Chronic inflammation, often subtle and undetected, has been shown to contribute to a staggering array of health condition, including heart disease, stroke, various cancers, diabetes, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder.
Scientists have made progress in understanding how to prevent inflammation which occurs when the immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks healthy tissues.
Studies suggest that avoiding exposure to tobacco smoke, air pollution, and other environmental irritants can help, as can limiting one’s alcohol use and reducing stress. But some of the biggest scientific breakthroughs have come to understanding the massive role food plays in boosting — or busting — the immune system.
We now know that our dietary choices have an outsized impact on our inflammation levels, because the food we eat influences it via gut microbiome. “The microbiome is essentially an organ in its own right and is tightly integrated with the immune system.”
Trillions of benevolent bacteria in our large intestines work closely alongside our immune cells, helping them to detect the presence of dangerous germs that enter the gut and to switch on and off inflammatory pathways throughout the body as needed to fight infection or clear out damaged tissue. If those microbes don’t get the nourishment they need, then they can’t do their jobs and the immune system starts to function poorly.
Our inflammation levels can be assessed with a simple blood test that detects the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP), but determining which foods are best at fighting inflammation and which may spark it can be a little more complex.
A truly anti-inflammatory diets consist of mostly plants.
Foods with the highest anti-inflammatory scores are leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, tea, non-GMO soy, whole grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts.
These foods contain a wealth of substances that are essential for regulating the immune system, including:
Polyphenols, carotenoids, and other phytochemicals, as well as unsaturated fats like omega- 3s, which are critical for switching off inflammatory activities when it is time.
Eating more plant-based food is also important because our gut bacteria feast on plant fiber and need a lot of it.
It takes a sustained effort to get the fiber your body needs. The recommended 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men are considered bare minimum.
A bowl of oatmeal contains about 4 grams of fiber, as does an apple or a serving of broccoli, and a cup of cooked beans contains about 15 grams.
The greater the variety of plants in your diet, the better. “Different plants sustain different bacteria in your gut.”
Your microbiome is healthiest when it is biologically diverse. Fermented foods like Kimchi, Kombucha, sauerkraut, yogurt, and sourdough bread will introduce new bacteria into your body. Probiotic supplements sold as pills and powders also contain live bacteria but are generally helpful only for those with certain health conditions, such as gastrointestinal disorders.
Vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, and peppers are good for your immune system. Although they contain alkaloids, which are chemicals that have some inflammatory properties, these vegetables are on balance anti-inflammatory, when you consider all the nutrients they possess.
Meat and dairy products should be consumed very sparingly. Saturated fats from animal products, in addition to clogging arteries, tend to damage the gut microbiome and overstimulate immune cells, fueling inflammation. Eating significant amounts of animal protein has similar effects.
To prevent inflammation limit to 2-3 servings of fish or poultry, a couple of eggs, and a few servings of plain yogurt each week.
Obesity also fuels chronic inflammation. As the immune system perceives excess fat as a foreign substance and tries to remove it. This is one reason why obesity is a risk factor for heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and many other ailments that tend to start in inflamed tissue. No matter our size and shape, we all need to play closer attention to our eating habits and avoid many highly processed foods including breakfast cereals, crackers, pretzels, and white bread. These products lack the fiber that your gut bacteria need, and they tend to contain refined sugar and excessive amounts of salt, along with artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, and other additives, all of which can be inflammatory. “Human beings evolved to digest whole foods close to their natural state. When we eat ultra-processed foods, our bodies recoil and set off alarm bells.”
Consult your physician or licensed nutritionist prior making major changes to your diet. Each person’s body is unique, and those with specific medical conditions may have special nutritional needs. However, for most people, a whole-food, plant-based diet is ideal for regulating the immune system as well as for overall health. Mediterranean diet and its Japanese equivalent, the Okinawan diet, are just two examples of centuries- old plant-based eating traditions that have been shown to prevent chronic inflammation along with cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and many other modern health threats.
For so many diseases today, it seems, inflammation is the common denominator. The more we have learned about chronic inflammation, the more apparent the power and health benefits of these anti-inflammatory diets.
To Your Optimal Health,
Dr. Maryam Safai
