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.

Coconut milk pouring out of a fresh cracked coconut half on a dark wooden background

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is mildly anti-inflammatory, and the reason is what it does not contain.

Bowl of hummus drizzled with olive oil and dusted with sumac

Hummus

Hummus is anti-inflammatory, and it is one of the few foods sold in a tub that earns that.

Glass cruet of apple cider vinegar surrounded by fresh apples on a wooden board

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is anti-inflammatory, and it earns that in an odd way: it brings you almost no vitamins and no minerals worth counting.

A whole watermelon with a fresh red wedge cut from it

Watermelon

Watermelon is anti-inflammatory, and the giveaway is the colour. That red is lycopene, the same pigment that makes a tomato red.

A green cabbage cut in half, showing the pale leaves packed tight in layers inside the head

Cabbage

Cabbage is anti-inflammatory, and it comes from the same family as broccoli and kale.

Small bowl of amber sesame oil next to bowls of sesame seeds and salt

Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is not very inflammatory, and it is the exception in a family with a bad name.

Whole raw cashew nuts spilling from a glass jar onto a dark surface

Cashews

Cashews are anti-inflammatory, and they are also the strangest nut in the bowl.

Bunches of green, red and black table grapes side by side

Grapes

Grapes are anti-inflammatory, and the colour of the bunch decides how much.

A glass of red wine next to an open bottle on a table outdoors

Red Wine

Red wine is mildly anti-inflammatory in small amounts, and inflammatory in anything more than that.

Matcha powder in a wooden bowl with a bamboo whisk and three cups of whisked matcha

Matcha

Matcha is anti-inflammatory, and what sets it apart is not a special compound.