9 Foods That May Promote Chronic Inflammation—and Healthier Choices to Make

Meta description: Certain foods may contribute to chronic inflammation when eaten regularly. Discover nine common food categories to limit and healthier alternatives to choose instead.

Inflammation is not always harmful. It is part of the body’s natural defense system and helps protect us from infections, injuries, and other threats.

When you cut your finger, for example, temporary inflammation helps control bleeding, fight germs, and begin the healing process. This short-term response is known as acute inflammation.

The problem begins when inflammation remains active for long periods without a clear reason. This persistent, low-grade response is called chronic inflammation. It has been associated with conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, fatty liver disease, and some digestive disorders.

Diet is only one factor that may influence inflammation. Sleep, stress, smoking, physical activity, body weight, infections, and existing health conditions also play important roles.

However, frequently eating foods high in added sugar, refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, and heavily processed ingredients may contribute to an inflammatory dietary pattern.

Here are nine types of foods worth limiting—and practical alternatives that can support a healthier diet.

1. Sugary Drinks

Sugar-sweetened beverages are among the easiest ways to consume a large amount of added sugar without feeling full.

Common examples include:

• Regular soda

• Sweetened iced tea

• Energy drinks

• Sweetened coffee drinks

• Fruit-flavored beverages

• Sports drinks

• Some bottled smoothies

Liquid sugar is absorbed quickly and can cause a rapid rise in blood glucose. When sugary drinks are consumed regularly, they may contribute to weight gain, insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, and unfavorable changes in inflammatory markers.

Drinking calories may also be less satisfying than eating solid food, making it easier to consume more energy than the body needs.

A healthier choice

Choose water, sparkling water, unsweetened tea, or coffee with little or no added sugar. Adding lemon, mint, cucumber, or berries can make plain water more enjoyable.

Whole fruit is generally a better option than fruit-flavored drinks because it supplies fiber and requires more time to eat.

2. Foods High in Added Sugar

Added sugar appears in far more products than candy and desserts. It can also be found in breakfast cereals, sauces, flavored yogurt, granola bars, bread, and packaged snacks.

Frequently consuming large amounts of added sugar may contribute to repeated blood glucose spikes and increased calorie intake. Over time, this pattern can promote insulin resistance and excess body fat, both of which are associated with chronic inflammation.

Foods commonly high in added sugar include:

• Candy

• Cookies

• Cakes and pastries

• Doughnuts

• Ice cream

• Sweetened cereal

• Flavored yogurt

• Dessert sauces

• Packaged snack bars

This does not mean that eating one cookie will suddenly cause chronic inflammation. The overall pattern and frequency matter much more than an occasional treat.

A healthier choice

Choose fresh fruit, plain yogurt with berries, or a small amount of dark chocolate when you want something sweet.

When buying packaged food, check the nutrition label for added sugar. Ingredients such as corn syrup, cane sugar, maltose, dextrose, fructose, and concentrated fruit juice are all forms of added sugar.

3. Refined Carbohydrates

Refined carbohydrates have had much of their natural fiber and nutrient-rich outer layers removed during processing.

Examples include:

• White bread

• Many commercial pastries

• Crackers made from refined flour

• Sugary breakfast cereal

• White-flour pasta

• Some instant noodles

• Many packaged baked goods

Because these foods contain less fiber, they are often digested more quickly than whole-grain alternatives. This may cause blood glucose to rise rapidly, especially when they are eaten alone or in large portions.

A diet dominated by refined carbohydrates may also provide fewer vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds than a diet rich in minimally processed foods.

Not every refined carbohydrate must be eliminated. White rice and white bread, for example, can still fit into a balanced meal. The key is what you eat most often and what accompanies them.

A healthier choice

Replace some refined grains with oats, brown rice, barley, quinoa, whole-grain bread, beans, or lentils.

Combining carbohydrates with vegetables, protein, and healthy fat can also slow digestion and create a more balanced meal.

4. Processed Meat

Processed meat has been preserved through smoking, curing, salting, fermentation, or the addition of chemical preservatives.

