, when the normal inflammatory process gets out of balance, inflammation can cause a lot of damage. Over time, inflammation can lead to problems including weakened immune response, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and eventually cancer.

A poor, unhealthy diet can lead to excess inflammation. This leads to reduced blood flow, and an excess of free radicals, also called oxidative stress. These issues can cause changes in the immune system and other problems.

Studies show that sticking to an overall eating pattern that includes foods to help regulate inflammation along with avoiding foods that increase inflammation is key to fighting chronic inflammation. Eating inflammation regulating foods and cutting out inflammatory foods can ward off chronic inflammation.

Foods that have plentiful antioxidants, Omega-3s, and fiber are part of a good anti-inflammatory diet. Here are 10 foods and herbs that can support healthy inflammation reduction as part of a healthy eating plan. If you’re new to taking herbs, talk with your practitioner before taking anything new. A typical amount to start with is ¼ teaspoon of the powdered herb.

A note about Omega-3. The Adequate Intake (AI) level for most adults is 1.1g a day for women and 1.6g a day for men.

Boswellia (Boswellia serrata)
Boswellia is a plant resin that has traditionally been used for inflammation. It’s been used for years to reduce general inflammation and for joint pain. It’s often given to pets for joint health too.
Ginger
A root that famously helps reduce inflammation and also supports gut health.
Greens
Dark leafy greens have many health benefits, including antioxidants, and fiber. Fiber supports a healthy microbiome and a healthy microbiome is one of the best ways to fight inflammation.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Not only does olive oil have antioxidants that help reduce inflammation, it can replace unhealthy fats that promote heart disease and other illnesses. Studies suggest that getting more than a half a tablespoon of olive oil per day can even reduce your chances of dying early.
Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil have long been used to fight inflammation. Flaxseeds have high concentrations of α-linolenic acid (ALA), which is good for cardiovascular issues and inflammation. Flaxseeds are also high in soluble fiber, good for the microbiome. They are also the highest food source for a plant lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), which has been shown to reduce inflammation.
If you eat meat, salmon
Salmon is very high in Omega-3s. 3 ounces of salmon has 0.53g of Omega-3.
It also has vitamin D, which helps regulate inflammation.
Golden Berries
Just one ounce of golden berries has 4.8mg, or 5% of the daily value of vitamin C, an antioxidant. They also have 5g of fiber, which is about 18% of the daily value. They are also high in potassium and have 2g of protein.
They are high in antioxidants and carotenoids (antioxidants) and withanolides. Withanolides are natural steroids that can reduce inflammation.
Turmeric
Turmeric is high in antioxidants, particularly curcumin, famously used for reducing inflammation.
Walnuts
Walnuts have a lot of healthy fats, including polyunsaturated fats, linoleic acids and ALAs. Adding a few walnuts to your diet can help fight inflammation. As with most things, too much doesn’t mean better. Because of the health benefits of walnuts, there have been reports of people eating walnuts in huge amounts and they had issues. It is possible to get too many walnuts and have a reaction, but for most people a handful of walnuts now and then is great.
Sprouted spelt bread or flour for baking
Sprouted, or germinated, spelt flour has more beneficial compounds than non-sprouted grain flour, so look for the word sprouted on the label.
Spelt is one of the oldest known cultivated grains. It is related to wheat, but it’s closer to the ancient grain since it hasn’t been crossed like regular species of wheat. Whole grain foods are always healthiest instead of highly processed foods. Look for whole grain on the label.
¼ cup of whole grain spelt flour has 4g of fiber.