"Anti-Inflammatory Diet Guide: Nourishing Foods, Sample Menus, and Essential Tips"

Inflammation is a hot topic of conversation, and for a good reason. While acute inflammation after an injury helps promote healing, chronic systemic inflammation has been linked with a variety of health issues, including heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune conditions.

All this chatter about inflammation has given rise to the anti-inflammatory diet—a whole foods-based eating approach, rich in plants and inflammation-fighting nutrients. Read on to discover the ins and outs of anti-inflammatory eating and a seven-day anti-inflammatory diet plan.

An anti-inflammatory diet is an eating approach that focuses on inflammation-fighting foods including fruit, vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, legumes, whole grains, fish, nuts, cocoa, coffee, herbs and spices, tea, and red wine. These foods offer an abundance of anti-inflammatory nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, fiber, omega-3 fats, and polyphenolic compounds.

The anti-inflammatory diet shares many similarities with the Mediterranean and Dash diets. Both limit red meat, saturated fat, added sugar, and highly processed foods.

There are several benefits to an anti-inflammatory diet. Emerging evidence indicates that eating a diet rich in anti-inflammatory food is associated with higher sperm count and motility. And, observational studies have shown that a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods may help protect against the following conditions:

The anti-inflammatory diet comes with few risks. Those who currently eat a low-fiber diet may benefit from adding fiber slowly to minimize gastrointestinal upset.

Moreover, people with high iron needs such as pregnant people and endurance athletes may benefit from more regular red meat intake (one to two times a week) to maintain iron stores. Talk to a healthcare provider to ensure this diet plan is right for you.

If you're interested in trying the anti-inflammatory diet, knowing which foods to include in your eating plan can be helpful for planning purposes. Here’s a comprehensive list of anti-inflammatory foods to help you get started.