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.

Bowl of almond milk surrounded by whole almonds, flaked almonds and almond meal

Almond Milk

Almond milk is anti-inflammatory, mostly by omission. There is no lactose in it, no milk protein and, if the carton says unsweetened, barely any sugar.

Raw black and white chia seeds heaped on a white ceramic spoon

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are anti-inflammatory, though not quite for the reason printed on the bag.

Uncooked brown rice grains spilling from a white cup onto a marble surface

Brown Rice

Brown rice is mildly anti-inflammatory, and the reason is a layer most rice never reaches the table with.

A whole dark green avocado next to a halved avocado showing its pale green flesh and stone

Avocado

Avocado is anti-inflammatory, and it gets there by being a fruit that behaves like a fat.

Plain rolled oats spilling from a glass jar onto a wooden board

Oats

Oats are anti-inflammatory, and they carry something no other food does.

Close-up of fresh ripe blueberries with their natural silvery bloom

Blueberries

Blueberries are anti-inflammatory, and the active compounds are anthocyanins, the pigments that make a blueberry blue.

Peanuts in their shells beside raw peanut kernels, some with their red skins still on

Peanuts

Peanuts are mildly inflammatory, and the reason is that a peanut is not a nut.

A bunch of ripe yellow bananas with brown freckles on the skin, resting on grass

Banana

Bananas are anti-inflammatory, and how much depends on when you eat one.

Fresh brown chicken eggs in a cardboard egg carton

Eggs

Eggs are anti-inflammatory, and almost all of the reason sits in the yolk.

Close-up of ripe red tomatoes with water droplets on their skin

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are not inflammatory for most people. Their red colour comes from lycopene, a pigment that acts as an antioxidant once it reaches your blood.