When you get an injury, like scraping your knee from a bike mishap or accidentally nicking your finger when chopping vegetables, your body quickly goes into healing mode. You know it’s doing its job because your injury starts to puff up a little and you see the skin around the affected area turn a bright shade of pink.
That’s called acute inflammation, a temporary state of your body’s healing process.
But, there’s another type of inflammation that’s less obvious to the naked eye. Chronic inflammation is often referred to as “silent” or “invisible” because it occurs on the inside. It can last months or years in a constant or recurring state.
Essentially, your body thinks it’s under attack, so it responds and over time, easily wears out its defenses.
A 2017 study showed that more than 50% of all deaths worldwide could be attributed to inflammation-related diseases [1]. Causes include heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and autoimmune and neurodegenerative conditions.
Symptoms of chronic inflammation include:
- Body pain
- Chronic fatigue and insomnia
- Depression, anxiety, and mood disorders
- Gastrointestinal issues like constipation, diarrhea, and acid reflux
- Weight gain or weight loss
- Frequent infections
What Causes Chronic Inflammation?
Several factors can lead to a long-term inflammatory response. The most common causes include infection from a physical injury that doesn’t heal properly, autoimmune disorders (such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, or Crohn’s disease), and external pollutants. But one of the main culprits when it comes to chronic inflammation is related to our daily behaviors: our lifestyle habits.
That’s right…what you put into your body on a daily basis directly affects your long-term health. This is particularly true if you’re a smoker or heavy drinker, you don’t get enough exercise, or if you’re carrying extra weight, a common corollary of the Western diet [2].
While the factors are many, the good news is that we do have the ability to help our bodies tamp down problematic immune responses. And one of the easiest ways to calm things down on the inside is to adopt an anti-inflammatory diet. That means cutting back on or eliminating the 7 harbingers of inflammation:
- Processed foods
- Excess sugar intake
- Processed meats
- Refined carbohydrates
- Omega-6 oils (safflower, corn, soybean)
- Trans fats
- Excessive alcohol
Anti-Inflammatory Food Myths: Separating Truth and Lies
Starting along the anti-inflammatory food path can be a little overwhelming at first. So, it’s important to know what’s on the menu so you can make informed decisions. There’s a lot of information floating around online, but not all of it is accurate.
This has led to some major myths being touted as facts. In order to eliminate the confusion so that you’re ridding your diet of the right culprits, let’s debunk a few anti-inflammatory food myths.
Myth #1: Nightshade vegetables cause inflammation
Somehow, nightshades got lumped into the inflammatory food myth category, but the science just doesn’t support this claim. In fact, nightshades offer an abundance of health benefits.
Potatoes are packed with potassium, and eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes are brimming with vitamins, antioxidants and other phytonutrients.
Tomatoes in particular are one of the healthiest foods you can reach for. The American Institute for Cancer Research lists them as one of the top “Foods that Fight Cancer,” because of their levels of lycopene and beta-carotene. The Arthritis Foundation touts all of the nightshade family as anti-inflammatory foods [3].
Myth #2: Fats are off-limits
Not all fats are created equal. There are trans fats, saturated fats, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. Here’s the breakdown:
- Trans and hydrogenated fats are those found in junk foods and should be avoided when following an anti-inflammatory diet.
- Saturated fats can be a mixed bag. They include beneficial fats like olive and coconut oils as well as those found in cheese and dairy. Eating too much can lead to a higher fat intake, which causes inflammation. But moderate amounts have a lot of nutritional benefits.
- Monounsaturated fats (olive oil, sunflower oils, avocados, peanut butter, most nuts) and polyunsaturated fats (sunflower, corn, soybean,, walnuts, pine nuts, seeds, fatty fish) can be considered healthy fats to include in moderation. Your body needs these omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in order to function [4].
Certain healthy fats have robust science backing up their anti-inflammatory effects on the body.
Olive oil and fatty fish like salmon, herring, mackerel, and sardines are some of the best sources of food for helping to rid the body of excessive inflammation and relieve oxidative stress [5].
Myth #3: Coffee is the culprit
At first glance, coffee might appear to be an enemy of the gut, but research is starting to point in the opposite direction.
In 2015, a study showed that consistent levels of coffee consumption were related to lower levels of certain chronic diseases, paving the path toward better long-term health [6].
