Three Powerful Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Want to eat an anti-inflammatory diet, but don’t know where to begin?

If you’ve been checking in with me for a while, you know that certain foods have the power to reduce inflammation in the body. Here are just a few that you can easily add to your routine today!

Walnuts- with healthy omega 3 fats, in particular a fatty acid known as ALA, walnuts have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body. They are also a “low-glycemic” food which prevents blood sugar spikes and, therefore, help prevent inflammation.

Delicious ways to include walnuts:

a handful in your oatmeal, in a yogurt parfait with dark chocolate chips and berries, or tossed into a salad.

Acai-these Amazonian berries contain flavonoids prevent the formation of inflammatory compounds and boost immunity,

Delicious ways to include acai:

Buy frozen smoothie packs at your natural market (Trader Joe’s has them) and add to a smoothie as a change from the usual banana or strawberries.

Use the smoothie pack to make an acai bowl for breakfast or snack. Just blend one packet with about half a cup of coconut milk and nut butter if you like, and top with low-sugar granola, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate chips or cacao nibs and shredded coconut.

Ginger- the active compound in ginger, called gingerol, can help to inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory proteins that typically cause more frequent inflammation in the body.

Delicious ways to include ginger:

Ginger tea is delicious and helps reduce nausea too. Buy ginger tea bags or make your own with a chunk of fresh ginger or ground ginger. I like to use a drop of food-grade ginger essential oil in hot water

Grated ginger is great in soups, stews and stir-fries

Ginger chews are great for a little spicy treat

Ginger smoothie- blend a cup of water or unsweetened almond milk with 1 cup of pineapple, half a banana, 1 cup organic spinach, 2 teaspoons of grated ginger and a scoop of vanilla protein powder for a yummy snack or breakfast. Use a mix of full-fat canned coconut milk and water if you want to add some calories. This is a great option if you’re having digestive discomfort.

Try to include these foods in your routine this week and let me know how it goes!