In our last article, we explored the consequences of letting a body’s inflammatory response run wild. Inflammation causes chronic pain and exacerbates chronic illnesses. It’s a good thing to avoid but avoiding it and controlling your body’s response to inflame is no easy thing. While we’ve already discovered the sorts of food that make our systems go haywire and cause inflammation where it’s not needed. But how do we find foods to offer balance to this system. If inflammatory foods are bad, what foods would a good anti-inflammatory diet favor? Let’s take a look. 

Good Foods

Like we mentioned last time, there’s not necessarily a reason to cut out all inflammatory foods. Indeed, everything in moderation is always a good motto to follow. You just can’t be eating Goldfish crackers every day and using them as a nutritional crutch, as they’re famously nutritiously lacking. That goes for all foods that have inflammatory properties, and it’s especially true that you can still partake in them if you’re being responsible elsewhere in your eating habits. For example, if you mostly cook at home and favor some of the anti-inflammatory foods we’re about to describe, having the occasional piece of cake won’t send your body into a tailspin. 

You can add balance to your diet by adding lots of dark greens. While salads are often regarded as not very filling and generally lacking in flavor, there’s more than one way to consume leafy greens, though salads are the least maintenance to prepare. Kale, for example, can be made a little crispy in the oven or used as a mix in with brown rice and sauce as a side with lean meat. Spinach, as another example, is really easy to glaze with healthy oils and season with spices so they’re still tasty and don’t bring to mind Popeye pouring green goop out of a can. 

Invest In Veggies and More

Other fresh veggies like cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and asparagus all hold anti-inflammatory properties and can be really easy to cook and make taste good as well. As you learn more about incorporating veggies into your diet, be sure to check out ways to make them taste good so it’s not a chore to eat them. They’re famously low calorie and very filling, but can lack in taste for some folks. This is a problem easily solved by a well-seasoned skillet, good garlic salt and spices and good basic sauces like balsamic vinegars, white wine sauces and more that can delicately flavor your veggies without stripping them of their nutrients.

If you’re at a loss of where to start incorporating these foods, start with tomatoes and peppers. They’re likely the easiest types of veggies to cook with as bell peppers can be cut into strips and added to any dish for crunch and flavor and tomatoes are delicious plain and as a seasoning or garnish on pretty much every type of main dish. 

Cooking those veggies we just talked about usually requires oil of some kind, and while we know we told you to avoid trans fats, that’s only in some iterations. Vegetable oil, for example, is something you want to avoid, but olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil are all wonderful for adding flavor without triggering an inflammatory response. They’re considered healthy fats and can actually help combat inflammation in their own right. 

Healthy Fats

Speaking of healthy fats, they’re one of the fastest ways that you can target inflammation. Foods like salmon and other fatty fishes are excellent sources of lean meat, really good proteins, flavor, and anti-inflammation properties. They taste excellent, can easily be paired with everything we’ve already mentioned on this, and have a load of other benefits in them as well. They’re extremely nutrient-rich and some of the healthiest fats you can develop a taste for. Other healthy fats that make for excellent garnishes on dishes or just good snacks throughout the day are nuts. Specifically, you should favor almonds, walnuts, and pistachios as they offer lower-calorie alternatives to things like peanuts and pecans and also don’t need as much salt to add flavor to them. Incorporate these sparingly though, as they’re higher calorie for the volume of space they fill in your belly and can sometimes lead to a higher dependence on snacks to slate your hunger which isn’t always a good thing. 

Other Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Berries, specifically raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries make for a better snack than nuts and are excellent at breakfast. You wouldn’t be wrong to look at adding fresh fruit like apples and grapes to your diet to help with inflammation as well as oranges and cherries. Additional foods to consider could be protein-dense lentils and beans as well as dark chocolate, although probably not combined. 

Seasonings

You’re pretty safe with spices, though it’s always a good idea to avoid salt if you’re worried about inflammation as it tends to encourage the body to store excess water weight. Instead, favor spices like ginger, paprika, basil, parsley, rosemary, cinnamon, and turmeric. Garlic and onion are always excellent seasonings and should act as the base spice for most dishes. You’ll be safe with black and red pepper, as well as all colors of peppercorns, too. 

Reach out to The Spine Care Center in Manassas To Start Back Pain and Inflammation Treatment Now

At The Spine Care Center, we’re passionate about helping our friends and neighbors in the Manassas area pursue better health and pain-free lifestyles. If you’re looking for treatment options for your chronic back pain, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Our treatments range from diets, stress relief methods and beyond to more serious tactics to help you relieve your pain and live a better life. Schedule an initial appointment today to get started on a healthier road with anti-inflammatory diets, the right prescriptions and more to start living a pain-free life now.