Chronic inflammation refers to a response by your immune system that sticks around long after infection or injury. Learn the common symptoms and…. Inflammation is one way your body fights infection, injury, and disease. Sometimes inflammation can become a painful problem.

Your doctor can perform…. What is oxidative stress, and why does it matter? We explain how this imbalance affects your body and ways to prevent it. A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect.

Medically reviewed by Kathy W. Warwick, R. Share on Pinterest. Grilled chicken thighs with pineapple-mint salsa. Grass-fed beef and veggie burgers.

Broccoli cauliflower soup. Crispy drumsticks with balsamic fig sauce. Basic broiled salmon. Spaghetti squash with avocado basil dressing. Pan-seared lemon turmeric chicken salad. Meal Prep: Chicken and Veggie Mix and Match.

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Aug 27, Written By Alexa Federico, FNTP. Jul 1, Medically Reviewed By Kathy Warwick, RD, LD. Share this article. More in Understanding Inflammation and Aging Your 5-Minute Read on Inflamm-aging and How to Prevent It. Oxidative Stress: Your FAQs Answered. Your 5-Minute Read on Fighting Brain Fog.

What Is Carbon 60 C60? Your FAQs Answered. Is Carbon 60 C60 Good for You? Read this next. READ MORE. Understanding and Managing Chronic Inflammation. Medically reviewed by Stella Bard, MD.

Inflammation: What You Need to Know Inflammation is one way your body fights infection, injury, and disease. Avocado offers a bunch of healthy nutrients such as magnesium, zinc and potassium to support digestion. A traditional Korean fermented food, kimchi adds more than just flavour to this tofu dish.

Studies suggest that regularly eating kimchi has a positive effect on the gut, immune system, brain function and skin health. This moreish mash is a must for a healthy gut. Sweet potatoes contain both soluble and insoluble fibre which support digestive health.

They are also loaded with beta-carotene, an antioxidant which can be converted to vitamin A in the body, playing an essential role in supporting gut-based immunity. Whip up this quick and easy mini cucumber kimchi to access a source of natural probiotics.

The fiery ginger also stimulates the digestive system by getting the stomach juices going. Turn your hand to making a jar of sauerkraut, a popular European fermented product made from cabbage. Add it to a salad or sandwich or eat it on its own.

Using miso in dressings is a great way of including this probiotic-rich fermented food in your diet. This nourishing miso fish recipe with broccoli and beans offers a light, umami-flavoured dinner. Lacto-fermenting is an ancient way of preserving food. The process of fermenting increases both nutrient and probiotic levels.

This red cabbage kimchi is great added to salads, sandwiches and toast. This simple toast is a gut-friendly powerhouse. Tomatoes offer antioxidants such as lycopene and plant polyphenols, whilst garlic and thyme are natural antimicrobials to keep gut bacteria in balance.

Plus, olive oil is rich in fatty acids and polyphenols, proven to reduce inflammation in the gut. This salad boasts broccoli and toasted almonds with a blue cheese and garlic dressing.

Moderate portions of blue cheese offer beneficial probiotics, and almonds provide a prebiotic effect thanks to their high-fibre, fatty acid and polyphenol profile.

Broccoli contains sulforaphane, which can support a healthy balance in your gut and immune system — especially if inflamed. Tracey Raye is the Health Editor for olive and BBC Good Food.

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Tracey Raye is the Health Editor for Olive and BBC Good Food. She oversees all health, nutrition and fitness related content across the brands, including the bi-annual Healthy Diet Plan, monthly Health Edit newsletter and health column in the magazine. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy.

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Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are soft but not coloured. Add the beans and chopped tomatoes to the vegetables. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add it to the pan. Add half of the chopped coriander. Stir well and bring the pan to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the tomato sauce is rich and thick.

Add a splash of water if the sauce for the beans gets too dry. Divide the beans between four plates and scatter with crumbled feta cheese and chopped coriander.

