Reduce Inflammation Naturally with a Ketogenic Diet

Inflammation has become a bit of a buzzword these days. Everything causes inflammation, and inflammation causes everything. Or at least, that's what it can seem like while you're wading through information online. But let's cut through the noise. Here are two truths about inflammation:

1. Keto offers anti-inflammatory benefits.

2. There are some small but meaningful tweaks you can make to help improve the anti-inflammatory potential of the meals you eat.

The easiest way to do this is to include more Keto-friendly anti-inflammatory foods in your diet.

What is Inflammation?

Inflammation is an immune response that helps your body adapt to stress and heal from wounds, injuries, or illnesses. Although it's got a bad reputation these days, inflammation is a very vital function of the body, and it plays an important role in maintaining good health. The problem is when the inflammatory process — which is supposed to be short-term — becomes a chronic, long-term state that your body is in.

Inflammatory Health Conditions

Inflammatory health conditions are chronic conditions related to being in a state of long-term inflammation. Researchers have linked several health conditions to chronic inflammation, including:

• Being overweight and obesity

• Metabolic syndrome

• Type 2 diabetes

• Heart disease

• Cognitive decline

• Autoimmune conditions

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• Crohn’s disease

• Ulcerative colitis

• Cancer

How Does Diet Affect Inflammation?

Diet is one of the key controllable lifestyle factors that can have a drastic impact on inflammation. Unfortunately, the standard American/Western diet — which is high in refined oils, added sugars, and ultra-processed, hyper-palatable food — is powerfully pro-inflammatory. The advent of these foods becoming a primary part of the Western diet tracks almost perfectly with the exponentially climbing rates of chronic, inflammatory diseases. Additionally, researchers have found that removing these foods from the diet may help reduce inflammation and improve metabolic health.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

So, what does an anti-inflammatory diet look like? Here are a few key factors that anti-inflammatory diets have in common:

• High-quality foods: Organic produce and ingredients and meats raised may be less inflammatory than their conventional counterparts.

• Nutrient density: Anti-inflammatory diets also contain foods rich in nutrients and phytochemicals (plant compounds). These foods include healthy fats and protein sources, a diverse assortment of herbs and spices, and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in varying colors.

• Minimal processing: Finally, because ultra-processed foods appear to be so highly inflammatory, another thing that most anti-inflammatory diets have in common is that they are built around minimally processed foods and homemade meals.

  
  

Is a Ketogenic Diet Anti-Inflammatory?

Ketogenic diets have been shown in research to reduce inflammation. This may be due to ketosis, the metabolic state your body enters when you restrict carbs. Ketosis results in a number of biochemical changes that may help reduce inflammation. Still, if you’re not getting the health results from Keto that you’re hoping for, you may want to consider making a few tweaks.

With Keto’s explosive popularity, there are a variety of highly-processed foods available that are technically Keto. However, these foods are low in quality, with suboptimal nutrient profiles and highly-processed ingredients. If your meals are built around these foods, you may not experience the anti-inflammatory benefits of Keto.

Fortunately, there are some ways you can start to improve your diet quality to reap more anti-inflammatory benefits.

Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Keto

• Grass-fed beef

• Salmon

• Walnuts

• Eggs

• Strawberries

• Coconut oil

• Olive oil

• Broccoli

• Flax seeds

• Raspberries

• Avocado

• Green tea

• Turmeric

• Ginger

• Garlic

• Kale

• Peppers

• Mushrooms

• Spinach

• Fermented cabbage

Interested in eating more anti-inflammatory foods? Remember that food quality, nutrient density, and minimal processing matters. Keto is a great start thanks to the anti-inflammatory action of ketosis.

Still, if you’re not seeing the benefits you want from Keto, it may be time to focus more on an eating pattern that includes low-carb, minimally processed, and nutrient-rich foods.