The Menu: Salmon or mackerel with broccoli and artichokes (plus a generous amount of garlic)
The 30-Second Explanation: Cold-water fish are an excellent source of omega-3s, and artichokes are food for the good bacteria in your gut.
And Everything Else You Might Want To Know: Our diets are generally too high in pro-inflammatory omega 6’s and too low in anti-inflammatory omega 3’s, says Sukol. We need some inflammation in our bodies, so it’s not about cutting out omega 6’s completely—just eating more 3s than 6s. These two fish options will help you do that (other ideas: trout, herring, and sardines). You know about probiotics, but you may not have heard about prebiotics: foods that your gut doesn’t digest completely, leaving what’s left for the good bacteria in your digestive system to feast on. Artichokes, garlic (plus, leeks, onions, and asparagus) are all in that category. Finally, two compounds in broccoli help boost your cells natural defenses, says Jed Fahey, ScD, director of the Cullman Chemoprotection Center at Johns Hopkins and assistant professor in the department of international health, center for human nutrition, at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (Sulforaphanes, found in cruciferous veggies including broccoli,
have been found to lower inflammation in mice too).
Images clockwise from top left: istockphoto: gbh007, Mostafa Hefni, tanuha2001, macida