Common examples include:

• Bacon

• Sausages

• Hot dogs

• Salami

• Pepperoni

• Ham

• Some deli meats

• Canned meat products

Processed meats are often high in sodium and saturated fat. Some also contain nitrates or nitrites and may form potentially harmful compounds during processing or high-temperature cooking.

Regularly eating large amounts of processed meat has been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and premature death. Chronic inflammation may be one of several mechanisms involved.

A healthier choice

Use less-processed protein sources such as fish, chicken, eggs, beans, lentils, tofu, or plain cuts of meat.

If you eat processed meat, treat it as an occasional food rather than an everyday source of protein.

5. Large Amounts of Red Meat

Red meat can supply protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. It is therefore misleading to describe every serving of red meat as inherently inflammatory.

The concern is mainly associated with frequent consumption, large portions, fatty cuts, processed forms, and cooking methods that heavily char or burn the meat.

Diets containing large quantities of red meat may also leave less room for fish, legumes, vegetables, and other foods associated with better cardiovascular and metabolic health.

A healthier choice

Choose smaller portions and leaner cuts, and avoid burning or heavily charring the meat.

Alternate red meat with fish, poultry, beans, lentils, tofu, and other plant-based proteins throughout the week.

6. Deep-Fried Foods

Foods cooked in large amounts of hot oil are often high in calories and may absorb degraded fats, especially when cooking oil is reused repeatedly.

Examples include:

• French fries

• Fried chicken

• Doughnuts

• Fried pastries

• Battered seafood

• Fried fast food

• Some packaged chips

High-temperature frying can produce oxidation products and other compounds that may contribute to oxidative stress. Fried foods are also frequently high in sodium, refined carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats.

Their possible inflammatory effect may therefore come from the entire food combination rather than one ingredient alone.

A healthier choice

Try baking, steaming, grilling, boiling, air-frying, or sautéing with a modest amount of oil.

Potatoes themselves are not necessarily the problem. A baked potato served with vegetables and a protein source is nutritionally very different from a large serving of fast-food fries.

7. Foods Containing Industrial Trans Fats

Trans fats can raise LDL cholesterol while lowering HDL cholesterol. They have also been linked to cardiovascular disease and unfavorable inflammatory changes.

Many countries have restricted or removed partially hydrogenated oils from the food supply, but products containing them may still be available in some locations.

Potential sources include:

• Certain commercial pastries

• Shelf-stable frosting

• Some shortenings

• Older formulations of margarine

• Fried fast food

• Imported packaged snacks

• Some nondairy creamers

Small amounts of naturally occurring trans fats are found in meat and dairy products, but industrial trans fats have been the primary public-health concern.

A healthier choice

Check ingredient lists for “partially hydrogenated oil.” A product may claim to contain zero grams of trans fat per serving while still containing a small amount if partially hydrogenated oil appears in the ingredients.

Choose foods made with olive oil, avocado oil, nuts, seeds, or other primarily unsaturated fat sources.

8. Ultra-Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations that often contain combinations of refined starches, added sugars, oils, flavor enhancers, colors, emulsifiers, preservatives, and other ingredients rarely used in a home kitchen.

Examples may include:

• Packaged snack cakes

• Candy bars

• Sweetened breakfast cereal

• Instant meals

• Chicken nuggets

• Some frozen pizzas

• Flavored chips

• Many packaged desserts

• Certain meal-replacement products

Not every packaged or processed food is nutritionally poor. Frozen vegetables, canned beans, plain yogurt, and whole-grain bread are processed but can still be healthy choices.

The concern is a dietary pattern dominated by products that are high in calories, sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats while being low in fiber and essential nutrients.

Research has associated high consumption of ultra-processed foods with obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other poor health outcomes. Emerging evidence also suggests a relationship with low-grade systemic inflammation.

Because much of this research is observational, it cannot prove that processing alone causes every reported effect. Overall nutritional quality, portion size, eating speed, and lifestyle factors may also contribute.

A healthier choice

You do not need to eliminate every packaged food. Instead, compare labels and choose products with more fiber, less added sugar, less sodium, and a shorter ingredient list when practical.