Serve with baked sweet potato wedges or wholemeal brown rice. Cooking tip : Both the tender stalks and leaves of coriander can be chopped up and used in recipes. This tasty, one pot meal is a real crowd pleaser that screams gourmet but is super simple to make. The peas and sugar snap peas provide soluble dietary fibre.

This means that it is a prebiotic, which acts as food for healthy gut bacteria to feed on. Soluble fibre dissolves in water and can help the passage of food through the gut and soften stools.

It also contains ginger, which has been shown to help relieve gastrointestinal discomforts in clinical studies. The colourful vegetables also contain polyphenols, which are known to increase the diversity of bacteria in the gut.

Trim the spring onions and cut into 2cm lengths. Discard the outer layer of the lemongrass if using and finely chop the bottom part of the stem. Drizzle a little oil into a large frying pan or wok and cook the spring onions, garlic, chilli, ginger, lemongrass, and pepper strips over a medium heat until soft but not coloured.

Add the prawns, sugar snap peas, peas, coconut cream and vegetable stock to the pan. Add the lime zest and add half of the chopped coriander. Bring the pan to a simmer. Cook gently for 5 minutes or until the prawns are cooked they will turn pink and the vegetables are tender.

While the vegetables and prawns are cooking, place 4 nests of wholewheat noodles in a separate bowl and cover with boiling water. Drain the noodles after 4 minutes and place a few noodles in the bottom of four warm serving bowls.

Serve the prawns and vegetables with the noodles and a scattering of chopped coriander and lime wedges. Cooking tip : Other vegetables can be used in this dish instead of peas, such as baby sweetcorn, fine beans, or broccoli, which all have dietary fibre.

Looking to cut down on red meat? These meat-free meatballs are the perfect substitute. Infused with spices and herbs, this dish is packed full of flavour and high in resistant starch and dietary fibre — all of which contribute towards a healthy gut.

Resistant starch is important in the diet because it resists digestion, passing directly through the small intestine to the colon. Warm the olive oil in a small frying pan, add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft but not coloured.

Set aside and allow to cool. Meanwhile, place the chopped garlic in a food processor with the drained chickpeas, kidney beans, cumin, wholemeal flour, and egg. Pulse the bean mix so there are still a few visible lumps of beans and chickpeas.

Transfer to a bowl and season with pepper. Add the fried onion, lemon zest, chopped coriander and parsley to the bean mix. Keep a little coriander back for garnish. Place the fine breadcrumbs onto a plate. Take a tablespoon of the bean mix about 30g , shape into a ball, roll in the breadcrumbs and place on a sheet of baking parchment paper.

Continue rolling the balls until you have used up all the mixture. Place the balls in the fridge while you make the tomato sauce. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan and add the chopped garlic and cook gently for 5 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes bay leaf, and dried oregano to the saucepan and heat until they just begin to simmer. You may have to do this in batches and place the balls in the dish warming in the oven.

Cooking tips : For a gluten free option, use gluten free bread to make the breadcrumbs by cutting it into small cubes and adding it to a food processor until fine. Spread the crumbs on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at °C until golden.

Once the breadcrumbs have cooled, add seasonings of choice. For a vegan version, leave the egg out of the recipe and replace the flour with chickpea gram flour to help to bind the bean mixture together more firmly.

This version of the recipe will be slightly crumblier than the original one, but the meatballs will hold together and taste great. Make it a Mexican night without the worry of gut troubles.

This recipe contains more than 10 different plant foods and is high in dietary fibre thanks to the black beans. The dish also contains two types of onions. Onions are a major source of inulin, a naturally occurring prebiotic.

Inulin travels through the gut and is fermented by the colon helping healthy gut bacteria to thrive, keeping the immune system functioning efficiently and the cells lining the gut healthy.

Warm the olive oil in a large pan and add the sliced onions and chopped garlic. Cook gently for 5 minutes until soft. Sprinkle the chopped coriander stalks, ground cumin, coriander and chilli flakes into the pan and add the chicken strips, turning them in the hot oil. Finally, add the drained black beans and cook for another five minutes.

