Using food to help your body heal

February 28, 2025March 3, 2025 Category: Tips for Daily Life

By Kim Murray RD, LDN

Inflammation is your body’s natural way of protecting itself. If you scrape your knee, for example, the redness and swelling you see on the skin around the cut are signs that your immune system is working to heal the injury. But when low level inflammation doesn’t go away and becomes chronic, it can cause serious problems. Chronic inflammation can confuse your immune system and contribute to autoimmune diseases such as myositis, where your body mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissues.

The good news is that what you eat can have a big impact on inflammation. Some foods can calm it down, while others make it worse. Let’s explore how inflammation works, how it’s linked to disease, and how you can use food to support your health.

The link between chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases

Your immune system is like a security team for your body. It’s supposed to protect you from harmful invaders like bacteria and viruses. But in autoimmune diseases, this system gets confused and starts attacking the body itself. One reason this can happen is because chronic inflammation disrupts the immune system’s ability to tell the difference between what belongs in your body and what doesn’t.

Once an autoimmune disease begins, inflammation becomes part of a vicious cycle. The immune system stays in overdrive, constantly attacking healthy tissues and creating more inflammation. This ongoing battle damages the body over time in diseases like myositis.

How food affects inflammation

Here’s the good news: the foods you eat can either increase or decrease inflammation in your body. In fact, a recent systematic review and meta-analysis included 22 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the impact of dietary patterns on inflammatory biomarkers. The findings emphasized the anti-inflammatory benefits of the Mediterranean diet, particularly for chronic inflammation-related conditions. However, a diet filled with processed foods, sugary treats, and unhealthy fats can trigger inflammation, while whole, nutrient-rich foods can help reduce it.

Foods that fight inflammation

Adding these anti-inflammatory foods to your diet can help calm your immune system:

Fruits and vegetables:

1. Berries (like blueberries and strawberries are packed with antioxidants called anthocyanins that protect cells from damage.
2. Leafy greens (like spinach and kale) are rich in vitamin K and other compounds that reduce inflammation.
3. Broccoli and cauliflower contain sulforaphane, a powerful antioxidant that helps lower inflammatory markers.
4. Tomatoes are full of lycopene, a compound known for its anti-inflammatory effects.

Healthy fats:

1. Olive oil contains oleocanthal, which has anti-inflammatory properties similar to ibuprofen.
2. Avocados are loaded with healthy fats and carotenoids that reduce inflammation.

Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These fats are converted into compounds that actively fight inflammation.

Nuts and seeds like walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, and flaxseeds are excellent sources of omega-3s and vitamin E, which protect against inflammation.

Whole grains and legumes, including brown rice, quinoa, oats, beans, and lentils, are high in fiber. Fiber supports gut health by feeding good bacteria in your gut microbiome (more on this later) and reducing overall inflammation.

Spices and herbs like turmeric (curcumin), ginger, cinnamon, garlic, and rosemary all have natural anti-inflammatory properties.

Probiotic foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and kombucha help balance gut bacteria-an important factor in controlling inflammation.

Green tea contains EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), a compound known for its strong anti-inflammatory effects.

Foods that worsen inflammation

On the flip side, certain foods can trigger or worsen chronic inflammation:

Sugary foods -like sodas, candy, cookies, pastries cause blood sugar spikes that lead to inflammatory responses in the body.

Refined carbohydrates like white bread, pasta made from refined flour, and most ready-to-eat breakfast cereals lack fiber and cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly.

Red and processed meats-like bacon, sausage, and hot dogs contain saturated fats and compounds formed during high-temperature cooking that promote inflammation.

Fried foods like- French fries or fried chicken are often cooked in oils high in omega-6 fatty acids (which can throw off the balance with anti-inflammatory omega-3s).

Trans fats found in margarine or baked goods like cookies or donuts are known to cause widespread inflammation in the body.

Drinking too much alcohol disrupts gut health and increases inflammatory markers.

Chronic inflammation is a key factor in conditions like myositis, as it keeps the immune system locked in a constant state of attack. Making thoughtful food choices, though, can naturally help reduce inflammation and support your overall health.

Kim Murray is a registered dietitian. In the fall of 2018, shortly after his 49th birthday, her husband Pat was diagnosed with IBM. As a nutrition expert, the diagnosis set Kim researching the impact diet can have on inflammation, muscle maintenance, how cells generate energy, and how what he eats could potentially improve Pat’s health.