An anti-inflammatory diet can help manage chronic inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, but it may also reduce joint pain and promote weight loss, among other benefits. In fact, Francesca Scerbo, owner of Balanced Nutrition in Naples, recommends an inflammation-lowering diet for everyone. People “are seeing huge results in their health,” she notes. “They are getting off of medication and seeing improvements in their energy.”
To follow the diet, eat foods that fight inflammation in your body while minimizing ones that promote it. Scerbo suggests unprocessed foods, including fruits and vegetables, fatty fish, whole grains, and nuts and seeds. On the other hand, you’ll want to avoid sugary foods and drinks, fried foods, red meat, and refined carbs—such as white bread. “Anything that is in a box should be taken out of your pantry,” Scerbo explains. “It’s individualized, but when you start removing certain things from people’s eating plans that are pro-inflammatory, it is unbelievable how quickly the body responds,” Scerbo says. To get started, try the recipe to the right from her cookbook, Balanced Nutrition: A Cooking Guide to Better Health.
Pesto Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen, cooked shrimp (thawed)
- 2 cups frozen cauliflower rice
- 1/3 cup chopped artichoke (in water or frozen)
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp. black olives, chopped
- 2-3 tbsp. pesto
- Dash of pepper
Instructions
Thaw frozen shrimp under lukewarm water. Prepare cauliflower rice according to package directions. In a sauté pan, heat shrimp on low with the pesto. Toss in artichokes, tomatoes, and olives. Stir together with shrimp for 5 minutes. Add rice and simmer on low for another 5 minutes. Serve hot or cold.
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