Add these six anti-inflammatory foods to your weekly grocery list | Canada Voices

You might not think about inflammation when you build your weekly grocery list. But you should.

Prolonged low-grade inflammation silently damages cells and tissues as we age. Over time, it fuels a host of illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, macular degeneration and dementia. It can also take a toll on muscles and joints, contributing to sarcopenia (progressive muscle loss) and osteoarthritis.

The good news: Your diet is a powerful tool that can dampen chronic inflammation.

Here’s what to know about an anti-inflammatory diet, plus six anti-inflammatory foods I buy every week.

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What exactly is an anti-inflammatory diet?

An anti-inflammatory diet isn’t about focusing on so-called “superfoods” (there is no such thing), but rather your overall eating pattern. It emphasizes a variety of whole, largely plant-based foods that provide vitamins, minerals, fibre, healthy fats, antioxidants and phytochemicals – compounds that work together to help prevent or reduce inflammation.

At the same time, it limits refined grains, added sugars, red and processed meats and unhealthy fats – dietary components tied to higher levels of inflammation.

There are many ways to follow an anti-inflammatory diet. The Mediterranean, MIND and DASH diets, as well as whole food vegetarian diets, are good examples.

How to build an anti-inflammatory grocery cart

While no single food can make or break an anti-inflammatory diet, these staples are on my weekly grocery list.

Berries

These small fruits are rich in anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that help neutralize harmful free radicals, reducing cell damage that can trigger inflammation. They also help “turn down” the body’s internal inflammatory signalling and support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, which play a central role in regulating inflammation.

What’s more, the fibre in berries provides fuel for gut microbes. (Raspberries and blackberries each have eight grams of fibre a cup.)

This time of year, I buy frozen berries; they’re convenient, economical and delicious. I add them to yogurt, overnight oats, smoothies, muffin batter and green salads.

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Leafy greens

Spinach, kale, Swiss chard, collards and arugula are excellent sources of beta carotene and lutein, carotenoids that act as antioxidants, protecting cells from free radical damage. They also provide polyphenols and flavonoids that help regulate inflammation.

As well, leafy greens – especially spinach, kale and arugula – are rich in dietary nitrates, which are plant compounds that support blood vessel function and may reduce vascular inflammation.

My go-to leafy greens are spinach and kale. I like to blend them into smoothies, add them to soups and pasta sauces or sauté them in olive oil with garlic and chili flakes. On the weekend, I’ll top homemade pizza with baby arugula and use the rest for salads during the week.

Kefir

This fermented dairy product contains a mix of live microbes (bacteria and yeasts) that support a healthy gut microbiome and help strengthen the gut barrier, which limits the passage of inflammatory compounds into the bloodstream.

Some evidence suggests that kefir can also help reduce inflammatory markers already in the bloodstream.

I buy unsweetened kefir, which I use to make overnight oats. I also add kefir to smoothies and pour it over berries for a quick dessert or snack.

Salmon

This oily fish, which I eat fresh or canned at least twice a week, is an exceptional source of DHA and EPA, omega-3 fatty acids with potent anti-inflammatory properties. Both reduce the production of inflammatory compounds and generate molecules that actively help dampen inflammation.

Salmon is also one of the few foods naturally high in vitamin D, which helps regulate the immune system and keeps inflammatory responses in check. Three ounces of cooked Atlantic salmon, for instance, has 447 IU (international units) of vitamin D; three ounces of canned sockeye salmon has 715 IU.

Chickpeas, lentils, beans

Pulses – such as chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and lentils – are among the most important fibre-rich foods in an anti-inflammatory diet.

The pantry staples are rich in resistant starch, a prebiotic fibre that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. During bacterial fermentation of resistant starch, short chain fatty acids are produced; these compounds strengthen the gut barrier and regulate inflammation.

Pulses also have a low glycemic index, helping to prevent blood glucose spikes and reduce metabolic stress, another driver of inflammation. What’s more, they provide polyphenols and magnesium, which are also tied to less inflammation.

I add chickpeas, lentils and black beans to green salads, soups and grain bowls. I also use chickpeas to make hummus and I roast or sauté them with olive oil and Mediterranean spices for a snack or dinnertime side.

Fresh herbs

Herbs and spices – fresh or dried – are concentrated sources of polyphenols, which act as antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress.

These phytochemicals can also help “turn down” the body’s inflammatory response and support the gut microbiome.

My weekly grocery always includes fresh herbs, often parsley and mint. I toss them into green salads and sprinkle them finely chopped over cooked vegetables.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan.