In This ArticleView AllIn This Article1. Cherries2. Strawberries3. Watermelon4. Apples5. Pineapple6. Avocado7. Blueberries
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Cherries
Strawberries
Watermelon
Apples
Pineapple
Avocado
Blueberries
You’re not alone if you’ve questioned the role of fruit in a healthy diet. The popularity of low-carb andketo diets, along with consumers becoming more sugar-aware, has left many to feel that it may be best to limit—or worse, avoid—fruit intake altogether. But fruit can—and should—be part of a healthy diet since it offers anti-inflammatory benefits you really don’t want to miss out on.
Whilefruits do contain sugar, it’s a natural form of sugar—as opposed to added sugar, which is linked to obesity and chronic health issues. Fruit also boasts good-for-you fiber, antioxidants and bioactive compounds.
Sure, you can go overboard, even with natural sugar, but if you’re sticking to the recommended two or three servings of fruit a day, you’ll get plenty of health benefits. And if you want the biggest bang for your buck, choose some of these top anti-inflammatory fruits when possible.
What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Enough Fruits & Vegetables
Pictured Recipe:Anti-Inflammatory Cherry-Spinach Smoothie
Research, like the 2022 review of multiple studies inComplementary Therapies in Medicinesuggests that tart cherries significantly lower inflammatory proteins. In fact, theArthritis Foundationsuggests eating cherries as a way to ease joint issues related to arthritis and gout.
Pictured Recipe:Spinach & Strawberry Meal-Prep Salad
When it comes to vitamin C, oranges tend to get all the credit, but the reality is that one cup of sliced strawberries provides 98 mg of vitamin C, per theUSDA. According to the FDA, that’s over 100% of daily vitamin C—more than a medium orange!
A refreshing treat in hot summer months, watermelon is known for being sweet and juicy, but the melon’s nutritional perks are rarely mentioned. Watermelon is one of the few food sources of lycopene, a powerful compound that’s responsible for the melon’s pink-red hue and protects the body from free radicals damage.
A 2020 review in the journalAntioxidantssuggests that lycopene may offer protection to help reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, skin and bone diseases, and liver, nerve and reproductive disorders. It may also help squelch inflammation.
Pictured Recipe:Apple & Cheddar Side Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
A medium apple contains around 4 grams of fiber, per theUSDA, a large portion of which is a soluble, fermentable type called pectin. Pectin is a form of food that good bacteria in the gut need to thrive and grow. Often referred to as prebiotics, these fibers can improve the composition of microbes in the gut. Doing this creates a stronger intestinal lining that helps prevent inflammatory compounds from crossing to get into the body.
Pictured Recipe:Salmon-Stuffed Avocados
It’s easy to forget that avocados are a fruit. And while their nutritional profile looks quite different, this just means avocados offer some anti-inflammatory benefits that you can’t get from other fruit. The creamy fruit is full of monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, fiber and carotenoids which collectively work together to soothe inflammation in the body.
Pictured Recipe:Yogurt with Blueberries & Honey
Polyphenolic compounds give blueberries their vibrant purple-blue color, and these compounds also act as antioxidants to ease existing inflammation and prevent free radicals from triggering new inflammation. In fact, a 2020 review inAdvances in Nutritionsuggests that regularly eating blueberries appears to exert anti-inflammatory effects that have the potential to decrease blood pressure, improve blood flow and protect brain cells from neuroinflammation. And because most frozen blueberries are flash-frozen right after being picked, they’re ideal to keep on hand to toss into a smoothie for a daily dose of antioxidants and anthocyanins.
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