Myth #4: Dairy is a danger zone
Bodies don’t all operate the same.
Our gut microbiome is what determines how we react to certain foods, including dairy. If your body can tolerate it, there are important vitamins and minerals and high quality protein that dairy can offer.
The best way to know whether or not dairy works with or against your gut is to talk to your doctor. An elimination diet is often the first step in finding out how your body feels about cheese and milk products.
Myth #5: Citrus causes flare-ups
Similar to coffee, citrus suffers from an acid-related misunderstanding. Fruits like oranges, grapefruit, lemon, and limes, are all rich in vitamin C, an ally in cell tissue repair.
These fruits also offer valuable inflammation-fighting antioxidants, with notable benefits when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis [7].
Myth #6: Anti-inflammatory foods are the same for everyone
Our microbiomes have an effect on what our gut considers to be inflammatory, and this differs from person to person. Genetics, height, weight, sleep, medical history, smoking, allergies, blood molecules, and diet create our individual gut ecosystem, which in turn, affects how we respond to stimulants [8].
We know certain things like excessive alcohol and smoking aren’t gut-friendly [9]. When it comes to food, paying attention to how your body reacts is the best way to determine what causes inflammation.
The Hard Facts About Anti-Inflammatory Foods
The bottom line when it comes to adopting an anti-inflammatory diet is to know your individual triggers and use that knowledge to focus on the long-term.
Consider every item that goes into your shopping cart as a lifestyle choice.
Science tells us that diets rich in legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, plants, low-fat fermented dairy, and fish promote gut microbiome health. By choosing to shop and eat consciously, you’re helping your body achieve better long-term health outcomes.
Anti-inflammatory food myths: debunked ✔️
FAQs
Acute inflammation is a temporary response to injury or infection, while chronic inflammation is long-term and often ongoing, leading to various health issues.
No, nightshade vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers offer health benefits and are not inherently inflammatory. There are MANY factors and every body is different.
Healthy fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in olive oil, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds are beneficial. Avoid trans fats and limit saturated fats.
Individual differences in genetics, gut microbiome, lifestyle, and medical history influence how the body responds to different foods.
An anti-inflammatory diet emphasizes whole foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish, and healthy fats, while minimizing processed foods and sugar. Vitamins from Manna like Curcumin, Joint Relief and Collagen can help alleviate those symptoms. Check out the anti-inflammatory bundle!
- GBD 2017 Causes of Death Collaborators. Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet 392, 1736–1788 (2018).
- Vazhappilly CG, Ansari SA, Al-Jaleeli R, Al-Azawi AM, Ramadan WS, Menon V, Hodeify R, Siddiqui SS, Merheb M, Matar R, Radhakrishnan R. Role of flavonoids in thrombotic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory diseases. Inflammopharmacology. 2019 Oct;27(5):863-9.
- Samhealth.org. 2022. Dietitian Sheds Light on Nightshade Vegetables. [online] Available at: <https://www.samhealth.org/about-samaritan/news-search/2021/01/11/are-nightshade-vegetables-bad-for-you-to-eat#:~:text=Inflammation%20is%20linked%20to%20chronic,in%20inflammation%20after%20eating%20nightshades.> [Accessed 8 April 2022].
- Djuricic, I.; Calder, P.C. Beneficial Outcomes of Omega-6 and Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Human Health: An Update for 2021. Nutrients 2021, 13, 2421. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13072421
- Healthline. 2022. 11 Proven Benefits of Olive Oil. [online] Available at: <https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-olive-oil> [Accessed 8 April 2022].
- Loftfield E, Shiels MS, Graubard BI, et al. Associations of Coffee Drinking with Systemic Immune and Inflammatory Markers. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2015;24(7):1052-1060.
- Healthline. 2022. 11 Proven Benefits of Olive Oil. [online] Available at: <https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-olive-oil> [Accessed 8 April 2022].
- Yong, E., 2022. Why Are Your Gut Microbes Different From Mine?. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: <https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/04/why-are-your-gut-microbes-different-from-mine/480207/> [Accessed 8 April 2022].
- Bolte LA, Vich Vila A, Imhann F, et alLong-term dietary patterns are associated with pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory features of the gut microbiome. Gut 2021;70:1287-1298.
