Anti-Inflammatory Foods: What to Eat (and Avoid) to Fight Inflammation

Inflammation has become a health buzzword — and for once, the hype points at something real. Short-term inflammation is how your body heals. But chronic, low-grade inflammation — the kind that simmers quietly for years — is increasingly linked to aging, heart disease, arthritis, and more. A widely-cited Nature Medicine review ties chronic low-grade inflammation to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions, with diet identified as one of the key modifiable drivers. The good news is that one of the biggest levers on it is entirely in your control: what you eat. Here are the foods that fight inflammation, the ones that fuel it, and how to build your plate.

Why Chronic Inflammation Matters

Acute inflammation (the redness and swelling around an injury) is helpful and temporary. The problem is chronic inflammation — a constant, low-level immune activation that you can’t feel but that quietly contributes to many of the diseases of aging. Diet is one of the most powerful and accessible ways to turn the dial down, day after day.

The Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Build your meals around these:

• Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel) — rich in omega-3 fats, some of the most studied anti-inflammatory nutrients (also available as a supplement — see the best omega-3 supplements).
• Leafy greens and colorful vegetables — loaded with antioxidants and polyphenols that fight inflammation.
• Berries — their deep colors come from anti-inflammatory compounds linked to better brain and heart health.
• Extra-virgin olive oil — a cornerstone of the anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet.
• Nuts — healthy fats, fiber, and antioxidants.
• Turmeric and ginger — spices with genuine anti-inflammatory compounds.
• Green tea — rich in polyphenols.

Notice the overlap with foods that support your brain — a healthy, whole-food diet fights inflammation and supports nearly everything else at the same time.

The Foods That Fuel Inflammation

Just as important is what to cut back on. The main pro-inflammatory culprits are:

• Added sugar and sugary drinks
• Refined carbohydrates (white bread, pastries)
• Ultra-processed foods
• Processed and heavily charred meats
• Deep-fried foods and excess alcohol

Diets high in these are consistently tied to more chronic inflammation — and, not coincidentally, to stubborn belly fat, since visceral fat itself pumps out inflammatory signals.

The Simplest Approach: Eat Mostly Mediterranean

You don’t need a complicated protocol. The most research-backed anti-inflammatory way of eating is essentially the Mediterranean diet: build most meals from vegetables, fruit, fish, olive oil, nuts, legumes, and whole grains, and keep processed food and added sugar occasional. Certain nutrients like magnesium and omega-3s play supporting roles, but the pattern is what matters.

The Bottom Line

You can’t see chronic inflammation, but you can influence it every time you eat. Fill your plate with fish, greens, berries, olive oil, nuts, and anti-inflammatory spices, and cut back on sugar, refined carbs, and ultra-processed food. It’s the same simple, whole-food pattern that supports your heart, brain, and healthy aging — inflammation is just one more reason it works.

Your gut bacteria play a role in inflammation too — see our related breakdown on fermented foods and your gut microbiome.

One category gets blamed for inflammation more than any other online — whether seed oils are actually bad for you tests that claim against the meta-analyses.

Keep going with The Wonder Drop

Want to know which everyday foods are quietly working against you? Watch our foods causing inflammation video.

Diet pattern matters too: see how the Mediterranean diet compares to keto for long-term, anti-inflammatory health.

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