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.

White bowl of dry pearl barley grains on a wooden table

Barley

Barley is anti-inflammatory largely because of beta-glucan, a soluble fibre it carries more of than almost any other grain.

A white bowl of pale tahini with a spoon lifting a ribbon of the paste, sesame seeds scattered beside it

Tahini

Tahini is anti-inflammatory largely because of sesamin, the main lignan in sesame seeds.

Raw buckwheat groats filling a small metal pail on a white surface

Buckwheat

Buckwheat is anti-inflammatory because of rutin, a plant flavonoid it carries far more of than any cereal.

Raw skinless chicken breast fillets on a white plate with fresh basil leaves

Chicken Breast

Chicken breast is neutral rather than anti-inflammatory, because it is protein and very little else.

Ripe black and unripe red blackberries growing on a bramble

Blackberries

Blackberries are anti-inflammatory, and nearly all of that comes down to cyanidin, which accounts for almost every anthocyanin in the fruit.

Ripe pomegranates cut open showing clusters of red arils

Pomegranate

Pomegranate is anti-inflammatory thanks to punicalagins, a group of tannins packed into the rind and the pale membranes that hold the seeds.

Half a lemon on a glass juicer with whole lemons behind it

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is anti-inflammatory, and the compound that explains it is eriocitrin, the main flavonoid in lemons.

Fresh rosemary sprigs with narrow green needle-shaped leaves

Rosemary

Rosemary is anti-inflammatory, and the compound doing most of that work is carnosic acid.

Bowl of pale yellow nutritional yeast flakes with a wooden spoon on a wooden table

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is anti-inflammatory, and the reason is beta-glucan, the fibre that yeast cell walls are built from.

Ground red paprika spilling from a wooden scoop onto a white surface

Paprika

Paprika is anti-inflammatory because of its carotenoids, the pigments that make it red, and capsanthin is the most abundant of them.