14 Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods

• Recipes: Favorite yogurt recipes

The power of sour: Eating cultured foods like yogurt, which contain “good bacteria” called probiotics, can help promote healthy bacteria in the gut and decrease inflammation in the body.

• Recipes: Delicious dishes featuring turmeric

Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines have used turmeric for thousands of years to help with a variety of health concerns, including infections, inflammation, and digestive issues. Western medicine is still studying the efficacy of of curcumin, the active component of turmeric, but while we’re waiting for more research, why not enjoy a pot of dal or curry?

• Recipes: Healthy chocolate desserts and more

It feels like cheating. Eating chocolate for health? But chocolate and cocoa contain plant compounds called polyphenols with anti-oxidant properties, as well as additional compounds that may have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Studies are still underway, but in the meantime, here’s to some delicious investigation. Lots of investigation.

• Recipes: Tastiest ways to cook with onions

You’ve heard about probiotics, the “good bacteria” found in cultured foods like yogurt that can contribute to a healthy gut. Onions are high in prebiotics—nonabsorbable substances that can be fermented by bacteria in our guts and also help reduce inflammation. It’s great news for anyone who likes to cook.

• Coffee Recipes: Coffee Cuisine
• Tea Recipes: Cooking with Tea

For anyone who loves the flavor (and hey, the caffeine boost) of tea and coffee, here’s another reason to drink up—and incorporate them into your cooking. Coffee and green and black tea all contain polyphenols (plant compounds with anti-oxidant properties) and other anti-inflammatory compounds that may protect against inflammation.

Recipes for:

• Wild salmon
• Rainbow trout
• Sablefish

The same rich fat that makes salmon, sablefish (a.k.a. black cod), trout, and sardines so flavorful makes them a top source of Omega-3 fatty acids, an important inflammation fighter. Nutritionists recommend we eat these rich guys two or three times a week to get the most benefit. Luckily, they’re as good to eat as they are good for us.

• Recipes: Cooking with olive oil

One of the hallmarks of the Mediterranean Diet—among the world’s healthiest and most delicious ways to eat—is a generous hand with olive oil. Along with eating lots of fresh produce, legumes, fish, and grains, and not so much meat and dairy—other hallmarks of the diet—consuming olive oil helps decrease levels of inflammation. The oil inhibits enzymes that are involved with inflammation, and may even reduce pain. Extra-virgin olive oil is particularly helpful because it’s high in antioxidants that also help fight inflammation.

• Recipes: Outstanding ways to cook beans

Versatile beans and lentils are a good cook’s friend, lending their mellow flavor and rib-sticking texture to soups and stews, salads, spreads, and curries. As it turns out, the high fiber content that makes beans and lentils so satisfying has a health benefit as well; it can help lower levels of inflammation indicators found in the blood.

• Recipes: Our best dishes with nuts

Nibbled by the handful, sprinkled over salads and cereal, and baked into desserts, nuts and seeds provide toasty flavor, crunch, and loads of nourishment. They’re high in protein and are also rich sources of monounsaturated fats, which may have inflammatory benefits. More good news: Almonds and sunflower seeds are especially high in vitamin E, and walnuts, chia, and flax seeds are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which can also help control inflammation.

• Recipes: Healthy dishes with whole grains

Earthy-tasting whole grains are one of humankind’s oldest foods, full of chewy goodness. B vitamins, minerals, and polyunsaturated fat? Check. And then there’s fiber. In recent years, scientists have found that fiber-rich foods like whole grains may decrease levels of inflammatory markers in the blood. To get the full benefits, look for grains that include the bran and germ, like brown and wild rices, oatmeal, farro, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, and whole-wheat flour.

Ah, berries. We love their tangy-sweet flavor and juicy texture. Berries give us much to love when it comes to anti-inflammatory properties, too. They’re full of vitamin C, fiber, and phytochemicals (health-enhancing plant compounds), all of which play a role in fighting inflammation. One such phytochemical is called anthocyanin; it’s the pigment that’s responsible for berries’ beautiful red, blue, and purple colors.

• Recipes: Fresh berry recipes

• Recipes: Favorite recipes with winter squash

When it comes to anti-inflammatory benefits for fruits and vegetables, the rule of thumb is the darker the color, the better. So that makes vibrant winter squashes such as kabocha and butternut power players. Squash is also high in fiber, and some studies have shown a link between fiber-rich diets and lower levels of inflammation markers in the blood. Ready to cook? The dense texture and sweet flavor of winter squash make it a much-loved ingredient for soups, roasted sides, and baking.

• Recipes: Delicious ways with fresh greens

Mom was right when she said to eat your veggies, especially deep green leafy ones like kale, spinach, chard, and mustard. They’re rich in antioxidant compounds that are anti-inflammatory; plus, the greens are great sources of vitamins and minerals. Try leafy greens sautéed with whole grains, simmered in a soup, layered in lasagna, and of course, tossed in a big salad.