08/10/2025
What makes the Mediterranean diet so healthy?
(The Washington Post)
This well-known eating plan is loaded with anti-inflammatory foods that help your heart, brain and more.
Despite its well-deserved reputation for contributing to health problems, inflammation in small doses is actually good for our bodies. It helps fight off foreign invaders like viruses and bacteria and subsides once the threat is gone. But when inflammation doesn’t let up and becomes chronic, it can lead to the development of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia and cancer.
In addition to age, a common risk factor for chronic inflammation is a high-fat, high-sugar diet. But eating the right foods each day can help keep chronic inflammation at bay, says Vanessa King, clinical nutrition manager for the Queen’s Health System in Honolulu and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. And the foundation of anti-inflammatory eating? Antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, legumes, lean proteins, and food high in omega-3 fats.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes those foods and is backed by extensive research. For example, after older adults followed this plan for six months, they had lower levels of inflammatory markers in their blood, while those who followed their usual diet didn’t, according to a 2023 study in the journal Nutrients.
It’s not hard to follow a Mediterranean-style eating plan. Here are six anti-inflammatory foods that can help you stack the odds in your favor.
Cherries and berries
While fruit is always a nutritious choice, there’s evidence that cherries and berries, in particular, can lower inflammation, thanks to an array of plant nutrients, including polyphenols and carotenoids. Eating sweet or tart cherries was linked with decreased markers of inflammation.
Beans and legumes, such as chickpeas and lentils, offer plenty of healthy protein. Their fiber and antioxidant compounds are known for helping to prevent inflammation.
To get more: Try blending a cup of baby spinach into a morning smoothie, eating a kale salad with lunch and adding bok choy to your stir-fry dinner. For beans and legumes, heat up a bowl of lentil or black bean soup or blend white beans with olive oil, lemon juice and garlic for a delicious dip.
Olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil contains several beneficial plant compounds that have anti-inflammatory effects. For example, one called oleocanthal targets the same pathways as the pain reliever ibuprofen. When you taste an olive oil that contains the compound, you’ll feel a bitter spiciness in your throat upon swallowing it. (See CR’s olive oil ratings.)
To get more: Some of the olive oil you eat should be uncooked. Cooking olive oil with low levels of oleocanthal can further reduce those levels. So add uncooked oil to salad dressings or drizzle it on grilled fish or steamed vegetables.
Fermented foods
One way the Mediterranean eating plan — and fermented foods like yogurt and kefir, in particular — can reduce inflammation is by improving the diversity and activity of gut bacteria. A 2021 study in the journal Cell found that blood levels of 19 inflammatory proteins decreased significantly in healthy adults who consumed a lot of fermented foods. (They ate an average of six servings per day for 10 weeks.) Those who were asked to eat a high-fiber diet didn’t have the same decrease in inflammatory proteins.
To get more: Have yogurt, kefir or cottage cheese (labeled “cultured” or “probiotic”) at breakfast, and sauerkraut or other pickled vegetables (look for jars labeled “fermented” or “raw” in a store’s refrigerated section) with lunch or dinner.
Tomato sauce
Research suggests that eating tomatoes and tomato products may help lower inflammation. When 22 healthy men ate a serving of sofrito, a type of tomato-based sauce, their levels of two important markers of inflammation dropped, according to a 2019 Spanish study in the journal Nutrients. Lycopene is one of the main anti-inflammatory compounds in tomatoes, and cooked tomato foods are typically the most concentrated source of the nutrient. Like some other tomato sauces, sofrito also has onions, garlic and olive oil, which are also anti-inflammatory. (See CR’s ratings of jarred tomato sauces.)
Some people with arthritis may avoid eating tomatoes and other nightshade vegetables like potatoes and eggplant, thinking that they trigger inflammation and joint pain. But there’s no research showing that nightshades cause inflammation. Indeed, plant nutrients in tomatoes (and other nightshade vegetables) are strongly anti-inflammatory.
To get more: Aim to eat tomato sauce or other tomato products daily for the most benefits.
To get more: You don’t need to spend a lot of kitchen time or money on fish. The kinds mentioned here are all available in cans or pouches. A couple of times a week, pop one open on a bed of leafy greens, top it with fresh herbs like basil or dill, and drizzle with high-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
Foods to avoid
Fried foods have high levels of acrylamide, a chemical by-product thought to produce inflammation. Do a quick sauté, steam or boil instead.
Refined carbohydrates made from white flour contribute to high blood sugar, which can create oxidative stress and set off low-grade inflammation. Choose higher-fiber carbs, like whole grains, which aid digestion and lower heart disease risk.
Added sugars (in sugary beverages, candy, desserts) promote inflammation. In animals, at least, they may do so by altering the gut microbiome.
Processed meats (lunch meats, bacon, sausage) are linked to inflammation that can contribute to cancer. Being overweight may boost the risk. The American Institute for Cancer Research suggests avoiding these meats altogether.
