Inflammatory & Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Some foods calm inflammation. Others fuel it. And most of what you eat every day falls somewhere in between.

We've reviewed the scientific evidence behind each food and assigned it a score from 1 to 10 on the inflammation scale. Here you'll discover why a food may be inflammatory or anti-inflammatory, what to eat instead when it scores poorly, and recipes featuring foods with potential health benefits. Start with the food you eat most often.

Open energy drink can covered in condensation

Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are inflammatory for two reasons packed into the same can, and the bigger one is added sugar.

Whole red onion next to a halved bulb and loose red onion rings

Red Onion

Red onion is anti-inflammatory, and two plant compounds account for that: anthocyanins, the pigments that turn the rings purple, and quercetin, which red bulbs hold more of than white ones.

Three slices of white sandwich bread on a small wooden plate

White Bread

White bread is inflammatory, and the reason is what milling removes from the flour.

A white bowl of thin salted potato chips seen from above on a pale table

Potato Chips

Potato chips are inflammatory, and the reason is what deep frying does to a potato.

Dried red kidney beans filling the frame

Kidney Beans

Kidney beans are anti-inflammatory, and the main reason is their fibre, around 11 grams in a cooked cup.

Two bunches of fresh green sweet basil leaves on a white background

Basil

Basil is anti-inflammatory largely because of rosmarinic acid, an antioxidant it shares with mint and oregano.

A glass of cola with ice cubes

Soda

Soda is inflammatory, and the reason is the sugar dissolved in it. A standard can holds around nine teaspoons, with no fibre, fat or protein to slow it down, so the whole dose reaches your blood within minutes.

Raw cod loins stacked on a wooden board

Cod

Cod is anti-inflammatory, and what makes it so is its omega-3 fat, EPA and DHA, even in the small amount a white fish carries.

A bowl of thick plain Greek yogurt on a wooden board

Plain Greek Yogurt

Plain Greek yogurt is anti-inflammatory, and the reason is the lactic acid bacteria that ferment it.

Fresh cilantro leaves piled in a market crate, still damp

Cilantro

Cilantro is anti-inflammatory largely because of quercetin, one of the flavonoids in its leaves.