Whether you’re suffering from chronic or acute inflammation, it can, at best, be frustrating and discomforting—but at worst it can be extremely painful, cause weight gain, and result in damage to healthy cells, tissues, and organs. Inflammation can also lead to life-threatening illnesses like type 2 diabetes and cancer. Thankfully, there are several lifestyle changes and healthy habits you can pick up to reduce inflammation. Not only is exercising regularly and managing your stress levels helpful, but you can also introduce anti-inflammatory foods, like vegetables, into your diet.
To learn more about the best anti-inflammatory vegetable for weight loss, we spoke with Paulina Lee, a registered gut health dietitian and founder of Savvy Stummy, LLC, and Dana Ellis Hunnes, a registered dietitian at UCLA Medical Center and Assistant Professor with the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA. They said that cruciferous vegetables like broccoli sprouts (which are immature broccoli) are the best anti-inflammatory foods for weight loss. This is because they’re high in fiber and antioxidants which are anti-inflammatory. Find out more below!
Benefits Of Anti-Inflammatory Foods For Weight Loss
If you're looking to keep inflammation (and thus weight gain) at bay, experts recommend incorporating anti-inflammatory foods rich in antioxidants and fiber into your diet. "Weight gain and increased adipose tissues [have] been associated with inflammation, insulin resistance, and leptin resistance in the body. Managing blood sugar is vital to managing weight and inflammation because each time our glucose levels spike, glycation occurs, which can speed up aging, add stress to the body, damage our molecules, and cause inflammation," Lee explains.
Specifically, leptin resistance can result in a reduced metabolism, bigger appetite, inflammation, and weight gain. Anti-inflammatory foods like broccoli sprouts, she says, help lower the inflammation that processed foods and high-sugar foods might cause the body.
Broccoli Sprouts Are The Best Anti-Inflammatory Vegetable For Weight Loss
According to Hunnes, foods that "most often fight inflammation" are whole, plant-based foods, such as cruciferous vegetables. This type of vegetable category includes "broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts," to name a few. She adds that "it's the cruciferous compounds in them that are anti-inflammatory," referring to their high vitamin C and soluble fiber content.
Lee specifically says that broccoli sprouts are the best anti-inflammatory vegetable for a slimmer figure. "Broccoli sprouts are a powerhouse of nutrition filled with fiber, vitamin C, and sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is a compound in cruciferous vegetables with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties," she notes. "One study showed that eating broccoli sprouts reduced several inflammatory markers in overweight individuals." The antioxidants in cruciferous vegetables are also helpful for looking years younger.
She adds that "antioxidants from sprouts have the ability to fight against oxidative stress, neutralize free radicals that can cause damage to cells, and decrease inflammation and metabolic disease risk." Plus, broccoli sprouts are easy to find, convenient to cook, and can be added to your sandwiches, on top of your avocado toast, or tossed into a salad or smoothie.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli sprouts are the best anti-inflammatory vegetables to eat for weight loss. This is because of their high fiber and antioxidant content. To really shed pounds, Lee says that you must, "Decrease intake of processed foods and added sugars to help manage blood sugars and inflammation." Plus, she recommends diversifying your gut microbiome by including a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet to reduce inflammation.
