7 Anti-Inflammatory Foods You Should Be Eating This Winter

Reviewed by nutritionist Jessica Ball, MS, RD

Main points

• Anti-inflammatory fruits and vegetables come in bright colors that are rich in antioxidants.

• Peak winter produce includes beets, pears, leeks, broccoli and pomegranates.

• Add roasted beets to a salad, leeks to a comforting soup, or snack on juicy pears.

Shorter days, cooler temperatures, hot drinks, and comfort food are all things we typically associate with winter, rather than brightly colored fresh produce. However, colder weather means the flavor, nutrition and anti-inflammatory potential of a new crop of fruits and vegetables are about to peak.

While some inflammation is normal, chronic inflammation increases the risk of cancer, dementia, diabetes, and more. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods can help you stay healthy in the long run.

While it’s easy to overeat inflammatory foods during the holidays (think: sugar cookies, processed foods, and cocktails), there are steps you can take to help balance your diet by eating plenty of anti-inflammatory foods this winter. Here are seven of the best anti-inflammatory foods for winter.

1. Pomegranate

Don’t let the pomegranate’s outer layer scare you, because the seeds (also called arils) and juice of young pomegranates are both packed with flavor and anti-inflammatory benefits. This is thanks to compounds like ellagitannins, anthocyanins, and flavonoids, which act as antioxidants, calming inflammation caused by free radical damage and preventing future damage.

In fact, pomegranate’s antioxidant potential is thought to be stronger than red wine and green tea. Arils are a great substitute for berries or citrus slices in salads, and you can add pomegranate juice to tea, smoothies, or kombucha for a tart, fruity punch.

2. Broccoli

Although we can buy broccoli year-round, it is actually a winter vegetable because of its ability to thrive in cold weather. You probably know that eating several servings of vegetables each day is a key part of an anti-inflammatory diet, but did you know you can get extra anti-inflammatory benefits by choosing cruciferous vegetables like broccoli?

Cruciferous vegetables contain bioactive sulfur compounds called glucosinolates, which may minimize disease risk by reducing inflammation. If broccoli isn’t your thing, add other cold-weather cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, Swiss chard, and radish greens.

3. Blood orange

All citrus fruits are rich in the immune-boosting antioxidant vitamin C and most develop their sweetest flavor when ripe in the winter, making any citrus fruit (including oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, tangelos and other varieties) a great addition to your cold-weather diet.

If you’re looking for extra antioxidants, consider blood oranges. The flesh’s bright reddish-orange color comes from anthocyanins, the same compound that makes the berries a top anti-inflammatory food. Blood oranges are delicious on their own, but they’re also great in salads, in pan sauces, or as a healthy dessert.

4. Chives

Leeks are part of the Allium genus, which also includes onions, shallots and scallions. Allium vegetables and roots contain quercetin, an anti-inflammatory compound that research shows can reduce the inflammatory effects of harmful chemicals and compounds in the body.

Leeks are mostly found in winter and early spring and can be a great substitute for other green onions in recipes. If you’ve never cooked with them, think of them like green onions with larger roots and wider leaves, and a slightly more pungent flavor (but still milder than onions). We love them in soups, braised in the oven, and even folded into mashed potatoes for extra veggie flavor.

5. Sweet potatoes

When it comes to anti-inflammatory starchy vegetables, sweet potatoes top the list. This is partly because they are a low-glycemic carbohydrate source and a good source of vitamin C, but also because of their impressive carotenoid content. Carotenoids (such as beta-carotene) give potatoes their deep orange color, but they also protect cells from free radical damage that can cause inflammation or worsen existing inflammation.

Additionally, most carotenoids are converted in the body to the active form of vitamin A (which is key to immune regulation and inflammation management). We love roasting sweet potatoes, stuffing them with our favorite fillings, and turning them into healthier chips.

6. Beets

Beets are a great source of potassium, folate, and vitamin C—all nutrients that play different roles in regulating inflammation in the immune system. But two other compounds in beets—betaine and nitrates—really make them anti-inflammatory stars. Betaine is a little-known antioxidant-like compound that studies have linked to lowering blood markers of inflammation.

Naturally occurring nitrates (unlike the nitrates added to preserved and processed foods, which pose potential health risks) appear to have anti-inflammatory effects that lower blood pressure. Beets are delicious roasted and add a pop of color to hummus, or try adding some to your smoothies for an antioxidant boost to start your day.

7. Pears

Improving gut health is a key strategy for preventing and reducing inflammation, and research shows the best way to do this is to eat more probiotic-rich foods (like yogurt, kombucha, and fermented vegetables) and get more prebiotics through high-fiber produce. Prebiotics are fibers that nourish our existing gut microbes, and pears are an excellent source of prebiotic fiber that helps your good bacteria thrive. Pears are also one of the fruits with the highest fiber content (a medium-sized pear contains about 6 grams of fiber). You can top pears with some nut butter as a snack, throw some into a salad, bake them or turn them into a healthy dessert.

Our expert opinion

Delicious, fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables are in season during the winter and they have some anti-inflammatory properties. The bright greens of broccoli, pears, and leeks, the deep reds of beets, pomegranates, and blood oranges, and the fiery orange of sweet potatoes all signal that winter colors have arrived, and these colors mean you’re getting a dose of anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Read the original article on EatWell