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.

A small bowl of dried red lentils with more lentils spread around it

Lentils

Lentils are anti-inflammatory, mainly because of a starch that the body digests slowly.

Yellow, white and red onions piled together, whole and unpeeled

Onion

Onion is anti-inflammatory, and the compound behind that is quercetin, a plant pigment that onions contain in larger amounts than most foods.

Fresh whole strawberries with green stems on a white surface

Strawberries

Strawberries are anti-inflammatory, and they are the rare sweet thing you do not have to ration.

Raw sweet potato sliced on a wooden board, showing the orange flesh

Sweet Potato

Sweet potato is anti-inflammatory, and the place to start is that it is not a potato.

Three raw tuna steaks on a stone surface

Tuna

Tuna is anti-inflammatory, and the reason is its omega-3 fats. It belongs to the oily fish, the group that does more against inflammation than anything else in the meat and fish aisle.

Dry pasta in several shapes, macaroni, lasagne, farfalle and orzo, laid out beside fresh basil on a checked cloth

Pasta

Pasta is mildly inflammatory, and the surprise is how mildly. It is refined wheat, the same raw material as white bread, but it does not behave like it.

Pistachios in the shell split open, showing the green kernel and thin purple skin

Pistachios

Pistachios are anti-inflammatory, and the first clue is the colour. Nothing else in the nut bowl is green and purple, and those colours are pigments doing a job.

Raw black beans with dark purple skins in a woven basket

Black Beans

Black beans are anti-inflammatory, and the colour is a good part of the reason.

Fresh red and yellow bell peppers piled together at a market stall

Bell Peppers

Bell peppers are not inflammatory, and the reason to eat them is vitamin C.

Three raw pork loin chops on a wooden board

Pork

Pork is inflammatory, and most of that comes from how it reaches the plate rather than from the animal itself.