8 Inflammatory Foods to Limit

Inflammation is a hot topic—and for good reason. Research has linked cardiometabolic diseases—like heart disease and diabetes—with dementia-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. The connecting link? Chronic inflammation. Other studies have also tied inflammation to autoimmune diseases and cancer.

Regarding how to knock down inflammation in the body, most advice seems to focus on the top anti-inflammatory foods to eat. However, increasing these foods is only one part of the equation. When it comes to reducing chronic inflammation, it’s just as important to reduce food components that may trigger and aggravate existing inflammation.

Here are some top inflammation-promoting foods—and how to limit them.

1. Added Sugars

Americans’ consumption of excess added sugars is considered a major contributor to inflammation, which in turn increases one’s potential for chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. And it’s become invasive. Added sugar can be snuck into foods you might not expect—like salad dressings, condiments and savory snack foods. What’s even sneakier is that sugar can be listed under numerous names—like dextran, high-fructose corn syrup and maltose, to name a few.

It’s important to note that added sugars are different from sugars naturally found in whole foods, like fruits and dairy, which also contain vital nutrients for overall good health and tend to be anti-inflammatory.

How to Limit: The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams or 100 calories) per day for women and no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) for men. Tracking this can be easy since the Food and Drug Administration requires all food labels to include added sugars.

2. Processed Meats

Most processed meats—like bacon, hot dogs, pepperoni, and deli slices—are cured with salt and synthetic nitrates and tend to be high in saturated fat. In the body, nitrates and nitrites can react with other compounds to form potentially harmful substances that may damage cells over time.

How to Limit: The science isn’t clear about exactly what the primary threat in processed meat stems from—nitrates, saturated fat or processed meats as a whole—so the best advice is to limit your overall consumption. When you do eat processed meats, opt for “uncured” meats, which should mean that they were treated with only salt rather than cured with nitrates. Nitrate-free meats may use ingredients like celery juice, which is a natural source of nitrates. However, it’s yet to be determined if these are better for you than meats processed with synthetic nitrates.

3. Ultra-Processed Foods

Consumers want quick, convenient food options, and manufacturers have responded by offering more ready-to-eat meals and grab-and-go foods than ever. But this convenience comes at a price since chemicals and compounds not naturally found in food, like artificial colors, flavorings and preservatives, are often added to make these products shelf-stable or to improve taste and appearance. In addition, many ultra-processed foods are high in some combination of fat, sugar and sodium. Any of these can irritate the body, triggering inflammation.

How to Limit: Healthy can still mean quick if you select minimally processed convenience products. To do this, make the ingredient list the first thing you look at. Typically, the shorter the list, the better. Then, see if you recognize the ingredients. A trick to use when looking at the ingredients list is to ask, “If I were making this at home from a recipe, would most of these ingredients be in it?” If not, keep looking.

4. Refined Carbs

Eating white pasta, rice, bread and other carb-rich foods that are primarily composed of refined flour or grains elicits a quicker and often greater effect on blood sugar. And just as quickly as the blood sugar rises, it can crash, leaving you feeling lethargic and anxious—and can be dangerous if you have diabetes.

But there’s more to it. Research suggests that individuals with a higher intake of refined carbs and low fiber were at higher risk of inflammation-related heart disease compared to those with a higher intake of fiber-rich carbohydrates.

Studies have also found that low-fiber diets may throw off the balance of beneficial and bad bacteria in our guts, which can increase inflammation and influence numerous conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, allergies, asthma, and mood disorders, including depression and anxiety.

How to Limit: Choose whole grains and 100% whole-grain products whenever possible, and don’t forget that grains aren’t the only place to get complex carbs. You can get them from beans, peas, sweet potatoes and other starchy vegetables that are also high in fiber and nutrients.

5. Too Many Omega-6s (and Not Enough Omega-3s)

Mono- and polyunsaturated fats are what most of us know as the “healthy” fats. These fats are made up of different proportions of fatty acids—two key ones are omega-6s and omega-3s.

Research suggests that most Americans are overconsuming omega-6 fatty acids, largely due to the heavy use of vegetable oils like corn, soybean and sunflower in ultra-processed and convenience foods. And it seems that we are underconsuming omega-3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory powerhouses. The overall effect is an imbalance that may contribute to low-grade systemic inflammation.

How to Limit: Limit ultra-processed foods that likely contain omega-6 fats, which can put you over the recommended amount. Instead, choose more whole foods and make a point to get in good sources of omega-3s each week by eating fatty fish like salmon, canned tuna or mackerel, as well as walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds.

It’s also worth paying attention to the oils you use for cooking or adding to food. Most oils contain a mix of different fats, so the key is choosing ones that have more heart-healthy fats—especially omega-3s. Better options to use more often include avocado, walnut, flaxseed, peanut, corn and canola oils.

6. Trans Fats

Trans fats are created by chemically altering the structure of unsaturated fats to give processed foods a longer shelf life. Unfortunately, trans fats are even more harmful to the body than the saturated fats found in red meat, cheese and butter. This is largely due to the inflammatory reaction they create in the body that’s linked to chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

How to Limit: Steer clear of trans fats by avoiding foods that have “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils listed in the ingredient list. The FDA banned the addition of hydrogenated oils to packaged foods in 2018 so you shouldn’t find them in packaged foods anymore, but trans fats are also found naturally in some cooking oils used to make fried foods and fast foods. Aim to choose those foods less often.

7. Alcohol

It’s well-known that a glass of red wine contains compounds that can fend off inflammation and oxidative stress, which can help prevent cardiovascular diseases. One of these compounds, resveratrol, is a polyphenol that’s credited with the anti-inflammatory effects.

It’s important to note, however, that more is not better—and can be harmful. When you ingest too much alcohol, not only are the anti-inflammatory perks lost, research shows that alcohol then triggers further inflammation in the body. In fact, drinking more alcohol than average is associated with a higher risk of death from all causes. Excessive alcohol use also raises the risk of liver disease and heart disease.

How to Limit: Health and nutrition experts recommend no more than one standard drink per day for women and no more than two standard drinks per day for men. The size of a standard drink varies, depending on the type of alcohol. Also, be aware of the calories in the cocktail you choose. Minimize calories and added sugars from alcohol by choosing a glass of wine, a light beer or a serving of liquor mixed with a low- or no-calorie mixer.

8. Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are deemed relatively safe by the FDA. Most of the non-nutritive sweeteners you see on restaurant tables and in food products are sweet-tasting synthetic chemical compounds like aspartame and saccharin. Some animal research suggests artificial sweeteners may affect the gut microbiome, potentially leading to inflammation. However, more research is needed.

How to Limit: Minimize the use of artificial sweeteners in general, and when you do need to use one, opt for a plant-based sweetener like stevia or allulose. The research surrounding stevia is primarily positive, suggesting that stevia may have antihyperglycemic effects—meaning, it doesn’t appear to raise blood sugar. And a small study suggested that allulose is safe and does not increase blood glucose or C-reactive protein, a measure of inflammation in the body.

Another option is to use regular sugar or another sweetener like honey or pure maple syrup, but less of it than you normally would.

Our Expert Take

Chronic inflammation is linked with many diseases and health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, autoimmune diseases, depression, anxiety and Alzheimer’s disease. This is why it’s imperative to try to reduce the level of inflammation in your body. This can be done by including anti-inflammatory foods and limiting or avoiding foods that tend to cause or increase inflammation.