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 thick plain Greek yogurt with fresh raspberries beside it on a wooden board

Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is anti-inflammatory, and the reason is fermentation rather than any single compound.

Fresh sweetcorn cobs with their green husks partly peeled back

Corn

Corn is mildly inflammatory, and what makes it so is the form most people eat it in.

Fresh ginger root, whole and sliced, on a wooden board

Ginger

Ginger is anti-inflammatory, and it is one of the few kitchen spices where the reputation and the biology point the same way.

A glass of milk beside a glass jug of fresh milk on a dark reflective surface

Milk

Milk is not inflammatory for most people, and the feeding trials are surprisingly consistent about it.

Wedge of aged hard cheese on a wooden board with radish and chives

Cheese

Cheese is not inflammatory for most people, and that catches almost everyone off guard.

Two open glass jars of golden honey with a wooden honey dipper resting on top

Honey

Honey is only partly anti-inflammatory, because it is two things at once.

Cup of brewed green tea beside loose sencha leaves and a lidded clay teapot

Green Tea

Green tea is anti-inflammatory, and the reason is a family of plant compounds called catechins.

A white cup of black coffee on a saucer resting on a bed of roasted coffee beans

Coffee

Coffee is not inflammatory for most people. A cup carries chlorogenic acid, a plant antioxidant that survives the roast, and coffee is the biggest source of these compounds in most Western diets.

Raw beef steak on a slate board

Red Meat

Red meat is inflammatory, though not quite for the reason most people assume.

Raw salmon fillet

Salmon

Salmon is widely considered one of the most anti-inflammatory foods you can eat, and the reason is its omega-3 fats.