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.

Whole walnuts in the shell next to shelled walnut halves with their thin papery brown skin, on a white plate

Walnuts

Walnuts are anti-inflammatory, and among nuts they are the odd one out.

Fresh raw broccoli head with florets in a metal ladle on a wooden bench

Broccoli

Broccoli is anti-inflammatory, and the compound that earns it that is not in the broccoli you buy.

Slices of raw firm tofu on a dark plate, with red, yellow and orange peppers and a head of broccoli behind them

Tofu

Tofu is anti-inflammatory, and it is a far plainer food than its reputation suggests.

Raw whole almonds with their brown skins on a dark slate surface

Almonds

Almonds are anti-inflammatory, and part of the reason is that you never get all of one.

Broken pieces of dark chocolate in a white bowl

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is anti-inflammatory, and the part doing the work is the part that tastes bad.

Jar of virgin coconut oil next to a whole coconut and a halved coconut

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is not anti-inflammatory, though it is not doing much harm either.

Fresh red apple with the skin on, resting on a mossy log

Apple

Apples are anti-inflammatory largely because of quercetin, the main protective compound in an apple.

Fresh white button mushrooms, whole and sliced, on a wooden board

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are anti-inflammatory, and the first reason is that they are not vegetables.

Cooked whole shrimp served on a dark slate plate with lemon wedges

Shrimp

Shrimp is anti-inflammatory, and it is one of the leanest proteins you can put on a plate.

Raw white quinoa seeds in a small bowl on a wooden table

Quinoa

Quinoa is anti-inflammatory, and the reason starts with what it is: a seed, not a grain.