What we eat directly affects the growth and multiplication of good and not-so-good bacteria in the gut—and to better understand the foods that contribute to that good bacteria, we turned to Maddie Pasquariello, RDN , a registered dietitian, and Rhyan Geiger, RDN, a registered dietitian and the founder of Phoenix Vegan Dietitian.

Foods rich in probiotics and prebiotics may also lend a hand, helping to maintain the balance of beneficial gut bacteria. With that in mind, the main ingredients in each of the following dishes offer nutrients that aid good microbes.

From homemade sauerkraut, yogurt, and fruit-forward recipes to whole grains , leafy greens, and lentils , this collection includes a variety of dishes—all of which have been reviewed by our medical experts and confirmed to promote gut health.

You aren't limited to snacks and drinks either: Our gut-friendly round-up includes everything from sweet breakfast bowls to savory dinner entrées. Add these good-for-your-gut recipes to your rotation, and your stomach will thank you later.

Instead of eggs, this vegan banana bread uses ground flaxseed as a binder. This is great news for your belly, as flaxseed and bananas benefit gut health. Both ingredients contain inulin, a "prebiotic fiber that stimulates the growth of good bacteria in the gut," says Geiger.

Plus, flaxseed boasts an earthy and nutty flavor, resulting in a delightful homemade bread. Take a break from your usual oats with this quinoa or millet breakfast bowl. Both ingredients are whole grains, meaning they're rich in vitamins and gut-boosting fiber. For example, millet has been shown to increase levels of good gut bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and decrease harmful microbes like E.

coli , says Geiger. The dish also pairs well with a range of toppings, like juicy berries and crunchy nuts, making the possibilities deliciously endless. Miso, which is made of fermented soybeans, is a source of probiotics.

As Geiger explains, the process of fermenting food creates good bacteria, which can benefit the microbial balance in the gut.

And while miso paste is often used in dishes like soup, it's excellent in dressings, too. Add this miso dressing to salad, meat, or a simple bowl of brown rice for a burst of umami flavor. What's delicious, nutritious, and beautiful to boot? This smoothie-parfait hybrid, of course.

Greek yogurt offers gut-friendly probiotics, which can benefit digestive wellness, says Pasquariello. Adding chopped apple, peach, or banana will boost the prebiotic [fiber] content even more," she says.

Elevate your next morning brunch with a batch of baked oatmeal. Not only is it bursting with fiber, it's also naturally sweetened with medjool dates and maple syrup. Moreover, "berries are a great way to add fiber to our diet, which is great for [supporting] gut health," says Pasquariello.

Conquer meal prep for the week with this hearty vegetarian stew. It requires just 20 minutes of preparation and can be made vegan, too. Both black beans and sweet potatoes are packed with gut-friendly fiber, while the latter is a also rich in antioxidants, says Geiger.

If your gut could use some TLC, add these whole grain crackers to your snack repertoire. One of our best recipes for gut health is this Instant Pot yogurt. It's delightfully affordable, easy to make, and perfect for everything from parfaits to sauces. Plus, by making it at home, "you can control the level of sweetness, giving you a leg up over store-bought yogurt that's often high in added sugar," she says.

Treat your gut—and your taste buds—to a refreshing apple smoothie. Featuring a blend of flaxseed, banana, and apple, this beverage boasts numerous beneficial ingredients. Both ingredients, along with flaxseed, are rich in prebiotic fiber, as well.

Perfectly hearty and rustic, this no-knead bread is teeming with fiber-rich ingredients like whole wheat flour and pumpkin seeds. What's more, "by letting it rise with yeast, you also create fermentation, which gives you another boost [of gut benefits]," says Pasquariello.

Enjoy it as a slice of toast or in your go-to sandwich recipe. These four-ingredient energy bites will fuel your body and mind. They'll also benefit your gut, thanks to the high fiber content of bananas. Even the tiny hemp seeds lend a hand, as they provide nutrients like fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, says Geiger.

Plus, the recipe takes just five minutes to prepare, making it ideal for those busy weekday mornings. When it comes to digestive health, you can't go wrong with vegetable dishes, and this salad is no exception.