The immune system initiates an inflammatory response once foreign objects such as virus, bacteria, pollen or chemicals are detected. In case of such invasion, these responses can protect the body and is an inevitable part of the self-protecting process; however, inflammation has its cons! If inflammation continues without any invasion, it will have negative effects to the body.

Some serious diseases that you’ve heard, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, depression, psoriasis, Alzheimer's disease, etc., are all related to chronic inflammation.

In the article “Eat Less These Food to Avoid Chronic Inflammation”, we talked about the food that should be avoided. This time, let’s take a look at the food that should be consumed to fight inflammation.

Berries

For example, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc., all contain large amounts of anthocyanins, which can reduce inflammation.

Fish

Salmon, tuna, sardine, mackerel and other fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which contain DHA that will make people smart, and EPA that is beneficial to the heart. If you can get more omega-3 fatty acids from food, you can reduce the chance of having heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

Tomato

Tomato contains a lot of vitamin C, potassium ions, and lycopene. Lycopene is known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. Therefore, tomato is a good food with high nutritional value. Tomato cooked with olive oil will help people absorb the most lycopene.

Cauliflower

It is said that cauliflower is an “anti-cancer dish” because it contains sulforaphane. Although sulforaphane is not as well-known as anthocyanin and curcumin, it can reduce DNA damage and reduce the chance of having tumors.

Green tea

Green tea contains high level of catechins, which can reduce cell injury and inflammation, thus reducing the chance of getting diseases.

Overall, consuming the following food may help fight inflammation:

• Green vegetables: Including cauliflower and spinach
• Fruits: Such as apple, blueberry, cherry, blackberry, red grapes, orange, etc
• Nuts: Such as walnut, almond, etc
• Fish: Such as salmon, tuna, sardine, mackerel

In addition, those commonly seen food such as green tea, tomato and olive oil are all high in antioxidants. 

So what's so good about these food? It turns out that when body cells process food or respond to the external environmental and stress, unstable molecules, radicals, are produced. If these radical wastes accumulate in the body, they will damage cells and body functions. This is when we need the body's scavenger, antioxidants, to help clear these radicals and reduce the cumulative damage they cause.

What food can bring upon the body's scavenger? The antioxidants that we are all familiar with include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, as well as polyphenols such as catechins, anthocyanins, curcumin, resveratrol, etc. Natural antioxidants are mostly found in fruits and vegetables. In the previous paragraphs, we’ve also mentioned that green tea conatins catechins, tomatoes contains lycopene, and berries contains anthocyanins ... Therefore, different types of fruits and vegetables contain different Antioxidants, and the function of each antioxidant is not the same, so to achieve anti-inflammation by eating the right food, we need to eat a variety of vegetables and fruits.

By now you may be wondering: "Such advice is very similar to the" Mediterranean diet "!" That's right. The secret of the Mediterranean diet includes healthy olive oil, unrefined whole grains and nuts, a lot of vegetables and fruits, the use of fish, eggs, and chicken as protein sources, and eating less red meat, which basically is the sum of “the anti-inflammatory food that should be consumed” and “the food that should be avoided” that we’ve mentioned.

If you’ve read the article "15 dietary traps most related to death", you will find that the secret to reducing the burden on the body and reducing the body's inflammatory response is not only in the pill box, but in the refrigerator. The choices you make when buying groceries and the dishes you order in the restaurant are all deciding factors as well.

To have a healthy diet, you should follow the following principles:

• Eat a large variety of vegetables and fruits
• Reduce sugary drinks
• Drink more water
• Get enough sleep
• Exercise regularly
• Write down a shopping list before heading to the grocery store
• Eat less fast food and processed red meat

Also, if you’re already diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, asthma, lupus erythematosus or other diseases, you should try the anti-inflammatory diet! Follow the Mediterranean diet or the dietary principles mentioned above, and remember “a little more natural”, “a little less processing”, “a little less sugar and refined food” are the secrets to having a healthy diet!

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