10 June 2023
Written by Cahoot Care Marketing
What anti-inflammatory foods are good for your joints?
Anti-inflammatory foods include foods rich in antioxidants, nutrients and healthy fats. These foods are good for joints, bones and cartilage and are therefore worth incorporating into your diet if you have a condition that affects your joints, such as arthritis.
Foods that reduce inflammation include:
Oily fish
Oily fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce levels of proteins that cause inflammation, specifically C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6.
Oily fish include anchovies, fresh tuna (not tinned), salmon and sardines. Salmon also contains calcium and vitamin D, which help maintain strong bones.
Try to eat around 140g of cooked oily fish each week — this is equivalent to one meal serving.
Richly coloured fruits and vegetables
Colourful fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, which help your body reduce the damaging effects of free radicals that cause inflammation.
Try to eat around 400g of fruit and vegetables every day, split roughly equally between fruits and vegetables. Try to eat raw fruit and vegetables where possible and if you are cooking your vegetables, avoid overcooking them as this reduces nutrients and antioxidants.
Richly coloured fruits
Colourful fruits that are rich in antioxidants include blueberries, blackberries, cherries and strawberries.
The antioxidants in cherries are called anthocyanins and give cherries their deep red colour. Eating cherries and drinking cherry juice have been linked to fewer flare-ups in people with gout.
Richly coloured vegetables
Colourful vegetables that are rich in antioxidants include beetroot, broccoli, red cabbage and red peppers.
Eating dark, leafy greens, such as broccoli, kale, pak choi and spinach is also good for your joints as they are rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene and vitamin C. Vitamin C helps your body produce collagen, which makes up the cartilage, ligaments and tendons that hold your joints together.
Spinach and kale are also rich in calcium, which helps to maintain strong bones.
Beans and legumes
Beans and legumes contain antioxidants and are also a good source of fibre, folic acid, protein and several minerals including iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. Magnesium in particular works alongside calcium to maintain strong bones.
Try to incorporate a variety of beans as part of your anti-inflammatory diet, such as black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans and red kidney beans. Eat around 250g each week.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory and are also a good source of protein and fibre.
Almonds, flaxseeds, pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts are therefore all good for your joints. Walnuts, in particular, can help reduce inflammation as they contain the anti-inflammatory substances oleocanthal and omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseeds and canola oil also contain omega-3 fatty acids.
Limit yourself to around 30g (one handful) of nuts or seeds a day as they are also high in calories.
Olives and olive oil
Olive oil contains oleocanthal and monounsaturated fatty acids, which are both anti-inflammatory, and antioxidants.
Try cooking with extra virgin olive oil as this is less refined and processed than regular olive oil and therefore contains more nutrients. As olive oil is damaged by the UV rays in sunlight, choose olive oil in dark bottles and do not store it by a window.
Use two to three tablespoons each day — this includes using it for cooking and as a dressing.
Whole grains
Whole grains are linked to reduced inflammation, while refined grains (eg white flour) are linked to increased inflammation.
Whole grains include barley, brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur, porridge oats and quinoa.
Try to eat around 180g each day. You can get around 30g of whole grain from one slice of whole grain bread, half a whole grain English muffin, 225g of porridge oats or 100g of brown rice.
Spices and herbs
Turmeric contains curcumin and chillies contain capsaicin — both of these are anti-inflammatory.
Other spices and herbs with anti-inflammatory properties include basil, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, rosemary and thyme.
Try adding these herbs and spices to flavour your foods and boost the anti-inflammatory effects of your diet.
Probiotics and prebiotics
Probiotics are foods or supplements containing live bacteria, which are beneficial for your body. Prebiotics are plant fibres that these beneficial bacteria feed off. By eating more beneficial bacteria or supporting the growth of existing beneficial bacteria in your gut, you can reduce inflammation in your body.
These bacteria have been shown to reduce levels of proteins that are raised during inflammation, such as CRP.
Prebiotic foods include bananas, berries, beans, leeks, legumes, oats, onions and peas.
Probiotic foods include probiotic yoghurts and fermented foods, such as kefir, kimchi, kombucha tea and sauerkraut.
Tea
Certain plants have anti-inflammatory properties. Drinking tea made from these plants may therefore help reduce your inflammation.
Try drinking green tea or teas made from holy basil, fennel, ginger, rose hip or turmeric.