Base most meals around vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, or minimally processed meat.

9. Excessive Alcohol

The relationship between alcohol and inflammation is complex, but heavy or frequent drinking can damage the liver, disrupt the intestinal barrier, and alter immune function.

Alcohol can also increase triglycerides, interfere with sleep, add significant calories, and make it more difficult to manage blood pressure or blood sugar.

Sweet alcoholic drinks may combine alcohol with a substantial amount of added sugar.

No alcoholic beverage should be viewed as a treatment for inflammation or heart disease.

A healthier choice

People who do not drink do not need to start for health reasons.

Those who choose to drink should follow the guidance provided by their local health authorities and avoid alcohol completely during pregnancy, before driving, with certain medications, or when advised by a healthcare professional.

Do Seed Oils Cause Inflammation?

Seed oils are frequently described online as major causes of inflammation because many contain omega-6 fatty acids. However, this claim is often oversimplified.

Omega-6 fats are essential nutrients that the body needs. Evidence does not show that ordinary consumption of omega-6-rich vegetable oils automatically increases inflammation in healthy people.

The larger concern is often the type of food containing the oil. Deep-fried fast food, packaged pastries, and chips may contain refined carbohydrates, excess sodium, and large amounts of calories in addition to oil.

Repeatedly overheating or reusing cooking oil can also create oxidation products.

Rather than fearing every seed oil, focus on overall dietary quality. Olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, and fatty fish are useful sources of unsaturated fats. Variety and appropriate portions matter.

Does Gluten Cause Inflammation?

Gluten can cause serious health problems in people with celiac disease. It may also trigger symptoms in some people with medically recognized wheat allergy or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

For most people, however, there is no strong evidence that gluten itself causes chronic inflammation.

Eliminating gluten unnecessarily can make a diet more restrictive and may reduce the intake of fiber and nutrients if whole grains are not properly replaced.

Anyone who suspects celiac disease should seek testing before beginning a strict gluten-free diet because removing gluten can affect the accuracy of diagnostic results.

What Should You Eat Instead?

An anti-inflammatory eating pattern is not built around one miracle food. It is based on the overall combination of foods eaten regularly.

Helpful choices include:

• Leafy green vegetables

• Tomatoes

• Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables

• Berries, cherries, and citrus fruit

• Beans and lentils

• Whole grains

• Almonds, walnuts, and other nuts

• Seeds

• Olive oil

• Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel

• Herbs and spices

• Unsweetened tea

• Water

These foods provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and plant compounds that may support cardiovascular, digestive, and metabolic health.

Mediterranean-style eating patterns are particularly well studied. They emphasize vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, nuts, olive oil, and fish while limiting processed meat, sugary drinks, and heavily processed foods.

Simple Ways to Improve Your Diet

Changing an entire diet overnight is rarely necessary or sustainable. Small replacements made consistently can have a meaningful effect.

Try the following:

• Replace one daily sugary drink with water.

• Add one extra serving of vegetables to dinner.

• Choose whole-grain bread more often.

• Swap processed meat for beans, eggs, fish, or chicken.

• Keep fruit and nuts available for snacks.

• Cook at home more frequently when possible.

• Use olive oil instead of shortening or partially hydrogenated fat.

• Treat desserts and fried foods as occasional choices.

• Read labels for added sugar, sodium, and partially hydrogenated oils.

The goal is not to create a perfect diet. It is to build a healthier pattern that can be maintained over time.

The Bottom Line

No single food creates chronic inflammation by itself, and eating an occasional dessert, serving of fries, or processed meal does not automatically damage your health.

The greater concern is a long-term eating pattern dominated by sugary drinks, refined carbohydrates, processed meats, fried foods, industrial trans fats, and ultra-processed products.

Reducing these foods while eating more vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, nuts, healthy oils, and fish may help support healthier inflammatory responses and lower the risk of several chronic diseases.

Diet is important, but it is only one part of the picture. Regular physical activity, sufficient sleep, stress management, avoiding tobacco, and following appropriate medical treatment are also essential.