Inflammation lies at the root of many everyday aches as well as more serious chronic illnesses – but how do you actually keep it in check? While factors like stress and lifestyle play a role, what you eat is one of the most powerful levers you can control. Small, consistent tweaks to your diet – focusing on foods that calm inflammation and limiting those that fuel it – can make a significant difference over time.
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Dr Karan Rajan, a UK-based surgeon and popular health content creator, is breaking down what truly makes a diet anti-inflammatory. In an Instagram video shared on April 22, he explains how eating patterns are classified as pro or anti-inflammatory, while outlining what you should prioritise – and what to limit – for better long-term health.
Is your diet anti-inflammatory?
According to Dr Rajan, there is a scientifically validated scoring system designed to assess how inflammatory your overall diet is – the Dietary Inflammatory Index. It evaluates a wide range of dietary components and nutrients, assigning scores based on their impact on inflammatory markers in the body, helping to give a clearer picture of how your food choices may influence inflammation.
He explains, “There’s an actual scientific scoring system that measures how inflammatory your diet is. It’s called the dietary inflammatory index. Researchers measure around 45 dietary components – fibre, omega-3s, polyphenols, processed meat, sugar, trans fats – and score them based on how they affect inflammatory biomarkers. And basically, the lower your score or the more negative, the less inflammation you’re creating.”
Dr Rajan highlights that plant-focused and Mediterranean diet patterns consistently rank among the most anti-inflammatory ways of eating. In contrast, the typical Western diet – often high in processed meats, refined carbohydrates, and low in fibre – tends to promote inflammation and is linked to poorer long-term health outcomes.
The surgeon notes, “Plant focus and Mediterranean style diets consistently rank as the most anti-inflammatory with scores around -3 to -4. Studies show that Mediterranean diet endurance can reduce CRP by around 30 percent. And the standard western diet, which is high in processed meat, refined carbs, and low in fibre, usually scores +2 to +4. That’s supposedly pro-inflammatory.”
What to include and avoid
Dr Rajan emphasises that it’s your overall dietary pattern over time – not a single meal – that truly shapes inflammation in the body. The most anti-inflammatory diets tend to share a common foundation: they are rich in fibre, omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, and plant-based ingredients. At the same time, he notes the importance of limiting foods high in saturated fat, excess salt, and low in fibre, as these can collectively push your diet towards a more pro-inflammatory state.
He explains, “It’s about dietary eating patterns maintained over a long period of time. Even with the odd Krispy Kreme donut, the most anti-inflammatory diet shares some key components: more fibre, more omega-3s, more polyphenols, more plants. But equally important is what to avoid – the ‘unholy trinity’ for metabolic health: high saturated fat, high salt, low fibre. And this isn’t just theoretical. Meta-analyses show that high dietary inflammatory index scores (pro-inflammatory) are associated with a 40 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease and a 67 percent increased risk of depression.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
