{"id":693517,"date":"2026-05-25T22:28:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T22:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/693517\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T22:28:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T22:28:13","slug":"add-these-six-anti-inflammatory-foods-to-your-weekly-grocery-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/693517\/","title":{"rendered":"Add these six anti-inflammatory foods to your weekly grocery list"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

An anti-inflammatory diet isn\u2019t about focusing on so-called ‘superfoods’, but rather your overall eating pattern.Svetlana Lukienko\/iStockPhoto \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

You might not think about inflammation when you build your weekly grocery list. But you should.<\/p>\n

Prolonged low-grade inflammation silently damages cells and tissues as we age. Over time, it fuels a host of illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, macular degeneration and dementia. It can also take a toll on muscles and joints, contributing to sarcopenia (progressive muscle loss) and osteoarthritis. <\/p>\n

The good news: Your diet<\/a> is a powerful tool that can dampen chronic inflammation. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about an anti-inflammatory diet, plus six anti-inflammatory foods I buy every week. <\/p>\n

Even a small increase in ultraprocessed foods can harm cognitive function, study suggests<\/a><\/p>\n

What exactly is an anti-inflammatory diet?<\/p>\n

An anti-inflammatory diet isn\u2019t about focusing on so-called \u201csuperfoods\u201d (there is no such thing), but rather your overall eating pattern. It emphasizes a variety of whole, largely plant-based foods that provide vitamins, minerals, fibre, healthy fats, antioxidants and phytochemicals \u2013 compounds that work together to help prevent or reduce inflammation. <\/p>\n

At the same time, it limits refined grains, added sugars, red and processed meats and unhealthy fats \u2013 dietary components tied to higher levels of inflammation.<\/p>\n

There are many ways to follow an anti-inflammatory diet. The Mediterranean<\/a>, MIND<\/a> and DASH<\/a> diets, as well as whole food vegetarian diets, are good examples.<\/p>\n

How to build an anti-inflammatory grocery cart<\/p>\n

While no single food can make or break an anti-inflammatory diet, these staples are on my weekly grocery list.<\/p>\n

Berries<\/p>\n

These small fruits are rich in anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that help neutralize harmful free radicals, reducing cell damage that can trigger inflammation. They also help \u201cturn down\u201d the body\u2019s internal inflammatory signalling and support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, which play a central role in regulating inflammation. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, the fibre in berries provides fuel for gut microbes. (Raspberries and blackberries each have eight grams of fibre a cup.)<\/p>\n

This time of year, I buy frozen berries; they\u2019re convenient, economical and delicious. I add them to yogurt, overnight oats, smoothies, muffin batter and green salads. <\/p>\n

Five ways to boost the nutritional value from your vegetables<\/a><\/p>\n

Leafy greens<\/p>\n

Spinach, kale, Swiss chard, collards and arugula are excellent sources of beta carotene and lutein, carotenoids that act as antioxidants, protecting cells from free radical damage. They also provide polyphenols and flavonoids that help regulate inflammation. <\/p>\n

As well, leafy greens \u2013 especially spinach, kale and arugula \u2013 are rich in dietary nitrates, which are plant compounds that support blood vessel function and may reduce vascular inflammation. <\/p>\n

My go-to leafy greens are spinach and kale. I like to blend them into smoothies, add them to soups and pasta sauces or saut\u00e9 them in olive oil with garlic and chili flakes. On the weekend, I\u2019ll top homemade pizza with baby arugula and use the rest for salads during the week. <\/p>\n

Kefir<\/p>\n

This fermented dairy product contains a mix of live microbes (bacteria and yeasts) that support a healthy gut microbiome and help strengthen the gut barrier, which limits the passage of inflammatory compounds into the bloodstream. <\/p>\n

Some evidence suggests that kefir can also help reduce inflammatory markers already in the bloodstream. <\/p>\n

I buy unsweetened kefir, which I use to make overnight oats. I also add kefir to smoothies and pour it over berries for a quick dessert or snack. <\/p>\n

Salmon<\/p>\n

This oily fish, which I eat fresh or canned at least twice a week, is an exceptional source of DHA and EPA, omega-3 fatty acids with potent anti-inflammatory properties. Both reduce the production of inflammatory compounds and generate molecules that actively help dampen inflammation.<\/p>\n

Salmon is also one of the few foods naturally high in vitamin D, which helps regulate the immune system and keeps inflammatory responses in check. Three ounces of cooked Atlantic salmon, for instance, has 447 IU (international units) of vitamin D; three ounces of canned sockeye salmon has 715 IU.<\/p>\n

Chickpeas, lentils, beans <\/p>\n

Pulses \u2013 such as chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and lentils \u2013 are among the most important fibre-rich foods in an anti-inflammatory diet.<\/p>\n

The pantry staples are rich in resistant starch, a prebiotic fibre that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. During bacterial fermentation of resistant starch, short chain fatty acids are produced; these compounds strengthen the gut barrier and regulate inflammation.<\/p>\n

Pulses also have a low glycemic index, helping to prevent blood glucose spikes and reduce metabolic stress, another driver of inflammation. What\u2019s more, they provide polyphenols<\/a> and magnesium, which are also tied to less inflammation. <\/p>\n

I add chickpeas, lentils and black beans to green salads, soups and grain bowls. I also use chickpeas to make hummus and I roast or saut\u00e9 them with olive oil and Mediterranean spices for a snack or dinnertime side. <\/p>\n

Fresh herbs<\/p>\n

Herbs and spices \u2013 fresh or dried \u2013 are concentrated sources of polyphenols, which act as antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress. <\/p>\n

These phytochemicals can also help \u201cturn down\u201d the body\u2019s inflammatory response and support the gut microbiome. <\/p>\n

My weekly grocery always includes fresh herbs, often parsley and mint. I toss them into green salads and sprinkle them finely chopped over cooked vegetables.<\/p>\n

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: An anti-inflammatory diet isn\u2019t about focusing on so-called ‘superfoods’, but rather your overall…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":693518,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[49,48,5152,84,3247,395],"class_list":["post-693517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-dei","tag-health","tag-newnewsletter","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=693517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/693518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=693517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=693517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=693517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}