Eating anti-inflammatory: The best anti-inflammatory foods

What are (silent) inflammations?

Inflammations can be challenging for the body. They are not always directly visible. So-called "silent inflammations" proceed as their name suggests, silently, without obvious symptoms like those seen in a typical inflammation with fever, pain, or redness¹. This is what makes silent inflammations so dangerous. They smolder as a hotspot in our body without us noticing anything. Only after a certain time, they can make us feel tired, weak, and lacking in energy. All symptoms that are very unspecific and could also be caused by factors such as lack of sleep, unbalanced diet, or micronutrient deficiency.

Therefore, silent inflammations often go unnoticed - with serious consequences. They are a constant burden on our immune system, and medical professionals have found that these inflammations promote diseases such as metabolic and cardiovascular disorders².

Luckily, we have a powerful weapon to protect ourselves from silent inflammations and even fight them: Our diet. Our diet is a crucial cornerstone for our health. In addition to sufficient exercise, sleep, and good stress management, we have the power in our hands with the choice of our food to either best support our body or burden it with more work. Our food choices and what we eat daily influence the development and fighting of silent inflammations. Those who opt for an anti-inflammatory diet can lower their inflammation levels in the blood or prevent inflammations. But what does such an anti-inflammatory diet look like?

This is characteristic of an anti-inflammatory diet:

If you want to eat anti-inflammatory and support your body, fresh and healthy foods are the right choice. In particular, a plant-based diet with lots of green vegetables and micronutrient-rich fruits, as well as nuts, legumes, herbs, seeds, and high-quality plant oils, as known from the Mediterranean cuisine, seem to have the greatest effect on our well-being and combating silent inflammation.

The characteristics of an anti-inflammatory diet:

• Antioxidants: To counteract the damage caused by radicals, our body needs antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A. They trap free radicals that cause stress in existing inflammations. Secondary plant substances (flavonoids, carotenoids, anthocyanins) also play a role in this process³.

• Omega-3 fatty acids: Healthy fats are an immunological antagonist to the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid, which fights inflammation⁴.

• Dietary Fiber and Fermented Foods: Probiotic foods, such as fermented vegetables and yogurt, or fiber-rich foods have an impact on the bacterial community in our gut - an important part of our immune system. A healthy gut flora can therefore help relieve a dysregulated immune system.

Anti-inflammatory foods - a list:

Here is a list of particularly anti-inflammatory foods.

Anti-inflammatory fruits:

• Berries of all kinds (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants, ...).

• Apple, pear

• Stone fruit (cherries, peaches, apricots, plums)

• Grapes

• Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes)

• Pomegranate

• Pineapple

Anti-inflammatory vegetables:

• Green vegetables (spinach, green asparagus, leafy salads, chard, zucchini)

• Cabbage vegetables (broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower)

• Legumes (chickpeas, peas, beans, lentils)

• Onions, garlic, and ginger

• Turnips, sweet potatoes

• Mushrooms

• Celery

• Herbs

Anti-inflammatory fats:

• Nuts, seeds, kernels (walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds,..)

• Omega-3-rich plant oil (flaxseed oil, olive oil)

Anti-inflammatory fish:

• Omega-3-rich fish (salmon, mackerel, herring)

These foods promote inflammation:

• Meat and sausage

• Milk and dairy products

• Sugar and white flour

Eating anti-inflammatory: How to get started

Researchers recommend eating as varied and fresh as possible for an anti-inflammatory diet. You can achieve this, for example, by opting for seasonal fruits and vegetables, shopping at local markets, cooking a lot yourself, and trying out new foods and recipes regularly.

How to start with an anti-inflammatory diet:

• Eat at least one piece of fruit for breakfast. Next step is two, three, four different ones. But be careful: Increase the diversity of fruits, not necessarily the quantity.

• Try a new vegetarian recipe once a week. Lots of inspiration and delicious recipes can be found in the LaVita App.

• Limit your consumption of meat and sausage as much as possible. In the past, there was the famous Sunday roast. Perhaps you can consider the option of enjoying meat as a highlight once a week? You will already gain a lot if you start avoiding processed products, such as sausages.

• Cook as often as possible yourself. This is not easy for many people in their often stressful everyday life. Think about when during the week you have the most time to cook a delicious meal and possibly prepare it in advance.

• Enjoy sweets or sugary desserts as an exception. In particular, snacking on the side is dangerous for us. Because before we know it, the chocolate bar is empty. You don't have to completely give up sweets. But take your time and enjoy them consciously and without distraction.

• Replace bad fats with good fats. Choose olive oil instead of sunflower oil, for example. Flaxseed oil also tastes delicious stirred into yogurt or as part of a salad dressing.

• Drink LaVita. LaVita contains 70 different plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, seeds, and oils, along with an extra dose of micronutrients. Just one tablespoon a day - and you're done!