Autoimmune Diseases and Diet

An anti-inflammatory diet is promoted as a remedy to battle inflammation in the body. A common belief is that “inflammation” is always bad. Although it produces unpleasant side effects, inflammation is actually a healthy response of our immune system.

Anti-inflammatory diets may be promoted for these inflammatory conditions. They include several foods that are believed to interfere with the inflammatory process, though research on its exact mechanism is not conclusive. There is no single anti-inflammatory diet plan. Generally, it emphasizes eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, unsaturated fats, minimally refined whole grains, tea, coffee, herbs, spices, and oily fish. The Mediterranean diet and DASH diet are popular dietary plans that already showcase many anti-inflammatory foods.

Examples of anti-inflammatory foods:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• High-fiber whole grains
• Legumes
• Mono-unsaturated fats (avocados, olive oil, nuts, nut butters, seeds)
• Poly-unsaturated omega-3 fats (walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and aquatic foods including salmon, herring, sardines, and mackerel)
• Tea
• Coffee
• Dark chocolate with at least 70% or higher cocoa solids
• Herbs, spices (turmeric, ginger)
• Moderate amounts of alcohol (wine, beer)

Examples of inflammatory foods to limit:

• Sweetened beverages like soda, juice drinks, and iced tea
• An excess of refined carbohydrate foods like white bread, pasta, and rice
• Fried foods
• Processed high-fat meats like bacon, sausage, and hot dogs
• Saturated fats like full-fat dairy from cream and butter, partially hydrogenated oils, and fatty cuts of meat and poultry
• Excess alcohol

Other factors aside from diet may help to control inflammation, such as exercising regularly, controlling stress, and getting enough sleep.