The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
A Guide for Digestive Health
Digestive upset and chronic inflammation appear to be reaching epidemic proportions in modern society.
This troubling trend is impacting people of all ages and demographics however it isn't happening in isolation—several interconnected factors of our contemporary lifestyle are contributing to this surge. Let’s dive into some of them…
Declining Food Quality:
The industrialization of our food system has dramatically altered what ends up on our plates. Ultra-processed foods now dominate supermarket shelves, filled with artificial additives, refined carbohydrates, and inflammatory oils that our digestive systems struggle to process. Our food was never meant to be handled by multiple machines before we consume it, and each time a refinement process happens or something artificial is added in to stabilize the grocery item it strips the essence of the food quality. Until the nutrient are depleted, the additives are rife and there is little nutritional goodness left for our bodies to absorb.
Think back to the older days - things weren’t convenient, but life was simpler and our digestive fire was able to break down the food we consumed and turn it into biofuel for us to go about our days with gusto and good health.
I’m not saying we should leave all modern conveniences behind, but some things need an adjustment to bring us back to best health - which absolutely includes having a happy digestive system.
Chronic Stress:
Our 'always-on’ lifestyle triggers a persistent fight-or-flight response from our nervous system, diverting blood flow away from digestive organs and disrupting gut function. These stressors don’t need to be major, and for most people they are subliminal, everyday accumulations of deadlines, responsibilities and a mental load that we don’t unravel that builds up. So many functions of your digestive system are controlled by the Enteric Nervous system which wraps around and imbeds into the tissue of the digestive system. When the body is continually stressed our digestive function drops down the priority ladder whilst your body focusses it’s energy and blood flow reserves into vital survival functions - to get you out of danger and keep you alive. When the stress is chronic and our nervous system doesn’t have the chance to release and recenter, the amount of digestive enzymes your body produces decreases, your capacity to break food down decreases, inflammation in the digestive system increases and an inflammatory cascade begins. Most people that are chronically stressed end up nutritionally depleted and and because stress hormones like cortisol directly impact gut permeability and microbiome composition stressed people often develop food intolerances as their body is constantly in a reactive state.
Widespread Antibiotic Use:
Lifesaving in many contexts, antibiotics are widely prescribed with most people having multiple, if not many-multiple courses of antibiotics by the time they reach adulthood. Some Countries around the world even have antibiotics in food and through livestock farming (America I’m looking at you), antibiotics can not differentiate between harmful pathogens and beneficial gut bacteria, often leaving the microbiome depleted and vulnerable. Our microbiome directly influences our immune function and inflammatory levels in our body, as well as the strength of our digestive function. Over the years in clinic many clients I have worked with have had constitutionally weaker immune systems, multiple courses of antibiotics growing up, poor awareness of digestive supporting practices and things snowball in a bad way from there. By the time we’re working together there’s a lot of repair and resetting we need to do across the digestive, nervous, lymphatic and immune systems. Prevention is always the best cure and as modern bioscience progresses we are learning day by day simple and achievable ways to best support our immune system health to avoid antibiotic intervention; and if the infection develops and we are much better equipped to nourish and restore microbiome health protecting digestive function.
Agricultural Chemicals:
Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides used in conventional farming don't just affect the target organisms—research suggests they may also harm our gut bacteria. Glyphosate, in particular, has been shown to disrupt the shikimate pathway used by gut bacteria to produce essential amino acids. Unless you’re buying from your spray free local grower at a small market stall your food will be laced with hormone and digestive disrupting chemicals that add to the toxin load on your body and cause havoc in your digestive system. One of the scariest things whilst working in a hormone specialist clinic I learnt was that any imported Brazil nuts are sprayed with bromide at the border before they can enter Australia. The very same nuts that health conscious individuals are eating in 3’s by the day to reach their quota of selenium. So unless these Brazil nuts are getting soaked to remove pesticide residue, most people are getting a nasty dose of toxins with their nuts. It’s a wild world we live in.
