Winner, winner instant-pot-apricot-ginger-chicken-thighs-dinner. Fun(ny), no?  It’ll come together in a minute here.

There are countless reasons to focus on ingredients and recipes that have anti-inflammatory properties. Said differently, focusing on tons of veggies (known for their anti-inflammatory properties), a mix of proteins, and healthy fats. Making meal choices through this lens helps reduce inflammation in the body and supports cells functioning optimally. This way of eating can be especially helpful for those who have autoimmune conditions.

RELATED: What is Chronic Inflammation?

Anti-Inflammatory Recommendations

Here are some suggestions when trying to adopt an anti-inflammatory meal plan:

• Eat organic (non-GMO) as much as possible
• Include small amounts of healthy fats at each meal (nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocado, salmon, grass fed meats, pasture raised eggs, flax, chia, hemp seeds)
• Eat high fiber, low glycemic carbs
• Focus on non starchy vegetables
• Opt for clean and lean proteins (hormone free, pasture raised beef, lamb, free range chicken and turkey, wild caught cold water fish (no farm raised fish)
• Include anti-inflammatory spices like ginger and turmeric
• Build your plate around majority veggies, and a healthy mix of protein and healthy fats
• Avoid inflammatory foods: sugar, dairy, trans fats, soy, corn, legumes and nightshade veggies

Lifestyle

Like so many other things, lifestyle choices play a role in how much inflammation we have going on in our bodies. To help lower inflammation it’s important to make sure we are moving our bodies as much as possible, getting good quality (and enough sleep), and remembering to slow down. Incorporating activities like yoga, tai chi, meditation and deep breathing help keep stress levels at bay and alongside that, inflammation as well.

RELATED: Why Inflammation isn’t a Terrible Word

If you’re dealing with an autoimmune condition, you’ll also want to try your best to stick with these tips as well:

• Remove artificial sweeteners, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, refined vegetable oils, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, processed foods, food additives
• Add as many colorful veggies as possible, good fats, low sugar fruits, anti-inflammatory herbs 

Recipes to get you started and inspired:

Breakfast

Avocado Toast | A Sweet Pea Chef

Egg White Scramble & Sweet Potato Hash | A Sweet Pea Chef

California Breakfast Salad | Livestrong Recipes

Honey Berry Toast with Greek Yogurt & Blueberries | Livestrong Recipes

Chia Pudding | Livestrong Recipes

Chocolate Nutter Butter Smoothie | Livestrong Recipes

Steel Cut Oatmeal Berry Breakfast Bake | Livestrong Recipes

Lunch

Roasted Vegetable and Black Bean Tacos | Eating Well

Turmeric Ginger Broccoli Cauliflower Soup | Savory Lotus

Hearty Chickpea Spinach Stew | Eating Well

Roasted Garlic and Kale Spaghetti Squash | The Roasted Root

Spicy Cauliflower Burrito Bowl | Abras Kitchen

Anti-Inflammatory Salad | A Whisk and Two Wands

Loaded Cucumber & Avocado Sandwich | Eating Well

Dinner

Instant Pot Apricot Ginger Chicken Thighs | Abras Kitchen

Mediterranean Sheet Pan Salmon with Zucchini Noodles | Abras Kitchen

Easy One Pan Mediterranean Cod | Abras Kitchen

Sheet Pan Chicken Tenders & Veggies | Unbound Wellness

Healthy Sloppy Joes | What Molly Made

Fiesta Lime Shrimp Bowls | What Molly Made

Veggie Packed Steak Stir Fry | What Molly Made

Snacks

A snack formula to live by = Protein + Fat + Low-Glycemic Carb

● Carrots & peppers with hummus 

● Cucumber with smoked salmon 

● Curry roasted chickpeas and cashews

● Mary’s Gone Crackers with guacamole 

● Sliced carrots & sardines 

● Black beans mixed with salsa & veggies or crackers 

● Apple slices with nut butter & dark chocolate

Sweets

Hot Cocoa | Love Food Nourish

Anti-Inflammatory Tropical Turmeric Popsicles | Abras Kitchen

Dark Chocolate Walnut Date Bar | Martha Stewart

Vanilla Chia Pudding | Martha Stewart

No Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars | All the Healthy Things

Spice Cookies | All the Nourishing Things

Chocolate Dipped Frozen Bananas | Joy the Baker

After exploring these recipes, prepare to be pleasantly surprised how delish anti-inflammatory meals & snacks can be. Cheers to eating your way to less inflammation!

Marwa Ismail

Marwa Ismail, Health Coach, uses her training from Institute for Integrative Nutrition and MindBodyGreen to empower patients in making sustainable lifestyle changes to better their health & wellness.