10 Worst Foods That Cause Inflammation, According to Nutrition Experts

Processed Snacks With Added Sugar

If you look for it at the grocery store, you can find added sugar everywhere, even hiding in foods we consider healthy like packaged granola bars, cereal, and fruit-flavored yogurt. According to nutrition expert Frances Largeman-Roth, sugary foods can cause inflammation through the release of cytokines and can raise blood pressure.

Don't confuse these foods with those that contain naturally occurring sugar, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy. We're talking about sugars that are added to foods to sweeten them. For some good news, your sweet tooth may be happy to learn that honey has been shown to reduce inflammation.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

While the small amounts of fructose in fruits and vegetables are fine, consuming large amounts, especially in the form of uber-processed high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), can negatively affect your health. HFCS is a favorite of food processors because it's cheaper and sweeter than sugar.

The rest of us should avoid anything to do with HFCS because aggravating inflammation is just one in a list of maladies that it contributes to. Among the worst offenders that are typically high in HFCS are candy, fast food, frozen ice cream treats, and applesauce.

Ultra-Processed Foods

"Ultra-processed" is a relatively new classification that describes snacks, drinks, ready meals, and other products created from food extracts or derivatives with little intact food. They're also likely to contain flavors, colors, and other additives to make them convenient, addictive, and profitable.

Foods that are ultra-processed usually have few, if any, whole foods to nourish your body's immune system, and that deficit can lead to chronic inflammation. Examples are packaged snacks, like chips and cookies, non-dairy creamers, and microwaveable meals.

Soda and Other Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

Beverages are just another vehicle for high fructose corn syrup and other added sugars, but they deserve a separate mention because they're an often overlooked contributor to our daily intake. A 2022 study found soda, sports drinks, and other sugary beverages (as well as other sugary foods) to be a key factor for causing and aggravating inflammation, and can also impact your gut microbiome.

While it's not realistic to cut out all added sugars in our diets, we can certainly stand to reduce our daily intake. "Start by using less sweetener in your morning coffee and gradually reduce it to zero," Largeman-Roth advises, and be sure to read nutrition labels to make better choices.

Trans Fats

Trans fats have been found to cause systemic inflammation in the body, and eating it has been linked to coronary heart disease. Some trans fats occur naturally in animal products, but it's the industrially produced stuff that manufacturers add to processed foods that we want to stay away from.

While most manufacturers were forced to remove trans fats—listed as "partially hydrogenated fats" in an ingredient list—from their products by 2021, certain packaged foods still contain them. "For example, packaged frosting has 2 grams of trans fat per 2 tablespoon serving," explains Largeman-Roth. Among other likely offenders are commercial baked goods and deep-fried foods.

Red Meat

"Meat typically has high levels of both arachidonic acid and saturated fat, which contributes to inflammation," says Abraham. An easy, overarching way to counter inflammation is to consume more plant-based foods, the doctor suggests, because they typically have markedly less fat, particularly saturated fat.

"Plant-based diets that also include plenty of leafy greens and vegetables have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body," he continued. "This, in turn, minimizes the risk of disease and, even more importantly, those adopting more plant-based options in their diet simply feel much better."

Processed Meats

Similarly to red meat, processed meat—bacon, sausage, hot dogs, bologna, pepperoni, and salami—is high in saturated fats, which can cause inflammation in fat tissue. A 2019 study found that processed meat protein, in particular, promoted inflammation in mice.

Another study linked processed meat (and red meat) with an increased inflammatory response and an increased risk of colon cancer. Better anti-inflammatory choices are chicken and fish as well as lean cuts of red meat and, of course, plant-based options.

Refined Carbohydrates

Foods made with refined grains—white flour, white bread, and white rice—have been milled to have the fibrous bran and the nutrient-rich germ removed. They're very easy to overeat (hello, dinner rolls) and, according to Largeman-Roth, the resultant extra pounds can lead to chronic inflammation.

On the other hand, whole grains contain the entire grain kernel: bran, germ, and endosperm. Foods like brown rice, whole wheat flour, oatmeal, and whole cornmeal are all healthy whole grains, which studies show help to reduce inflammation in the body. "Aim to make at least half of your grains whole," Largeman-Roth advises.

Fried Foods

Deep-fried foods—french fries, fried chicken, and donuts—are typically an inflammation trigger. What's worse, they're often prepared in a way in which they're soaked in oil with omega-6 fatty acids, which can prompt even more inflammation.

Alcohol

You can argue whether alcohol is a "food," but there's no argument that chronic excessive alcohol consumption can cause inflammation. Studies have shown that when your body breaks down alcohol, it produces a series of inflammatory compounds. The byproducts of that process trigger an inflammatory response that can damage your gut's microbiome, which in turn can be detrimental to your liver and other organs.

This doesn't mean you have to give up your Friday night cocktail, because moderate drinking doesn't cause as much inflammation as excessive drinking does. The USDA's 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that men limit their alcohol consumption to two drinks per day and, for women, no more than one drink per day.