If you can go spray free, or even better grow your own and nurture your soil. If you can’t soaking your fruits, veges and nuts in 1-2tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking soda with warm water for 10 minutes before rinsing and drying is your best best for reducing the chemical levels of your food.
Environmental Toxins:
Our exposure to plastics, household chemicals, and environmental pollutants places an additional burden on our detoxification systems, many of which rely on a healthy gut for proper function.
This perfect storm of modern factors helps explain why so many people now suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and other digestive conditions that were once relatively uncommon. Nature is our ally, Industrial factories and mass produced products are not.
Your gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria residing in your digestive tract—plays a crucial role in immune function, nutrient absorption, and inflammation regulation. When this delicate ecosystem becomes imbalanced, it can trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body and exacerbate digestive sensitivities. It’s not fun for anyone to experience digestive sensitivities and there is certainly things we can do about it.
Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Embrace
Colorful Fruits and Vegetables: Rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, these foods help neutralize free radicals and reduce inflammation. Berries, leafy greens, and orange/yellow vegetables are particularly beneficial.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Found in fatty fish (salmon, mackerel), flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts, these essential fats help counteract inflammatory processes.
Turmeric and Ginger: These powerful roots contain curcumin and gingerol, compounds with potent anti-inflammatory properties.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Contains oleocanthal, which has similar anti-inflammatory effects to ibuprofen but without the side effects.
Microbiome-Supporting Foods
Fermented Foods: Incorporate natural probiotics through kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and yogurt to introduce beneficial bacteria directly into your digestive system. The Cookbook Noma is the Fermented Food Bible - the few treats I have tried from this book are DELICIOUS.
Prebiotic Fiber: Found in garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, and artichokes, these fibers feed your beneficial gut bacteria. Garlic and Onions can be aggravating to a sensitive stomach though, so use in moderation or avoid these if they give your symptoms.
Diverse Plant Foods: Each plant food nourishes different bacterial strains, so aim for 30+ different plant foods weekly.
Foods to Minimize or Avoid
Refined Sugars: Feed harmful bacteria and promote inflammation.
Processed Foods: Often contain artificial additives, preservatives, and inflammatory oils.
Conventional Dairy and Gluten: Common triggers for those with sensitive digestive systems.
Industrial Seed Oils: High in omega-6 fatty acids, which can promote inflammation when consumed in excess.
Practical Implementation Tips - What to do if you have digestive sensitivities
1. Start with an elimination phase to identify personal triggers
2. Reintroduce foods systematically to pinpoint sensitivities
3. Keep a food and symptom journal
3A. Or, if you like the test-not-guess approach book in for a consultation and request an IgG Food Intolerance Test.
4. Emphasize gentle cooking methods (steaming, poaching) this takes a lot of strain off a low functioning digestive system.
5. Practice mindful eating to improve digestion, when we slow down and be present with a meal before we dive into eating it then we switch our nervous system from Sympathetic Dominant to Parasympathetic Dominant, this means blow flow travels to our digestive organs, we break the food down properly and absorb the nutrients. Chewing your food properly is SO important to help your tummy, no one really chews their food enough.
Sample Daily Menu
Breakfast: Anti-inflammatory smoothie with berries, spinach, flaxseed, and coconut kefir
Lunch: Gut-healing soup with bone broth, turmeric, ginger, and cooked vegetables, and some red lentils in here for protein and chopped parsley (for iron) and corriander (for heavy metal detox)
Dinner: Baked wild salmon with roasted root vegetables and sautéed leafy greens
Snacks: Fermented vegetables, soaked nuts, or avocado with olive oil
Remember that healing the gut and reducing inflammation is a journey, not a destination. Patience, consistency, and personalization are key. What works for one person may not work for another, so tune in to your body's signals and adjust accordingly.
If you’re not sure, reach out for health. This is a space where naturopaths excel in supporting.
