Written by Courtney Human RD(SA)

This month we are diving into the colourful world of anti-inflammatory eating! In this modern-day tornado of stress, anxiety, and chronic disease our mental and physical selves are going through the most daily. Imagine your body as a bustling city where inflammation can be like the pesky traffic jams that slow everything down. Fortunately, with the right foods, you can keep traffic flowing smoothly and ensure that your city (AKA your body) is “thirty, flirty and thriving” (if you haven’t watched the movie, “13 going on 30,” that probably went over your head). Point is the city is functioning optimally AKA your body can do what it needs to do, well.

I can confidently say chronic inflammation is the root of many health issues—think of it as a low-grade fire that needs to be doused. Research suggests that an anti-inflammatory diet not only dampens this fire but also improves overall health, reduces pain, and can ward off conditions like heart disease, arthritis, and even depression. Ample research examples, like the landmark Nurses’ Health Study, highlight that diets rich in anti-inflammatory elements are linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases. Another study found that such diets are associated with lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers. The message is clear: what you eat can significantly impact inflammation in your body.

Not to practice favouritism but there are particular anti-inflammatory food heroes. Let’s meet some of these key players in keeping your internal city bustling:

1. Omega-3 Rich Foods: These are like the city planners who design smooth and flowing traffic patterns. These foods include fatty fish (salmon, trout, haddock, tuna, mackerel, pilchards, herring) as well as plant-based sources such as walnuts, flaxseeds, linseeds, edamame beans, and enriched cereals. Nutritional experts, like myself, recommend eating 300g of fatty fish weekly to meet your requirements or 150g of fatty fish with a 1000mg omega-3 supplement daily. In saying that, fatty fish can break the budget. But, that’s where we need to humble ourselves to the good old Lucky Star tinned tuna and pilchards or look at incorporating those plant-based options. We can’t all dive into a salmon salad or snack on some walnuts daily but these are foods worth breaking the budget for! We need 1200mg daily to elicit an anti-inflammatory effect and unfortunately one rather huge fish oil capsule is only 1000mg, thus we actually need 2 capsules daily without relying on dietary sources which is not the way the supplement is typically prescribed.
2. Natural Probiotics: Think of these as the waste management crew of your body, helping to clean up. Did you know 80% of your immune system lies within the gut and good gut bacteria ensures your body has the chance to override bad bacteria’s. Bacterial balance can be enhanced by eating more fermented foods like yogurt daily or the more exotic examples of kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut to boost your gut health with live cultures that enhance your digestive system and decrease inflammation. Just a reminder, a probiotic will not survive in the gut without adequate prebiotics found within a high fibre diet.
3. Fruits and Vegetables: As dietitians we are always carrying on about eating fruit and veggies daily. The broken record is not just to add colour and fibre to the plate and make you hate us. These are like the public parks and gardens of your city, providing beauty that is conducive to health and wellbeing! Most fruits and brightly coloured vegetables naturally contain high levels of bioactive phytonutrients such as polyphenols. Polyphenols are protective compounds found in plants which studies have shown to improve the function of cells that line blood vessels, thus reducing cellular damage (AKA inflammation). The goal is 1-2 fruits daily and 400g of vegetables daily, but if you are not even having either/or once a day just starting with one of each is at least planting the seeds for your ‘city gardens to grow.’
4. Specific Antioxidants: These are the city’s fire extinguishers, putting out fires before they spread. A diet rich in plant-based foods already fill your antioxidant jar but one particular star achiever is selenium. This potent antioxidant helps remove free radicals in the body looking for trouble and Brazil nuts are a stellar source of selenium. Personally, I can’t actually think when last I ate a Brazil nut, but studies show just one or two nuts a day keeps the inflammation at bay.

Besides the above-mentioned heroes, getting your vitamin D levels tested is a highly recommended method of fighting inflammation as most of us are deficient and need 2000iu per day or more. Moreover, moderate usage of certain spices such as cinnamon, garlic, turmeric and ginger can also be beneficial. Maybe not so much for the person sitting next to you with the garlic, but stop judging (as I did) the person putting turmeric in their morning coffee, they might be onto something.

Practical tips to starting an anti-inflammatory diet isn’t about a complete overhaul but rather incorporating the right power foods into your daily routine. Here are some fun ways to embrace this colourful diet:

• Smoothie Time: Blend a mix of berries, a handful of spinach, and some flaxseed with your favourite milk and yogurt for a deliciously powerful anti-inflammatory breakfast.
• Nuts for Snacks: Swap out those chips for mixed nuts or seed mixes. They’re not just tasty; they’re also packed with good fats and selenium.
• Fermented Favs: Add some sauerkraut to your sandwiches or include a small serving of kefir with your breakfast.

Eating for anti-inflammation does not have to break the bank. Moreover, consciously including some of these more affordable food heroes daily is bound to prevent load shedding and water restrictions in your city. When we break it down it does somewhat resonate with basic healthy eating principles of increasing fruit and vegetables daily, choosing fish and plant-based proteins over processed or red meats, and choosing whole snacks like nuts/seeds or yogurt instead of nutrient poor foods. With the stress of elections coming up, vote for a better you and use this energy to up the ante- (inflammatory foods)!