By Luisa Carugati
When I was asked to contribute to TMS magazine on nutrition, I initially found it challenging to choose a specific topic. However, after researching, one word kept appearing in connection with various conditions: Inflammation. This led me to the question: “How can we reduce inflammation with diet?”
Though many diets claim to reduce inflammation, there’s no definitive, evidence-based approach. However, increasing plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and seeds—while reducing animal proteins and processed foods—can help. Research shows plant foods are much richer in antioxidants, which play a crucial role in reducing inflammation.
Foods affect each person differently, with some triggering inflammatory responses. For example, gluten can cause inflammation in individuals with coeliac disease, and dairy may cause issues for others. It’s important to listen to your body and keep a food diary to identify triggers.
Not all foods are equal in their anti-inflammatory properties. High-antioxidant foods, such as berries and greens, significantly reduce inflammation more effectively than low-antioxidant ones like bananas or lettuce. Additionally, excess fat in the body can increase inflammatory markers, so maintaining a healthy weight is important. Adding fruits like apples or pears to your diet can help with weight loss.
Increasing physical activity also helps reduce inflammation, regardless of weight loss. Eating more fiber from whole plant foods supports the gut, and good bacteria use fiber to produce butyrate, which reduces inflammation. Probiotics can help, but they’re more effective when balanced with fiber.
To further combat inflammation, focus on omega-3-rich foods, antioxidants, and vitamins. Phytochemicals like carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, and sulforaphane from plants have been shown to lower inflammation. Low levels of magnesium, vitamin C, and vitamin D are linked to inflammation, and increasing plant-based foods can help supply these nutrients.
Omega-3s from flaxseeds, walnuts, and fish, along with monounsaturated fats from olive oil, can reduce inflammatory markers. Additionally, spices like turmeric have anti-inflammatory effects. A simple way to improve your diet is by creating a checklist of anti-inflammatory foods to include daily.
Food for thought… Your daily list
Beans/legumes – Black beans, butter beans, cannellini beans, peas, broad beans, edamame, kidney beans, haricot bean, pinto beans, split peas, chickpeas, tempeh and lentils
Daily recommendation: 3 servings a day
Serving Size: ¼ cup of hummus, ½ cup cooked beans, 1 cup of fresh peas or sprouted lentils
Berries – Blackberries, blueberries, acai berries, cherries, grapes, cranberries, goji berries, mulberries, raspberries and strawberries
Daily recommendation: 1 serving. day
Serving size: ½ cup of fresh or frozen, ¼ cup dried
Cruciferous vegetables – Broccoli, rocket, bok choy, kale, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, horseradish, radishes, turnip greens and watercress
Daily recommendation: 1 serving per day
Serving Size: ½ cup chopped, ¼ cup Brussels sprouts or broccoli,1 tablespoon of horseradish
Additional greens – (yes as well) Beet greens, kale, sorrel, young salad greens, spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens, all greens
Daily recommendation: 2 servings per day
Serving Size: 1 cup raw, ½ cup cooked
Other vegetables – Artichokes, asparagus, avocadoes, beets, bell peppers, carrots, corn, garlic, mushrooms, okra, onions, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, sea vegetables, yams, tomatoes etc
Daily recommendation: 2 servings per day
Serving Sizes: ½ cup of raw or cooked non-leafy vegetables, ½ cup vegetable juice
Flaxseeds – Brown or golden
Daily recommendation: 1 serving per day
Serving size: 1 tablespoon ground, bought or grind with coffee grinder
Nuts and seeds – Almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hemp seeds, chia seeds, macadamia, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, pistachios, pine nuts and walnuts
Daily recommendation: 1 serving per day
Serving Size: ¼ cup of nuts or seeds, 2 tablespoons nut or seed butters
Herbs and spices – all spices especially cloves, ginger, rosemary and turmeric. Fresh or dried
Daily recommendation: ¼ teaspoon of turmeric as well as any salt free herb and spice you use regularly
Whole grains – Barley, brown/black/wild rice, buckwheat, millet, oats, popcorn, quinoa, rye, teff, amaranth, whole wheat pasta
Serving Size: ½ cup hot cereal or cooked grains, pasta, 1 cup of cold cereal,1 slice of whole meal/rye/spelt bread avoiding white processed baked goods on a daily basis
This all may look like a lot of food for thought, but this is not a diet, just a reminder of how many fantastic, healthy foods we can add to our menu everyday. If you whip up a salad of 2 cups of spinach, handful of watercress, a handful of walnuts, some hummus, half a bell pepper and a small tomato, you will have included seven servings off this daily list.
You should always speak to your doctor before making any major changes to your diet particularly if you have any other health condition which might affect your dietary requirements. I am not a medical practitioner and do not provide medical diagnoses or treatment.
Luisa Carugati’s earliest memories are in the kitchen with her father, a chef, watching him prepare food, waiting for the moment he allowed her to try the creation of the day. This inherited passion for food has lead Luisa to her studies of Naturopathic Nutrition and Complementary Medicine since 2006 a the college of Naturopathic Medicine in London. She is a member of The Association of Naturopathic Practioners.
