Can diet help to reduce inflammation?
Diet can help to regulate inflammation along with other lifestyle behaviours like physical activity, getting enough sleep, and mindfulness. However, just looking into a few different foods to avoid or include may not stop your joints from aching overnight.
But over time, you can reduce the impact of inflammation by making some sustainable lifestyle improvements that will benefit you in the long run.
What is inflammation?
Inflammation is necessary when you injure yourself or need to fight infection, and it should clear up as you heal.
However, chronic inflammation sticks around long term and can slowly contribute to the development of health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and even depression.
What foods can reduce inflammation?
Unfortunately, there isn’t one magic anti-inflammatory food.
Instead research consistently shows that diets based on whole, minimally processed foods are associated with lower levels of inflammation than diets higher in processed foods. And it’s not only what’s IN the processed foods that contributes to inflammation, but what’s not in the foods.
For example, a variety of different plant fibre is needed to feed the beneficial gut bacteria, which play a role in producing compounds that support a healthy immune system.
Plus, fibre slows down digestion and supports a slower (more preferable) increase in blood sugar. Whereas, processed foods are often made with refined flour and added sugar. This leads to a rapid rise in blood sugar. Diets high in refined carbohydrates and added sugars are associated with higher levels of chronic inflammation over time.
What’s also often missing from processed foods is the specific plant nutrients often referred to as antioxidants. These aren’t only found in blueberries and kale though, they are in every different coloured plant source you eat. The more of these the better!
Additionally, omega-3 is well recognised for playing a role in regulating inflammation. For the meat eaters out there, I would highly recommend getting this from fatty fish such as salmon and sardines. Omega-3 also comes in plant form in nuts and seeds mostly, and this can contribute to your intake - especially if you’re vegetarian. I do also recommend considering supplementation as there is good evidence that omega-3 supplements can help reduce inflammation in some situations.
Should I avoid nightshade vegetables?
Probably not.
Research does not support the claim that nightshade vegetables increase inflammation across the board. Avoiding these vegetables could even negatively impact your health if it meant that you were avoiding the nutrients that these foods hold, and not getting them elsewhere.
That being said, if YOU notice that you feel a bit off after having potatoes, tomatoes, capsicum, or eggplant it is worth tracking your intake and confirming if one of these are an issue for YOU. Just because your friend's mum has an issue with tomatoes, doesn’t mean you do.
Is dairy inflammatory?
Similarly to nightshades, this is something that is person specific.
One thing I would encourage you to question when you see claims that dairy is pro-inflammatory - where is this information is coming from? Because many of the claims come from overseas for starters, and don't always reflect the foods we eat here in New Zealand.
Also, the recent research into dairy has found that dairy doesn’t increase inflammation for most people, and some dairy foods may even reduce inflammatory markers (fermented and low-fat varieties).
That being said, some people ARE intolerant to lactose or allergic to proteins in dairy and I wouldn’t question that if they have investigated their own case.
However, I am aware there are others out there who avoid dairy because of what they’ve heard online. These people could actually be healthier to include dairy in their diet, ensuring they are getting the beneficial nutrients such as calcium, protein and vitamin D that dairy holds.
When choosing dairy products I would recommend going for the low-fat options, as this is associated with lower inflammatory markers, in comparison to full fat dairy.
So, do you need to follow a strict anti-inflammatory diet?
The short answer is no. Following a strict diet can be stressful in itself, can also be difficult to maintain, and for some people may add unnecessary stress.
What you should consider is following a diet that you enjoy, and adds value rather than focussing on what you can’t have.
Asking yourself:
“how many different colours of produce have I eaten today” , or
“how many different plants am I eating this week”
can take the focus away from the less healthy options, and naturally steer you in the direction of eating more whole foods, more fibre, and more antioxidants. With this comes a healthier gut, less stress, and more nutrients.
If you're unsure where to start, or you've been overwhelmed by conflicting nutrition advice online, book a free 15-minute chat to run through some of your concerns. Together we can work through your current eating habits and develop a realistic plan that fits your lifestyle, health goals and food preferences.
For more information check out these links
Food and Inflammation - https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/wellbeing/healthy-eating/nutrition-facts/food-and-inflammation
9 signs you have inflammation in your body, The University of Queensland - https://stories.uq.edu.au/research/2023/9-signs-you-have-inflammation-in-your-body/index.html
Inflammation: what is it, and how does it affect the heart?, British Heart Foundation - https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/research/what-is-inflammation
Eating a Rainbow of fruit and vegetables, Heart Research Institute - https://www.hri.org.nz/health/nutrition/were-told-to-eat-a-rainbow-of-fruit-and-vegetables-heres-what-each-colour-does-in-our-body
